My niece is doing a semester in Auckland (university exchange scheme) starting in February. Her EU passport will expire a couple of months after her studies in NZ end.

We just so happen to be traveling to China around the time she's due to return, and one idea is for her to meet us in Beijing on the 144 hour visa free thing. One of their requirements is 3 months of validity left on the passport.

We are not sure what kind of visa she needs for NZ. The eVisa for exchange students seems to take only a week or so, all done online. The other student visas, as long as 2 months or more. Depending on which one applies to her, renewing her passport before applying for the visa may not be viable (she does not go to university in her country of citizenship).

In either event, if she were to apply for a study visa, would it only be issued for the length of her passport validity, or does NZ have something like the Americans, where a visa in the old passport (or an eVisa with an expired/cancelled passport number associated with it) and a new passport can be used in combination?

tia
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