HealthInfo Canterbury
Eligibility of children for free dental care
A child under the age of 18 is eligible for free dental care if a parent, legal guardian, or person applying to be their guardian or adoptive parent has the following immigration status:
- New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
- Australian citizen/Australian permanent resident (if staying two years in New Zealand).
- Work visa holder (if the visa allows them to be in New Zealand for two years or longer).
- Interim visa holder (application between visas but needs to be two years from time of arrival).
Children of parents who hold a student visa are not eligible until the parents get a work visa, and have been in New Zealand for a total of two years.
Proof of eligibility
To prove eligibility, you need to provide:
- evidence that the child is in the care of the adult (for example, a birth certificate, adoption papers, guardianship papers), and
- evidence of the parent's status eligibility (for example, a passport with resident visa, current work visa, interim visa letter).
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Ministry of Health – Guide to eligibility
Guide to eligibility for publicly funded health and disability services.
- Ministry of Health – Eligibility checklist
A quick reference to find out if someone meets the eligibility criteria.
Review key: HIDCC-49010
