What to provide when you apply for one-off help

Getting an on-going payment (eg benefit, NZ Super) from us

• 1 form of identification, eg:
  • passport
  • driver licence
  • student id
  • community services card.

Not currently getting a payment from us

Government issued ID

You need to provide 2 of the following documents that show your full legal name and date of birth.

Documents must be current, or up to 2 years expired.

If you were born in New Zealand

Examples of government-issued ID include:

• NZ birth certificate (apply online for a birth certificate)
• NZ passport
• NZ driver licence which is either a:
  
  • photo licence
  • temporary paper driver licence
• Firearms licence
• Steps to Freedom release form
• Oranga Tamariki issued Custody Order.

If you're born overseas

As well as ID that proves who you are, we also need proof that you have the right to live in New Zealand. Examples include:

• New Zealand passport
• Passport from another country (current or up to 6 months expired) showing your residence class visa or permit
• Citizenship certificate
• NZ Refugee Travel document
• If you're from Australia, either your Australian:
  
  • passport
  • birth certificate
  • proof of residence
• If you're from Cook Islands, Tokelau or Niue, either:
  • birth certificate
  • letter of confirmation
  • certificate of registration
  • certificate of naturalisation
• Letter of confirmation of your residence class visa or permit from Immigration New Zealand.

If you can't provide 2 types of ID

If you can't provide 2 types of government-issued ID (listed above), you'll need to provide 1 government-issued ID and 1 other document that proves your identity.

Examples:

• education organisation documents
• letter from Inland Revenue
• marriage certificate
• Kiwi Access card (18+).

The following documents can be used to prove your identity, but need to be less than 6 months old:

• bank document
• document from a health practitioner
• employment letter or payslip
• power account document
• rates notice
• telecommunications account
• tenancy agreement
• insurance document
• letter from a prominent community member.

To process your application and determine your eligibility and entitlement, you may need to show us evidence of costs from a retailer for the goods or services you need (not required for food or petrol). We'll let you know if you need to do this.