Funeral insurance eligibility for NZ visa holders

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

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.

Visa holders can buy Momentum Life cover if they meet its residency rules, and those rules depend on the product. Funeral Insurance (ages 40 to 75) requires a person to have been in New Zealand continuously for at least 12 months on a valid temporary work visa. Quick Life (ages 18 to 65) requires a temporary work visa and 6 months or more in New Zealand. Neither wording lists visa subclasses, so the work visa and the time here are the test.

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Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k

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Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

The two residency tests

Both Momentum wordings define who counts as a "New Zealander". The definitions are close but not the same.

	Funeral Insurance	Quick Life
Lives in New Zealand	Resides in New Zealand at the time of application	Permanently resides in New Zealand
Citizen	NZ or Australian	NZ or Australian
Visa route	New Zealand permanent residency visa	New Zealand permanent resident visa
Temporary work visa	In New Zealand continuously for at least 12 months on a valid temporary work visa	Holds a temporary work visa and has been in New Zealand for 6 months or more
Entry ages	40 to 75	18 to 65

Sources: Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (issue date 17 August 2023) and Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025).

The two products are not the same kind of cover. Funeral Insurance pays $3,000 to $30,000, with no health questions; in the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident, and any other death returns all premiums. Quick Life is guaranteed-acceptance life cover of $50,000 to $300,000; in the first 2 years it excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide, and it excludes some causes of death at any time. Its premiums rise with age until 75. See the Quick Life plan page and what guaranteed acceptance means.

Which product is open to you

Combine your age with how long you have held your work visa in New Zealand. This table shows only whether the residency and age tests are met; it is not an offer.

Your age	Work visa, under 6 months in NZ	Work visa, 6 to 11 months	Work visa, 12 months or more
18 to 39	Neither	Quick Life	Quick Life
40 to 65	Neither	Quick Life	Quick Life and Funeral Insurance
66 to 75	Neither	Neither	Funeral Insurance
76 and over	Neither	Neither	Neither

A permanent resident visa holder or citizen who lives in New Zealand has no waiting time on residency and is judged on age alone. Over 75, Momentum accepts no new applicants for either product.

Visa types: what is and is not named

The wording names only a "permanent residency visa" (Funeral) or "permanent resident visa" (Quick Life) and a "temporary work visa". It does not name a resident visa, a student visa, a partner visa or a visitor visa. That matters because a resident visa and a permanent resident visa are different: Immigration New Zealand says to apply for a permanent resident visa you must have held a resident visa for at least 2 years in a row (Immigration New Zealand: Permanent Resident Visa). So a person in their first two years on a resident visa is not described by either wording. Whether Momentum would treat them as eligible is something we cannot tell you; ask Momentum before you apply. A visitor visa is not a work visa and does not meet either test (see funeral insurance for non-residents).

Questions the wording leaves open

"Continuously". Funeral Insurance requires 12 continuous months in New Zealand on a valid temporary work visa. The wording does not say whether a trip abroad breaks that run, or whether time on an earlier visa counts toward the 12 months.
When the visa expires. The residency test is applied at application. Funeral Insurance covers a person "24 hours a day, regardless of geographical location" if they were a New Zealander when cover was issued, but the wording does not say what happens to eligibility or premium payments if they later leave.
Time overseas on Quick Life. Quick Life's wording asks you to tell Momentum if you will be outside New Zealand for more than 6 months, or working overseas for any period. If you do not, Momentum can decline cover while you are away or cancel the policy without refund.

If a gap like this affects you, ask Momentum on 0800 108 108 and keep the answer in writing.

What the early windows mean for visa holders

Many visa holders are younger than 40, and for them the realistic Momentum option is Quick Life, not Funeral Insurance. Both products restrict the first two years: 24 months of accident-only payments for Funeral Insurance (all premiums refunded on any other death), and 2 years of excluded pre-existing conditions and suicide on Quick Life (premiums are refunded for a pre-existing-condition death in the first 24 months when no claim is payable). The two years restart if a Quick Life policy is cancelled and rejoined or reinstated. For a visa holder expecting to leave New Zealand within a few years, the premiums paid before leaving may buy little, so think about the exit as well as the entry.

Funeral Insurance is not a savings plan. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. FDANZ's 2026 survey average for a full cremation funeral with 50 attendees is $11,700 (FDANZ, 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report).

This page is about insurance, not immigration

We cannot say which visa lets you bring a parent to New Zealand or how to apply for residence; Immigration New Zealand is the place for that. If you are looking for help paying for a funeral rather than insurance, the Work and Income Funeral Grant has its own tests, including that the person who died normally lived in New Zealand (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). See the Funeral Grant guide.

Other insurers set their own rules

Residency tests differ by insurer. AA Life asks that the covered person is in New Zealand at application (AA Life: Funeral cover); other insurers publish different tests. A licensed adviser can check which of them fit your visa. Compare entry ages on the age limits page.

Getting advice

The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application. Both wordings apply their residency tests at application. Momentum Life holds an A.M. Best rating of B (Fair), in the range Momentum calls "Vulnerable"; 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 and what funeral insurance is.