Funeral cover for visitors and non-residents
Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Most overseas visitors cannot buy New Zealand funeral insurance. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance is open to a "New Zealander", which its wording defines as someone who lives in New Zealand at the time of application and is a citizen, a permanent resident visa holder, or has been in New Zealand continuously for at least 12 months on a valid temporary work visa. A visitor or tourist visa is not a work visa, so it does not meet that test.
The residency test in Momentum's own words
Funeral Insurance is Momentum Life's guaranteed-acceptance cover for ages 40 to 75, with a benefit of $3,000 to $30,000. Its wording defines who can apply. A "New Zealander or New Zealand Resident" is a person who resides in New Zealand at the time of application and either holds New Zealand or Australian citizenship, holds a New Zealand permanent residency visa, or "has been in New Zealand continuously for at least 12 months on a valid temporary work visa" (Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording). Two things follow. The test is about where you live as well as what you hold: all three routes begin with living in New Zealand. And the test is applied at application, so it is checked before any cover starts.
The person who owns the policy must also be a natural person and a New Zealander, and anyone else covered on the policy must be a New Zealander who is a partner or listed relative of the owner. Those rules are in the same wording.
Which situations meet the test
"Non-resident" is used loosely, so here is how the wording treats the common cases. Age matters too: Funeral Insurance accepts ages 40 to 75 only.
| Your situation | Does it meet Momentum's residency test? |
|---|---|
| NZ citizen living in New Zealand | Yes, on residency. Age 40 to 75 also applies |
| Australian citizen living in New Zealand | Yes, on residency. Age 40 to 75 also applies |
| Permanent resident visa holder living in New Zealand | Yes, on residency |
| On a valid temporary work visa, in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more | Yes, on residency |
| On a work visa, in New Zealand for under 12 months | Not yet |
| Visitor or tourist visa | No. It is not a work visa, and a visitor does not live here |
| New Zealand citizen living overseas | The wording asks for residence in New Zealand at application, so this does not fit |
| Other visas (student, partner, resident visa that is not yet permanent) | Not named as a route; see the visa holders page |
The wording does not list visa subclasses and does not say how it treats a visa type it does not mention, so we do not guess. If your visa is not on the list, ask Momentum or a licensed adviser before you rely on it.
If you are already insured and then leave
The wording has a separate clause on cover abroad. "Providing the Life Insured was a New Zealander when the cover was issued," the policy covers them 24 hours a day "regardless of geographical location" (same wording). So a policy bought while you were eligible and living here is not described as ending because you travel. What the wording does not say is how premium payments, address changes or a permanent move overseas are handled, so tell Momentum if your plans change. Momentum's customer care line is 0800 108 108.
Buying cover for someone in New Zealand while you are overseas
A relative living abroad cannot own a policy on a New Zealand parent, because the owner has to be a New Zealander, and the wording's definition requires that person to reside in New Zealand at the time of application. The parent can own their own policy if they are 40 to 75 and meet the test, and can name you as beneficiary. See funeral insurance for parents for how ownership works, and family funeral insurance for who counts as a relative.
What the 24-month window means for newcomers
Anyone who does meet the test still faces the same early restriction. In the first 24 months Funeral Insurance pays only if death is the direct result of an accident and happens within 90 days of it. An accidental death pays three times the benefit, in those 24 months or later. For any other death in that time no benefit is paid and all premiums for that person are refunded. After 24 months it pays for death from any cause. This is the only early restriction in the wording. For a person who arrives in New Zealand, waits 12 months on a work visa and then buys, the 24 months start at acceptance, not on arrival. Read more on the waiting periods page.
Other options if you do not meet the test
- Cover where you live. A visitor whose home is overseas is better placed to look at funeral or life cover offered in that country, under its own rules.
- Another New Zealand insurer later. Each sets its own residency test. AA Life asks that the covered person is in New Zealand at application (AA Life: Funeral cover) and Chubb says its cover is for people meeting New Zealand residency criteria (Chubb: Funeral cover). Compare them on the options page.
- Saving or a prepaid plan. Rules and fees vary by provider, so check each one before you rely on it.
- A licensed adviser. An adviser can look at what is open to your visa and age. They cannot make an insurer accept you.
If a visitor dies in New Zealand
Insurance aside, the family may face the cost of a funeral here. The Work and Income Funeral Grant requires that the person who died "normally lived in New Zealand", which a short-stay visitor would not usually meet (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). FDANZ's 2026 report gives an average of $11,700 for a full cremation funeral with 50 attendees at a funeral home, and $14,300 for the same funeral with a burial (FDANZ, 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report). For a death that happens overseas, see what happens if you die overseas.
What to know before you apply
Funeral Insurance is not a savings plan. Over a long life the total premiums can add up to more than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole cost of a funeral. Premiums are fixed each year until the 89th birthday, then stop, and cover continues for life, but the rate can change for everyone on the plan if tax law or claims experience changes, on 30 days' written notice. There is a 30-day free look from the acceptance date.
Getting advice
The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application. Momentum's residency test is applied at application. Momentum Life Limited holds an A.M. Best financial strength rating of B (Fair), which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a Momentum policy; see how we are paid. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Back to the funeral insurance hub, or see the Funeral Cover plan page.
Adviser's view
A visitor or someone living overseas cannot apply for Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, because the wording asks for residence in New Zealand at the time of application. The path that exists for temporary visa holders is a valid work visa plus 12 continuous months in New Zealand. If you are outside those rules, look at cover where you live, or ask a licensed adviser what is open to you.
Talk to a licensed adviser about funeral cover · free, no obligation.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Insurance for Non-Residents NZ: Eligibility. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-insurance/funeral-insurance-for-non-residents-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.
References
- Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (PDF, issue date 17 August 2023)
- Momentum Life: Financial Strength
- AA Life: Funeral cover
- Chubb: Funeral cover
- Work and Income: Funeral Grant
- FDANZ: 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report (PDF)
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Free Will.