Parent Boost Insurance: Minimum Cover, When to Buy and the Year-Three Check
A Parent Boost applicant needs medical insurance, travel insurance or a combination that meets Immigration New Zealand’s requirements. You can compare policies and costs before applying, but INZ says not to buy the insurance until the application is approved in principle. At that stage, you must provide evidence of at least 12 months of cover. The obligation continues for each period you stay in New Zealand, and the visa includes an offshore health and insurance check during year three.
Check the four minimum cover amounts
The policy should state the type and amount of cover clearly. INZ lists these minimums in New Zealand dollars or the equivalent:
Cover：Emergency medical care each year, including diagnosis, treatment, ambulance and hospital care；Minimum amount：NZD 250,000
Cover：Cancer care each year, including diagnosis, treatment, ambulance and hospital care；Minimum amount：NZD 100,000
Cover：Repatriation to your home country after serious illness or disability；Minimum amount：NZD 250,000
Cover：Return of remains if you die in New Zealand；Minimum amount：NZD 50,000
Meeting the figures alone does not make a policy automatically acceptable. The insurer must also have an A (strong) credit rating or an equivalent rating from an internationally recognised agency. A policy that refers generally to “medical cover” without setting out cancer care, repatriation and other limits may take INZ longer to assess.
Compare policies before applying; buy after approval in principle
Before lodging, ask insurers about age limits, pre-existing-condition exclusions, annual limits and premiums. Check that cancer cover includes diagnosis and treatment, and that repatriation and return-of-remains cover each meet the relevant amount. Premiums vary with age, health and the insurer’s underwriting terms, so an advertised starting price is not a reliable personal estimate.
INZ’s sequence is to research the options first and purchase the policy only after approval in principle. You then need to provide evidence that medical insurance, travel insurance or both will be valid for at least 12 months. Complete this step by the deadline in the approval notice; INZ says it may decline the application if the evidence is not provided within the required period. Comparing without paying first reduces the chance that cover starts too early or that you buy a policy whose terms have not been checked.
Keep evidence for every stay in New Zealand
Parent Boost is a multiple-entry visitor visa. You must maintain acceptable insurance while you are in New Zealand. The first year requires cover, and after that you need cover for each visit. Keep the policy certificate, a clear schedule of benefits, renewal records, payment evidence and the dates of every New Zealand stay together in a dated file.
You may change insurer or policy during the visa, but the replacement must still meet the same requirements. Recheck the benefits, limits, dates and exclusions; a payment receipt by itself does not show that the new policy is compliant. If the replacement policy falls short, you may breach a visa condition. INZ warns that this can affect the visa, including cancellation or deportation liability. A partner included in the application also needs their own evidence of medical or travel insurance.
Plan for the offshore check in year three
You must complete the health and insurance check during year three and before year four begins. The check requires a new chest X-ray and medical examination from outside New Zealand, plus evidence that you maintained acceptable insurance during the first year and each later visit. The medical evidence must be less than three months old when INZ receives it.
You must stay outside New Zealand until INZ confirms that you have met the conditions. The current visa page says this confirmation could take up to three months. Allow time for the medical appointment, document submission and the wait for confirmation before making travel plans. The operational manual also states that the compliance check is completed offshore and that the visa holder must remain offshore until confirmation.
A practical pre-application checklist
1. Match each of the four cover types and limits against the policy wording. 2. Check the insurer’s credit rating, age limits and exclusions that may apply to the applicant. 3. Compare policy terms and costs before applying; wait until approval in principle before buying at least 12 months of compliant cover. 4. After the visa is granted, keep evidence for the first year and for every New Zealand visit. Recheck the policy if you change providers. 5. Set aside offshore time in year three for the medical check, evidence and confirmation.
The Parent Boost service page from 卓越移民 Premiervisa Group provides programme information. Insurance is one visa condition; confirm the current INZ instructions and the complete policy wording before applying or renewing cover.
Official sources
Sources checked: 23 October 2026. Insurance terms and visa instructions can change, so check them again before purchase and lodgement.
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