485BPOS

AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON MAY 22, 2013

FILE NO.  002-86082

FILE NO.  811-03833-01

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933  [X]

Post-Effective Amendment No.  71

AND

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940  [X]

Amendment No.  72

MAINSTAY VP FUNDS TRUST

(exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

51 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10010

(address of principal executive office)

REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER: (212) 576-7000

J. Kevin Gao, Esq. MainStay VP Funds Trust 169 Lackawanna Avenue Parsippany, NJ 07054 Copy to: Sander M. Bieber, Esq. Dechert LLP 1775 I Street, NW Washington, DC 20006

(NAME AND ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)

It is proposed that this filing will become effective

ý	Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485
o	on ________,  pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of Rule 485

o 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485

o on ________, pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485

o 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

o on                 , 2011 pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

If appropriate, check the following box:

o This Post-Effective Amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Attached for filing are exhibits containing interactive data format risk/return summary information that reflects the risk/return summary information for the portfolios of MainStay VP Funds Trust, contained in the Prospectus dated May 1, 2013 (Accession Number 0001144204-13-025354). The purpose of this filing is to submit an XBRL interactive data file in the manner provided by Rule 405 of Regulation S-T and General Instruction C.3.(g) of Form N-1A.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and that it has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Parsippany in the State of New Jersey, on the 22^nd day of May, 2013.

MAINSTAY VP FUNDS TRUST
By:	/s/ Stephen P. Fisher
	Stephen P. Fisher
	President and Principal Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on May 22, 2013.

SIGNATURE	TITLE
/s/ Stephen P. Fisher	President and Principal Executive Officer
Stephen P. Fisher
/s/ Susan B. Kerley*	Trustee
Susan B. Kerley
/s/ John Y. Kim*	Trustee
John Y. Kim
/s/ Alan R. Latshaw*	Trustee
Alan R. Latshaw
/s/ Peter Meenan*	Trustee and Chairman of the Board
Peter Meenan
/s/ Richard H. Nolan, Jr.*	Trustee
Richard H. Nolan, Jr.
/s/ Richard S. Trutanic*	Trustee
Richard S. Trutanic
/s/ Roman L. Weil*	Trustee
Roman L. Weil
/s/ John A. Weisser*	Trustee
John A. Weisser
/s/ Jack R. Benintende	Treasurer and Principal Financial
Jack R. Benintende	and Accounting Officer

By: /s/ J. Kevin Gao

               J. Kevin Gao

              As Attorney-in-Fact

* Pursuant to Powers of Attorney previously filed.

EXHIBIT INDEX

EX-101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
EX-101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
EX-101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase
EX-101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

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MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio

MainStay VP PIMCO Real Return Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)		0.50%	0.50%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Interest Expenses	[1]	0.05%	0.05%
Remainder of Other Expenses		0.07%	0.07%
Total Other Expenses		0.12%	0.12%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	[2]	0.62%	0.87%
Waivers / Reimbursements	[2]	none	(0.06%)
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements	[2]	0.62%	0.81%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	63	199	346	774
Service Class	83	272	476	1,067

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 44% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Assets not invested in inflation indexed bonds may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non- U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond's principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. "Real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Effective duration takes into account that for certain bonds expected cash flows will fluctuate as interest rates change and is defined in nominal yield terms, which is market convention for most bond investors and managers. Because the market convention for bonds is to use nominal yields to measure duration, duration for real return bonds, which are based on real yields, are converted to nominal durations through a conversion factor. The resulting nominal duration typically can range from 20% to 90% of the respective real duration. All security holdings will be measured in effective (nominal) duration terms. Similarly, the effective duration of the Barclays U.S. TIPS Index will be calculated using the same conversion factors. The effective duration of this Portfolio normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the effective duration of the Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, which as of December 31, 2012 was 5.6 years.

The Portfolio invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Services, Inc., or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Rating Services or Fitch Inc., or, if unrated, determined by the Subadvisor, to be of comparable quality. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Portfolio also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Portfolio will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Portfolio is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified Fund.

The Portfolio may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Portfolio's Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Portfolio may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Portfolio may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred stocks.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt or Fixed Income Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt or fixed income securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Non-Diversification Risk: Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," it may be more susceptible than diversified funds to risks associated with an individual issuer, and to single economic, political or regulatory occurrences.

Short Selling Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, the Portfolio may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. The Portfolio may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. The Portfolio may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, the Portfolio may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. The Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until the Portfolio replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with the Portfolio's custodian to cover the Portfolio's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Portfolio's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Portfolio may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, the Portfolio must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligations. This may limit the Portfolio's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot go below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Portfolio could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase the Portfolio's exposure to long positions and make any change in the Portfolio's net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio will leverage its portfolio, or if it does, that the Portfolio's leveraging strategy will be successful or that it will produce a higher return on an investment. Regulatory authorities in the U.S. or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of the Portfolio to fully implement its short-selling strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries, which may impact the Portfolio's ability to fully implement its investment strategies.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

[1] "Interest Expenses" are based on the amount incurred during the Portfolio's most recent fiscal year as a result of entering into certain investments, such as dollar roll transactions. Under recently amended accounting guidance, certain dollar roll transactions are treated as secured borrowings and the components of the net income from such transactions are now presented in the financial statements as interest income and interest expense. These accounting changes did not affect the Portfolio's overall results of operations, net asset value, total return or the amount of expenses paid directly from your investment in the Portfolio. The amount of "Interest Expenses" (if any) will vary based on the Portfolio's use of such investments as an investment strategy.

[2] Prior to adopting the new accounting reporting requirement referenced in Footnote 1 above, New York Life Investment Management LLC contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses then included in the term Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses so that such expenses would not exceed 0.66% and 0.76% of the average daily net assets of Initial Class shares and Service Class shares, respectively. As a result of these new reporting requirements, the Portfolio may present in its financial statements "Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements" which are greater than these agreed upon expense limits. Absent the new accounting reporting requirement relating to dollar roll transactions, the Portfolio's "Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements" would have been 0.57% and 0.76% of the average daily net assets of Initial Class shares and Service Class shares, respectively. This agreement expires on May 1, 2014, and may not be amended or terminated prior to that date.

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Label

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Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

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ProspectusDate

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May 01, 2013

MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Risk/Return, Heading

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MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

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Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

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The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Expense, Heading

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Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

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The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

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Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

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The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

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42.00%

Expense Example, Heading

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Example

Expense Example, Narrative

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The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

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The Portfolio invests in those companies that meet the quality and valuation criteria of Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor.

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of issuers, wherever organized, which operate mainly outside the U.S. The Portfolio invests in securities of companies which conduct business in a variety of countries, with a minimum of five countries other than the U.S. This includes countries with established economies as well as emerging market countries that the Subadvisor believes present favorable opportunities. The Portfolio may also invest in exchange traded funds ("ETFs").

Investment Process: The Subadvisor seeks to identify investment opportunities through “bottom-up” analysis and fundamental research. The Subadvisor performs research to identify reasonably priced companies with competitive market advantages that it believes are able to benefit from long-term market trends and that the Subadvisor believes are able to sustainably grow earnings over time regardless of economic climate. Allocations to countries and industries are also a result of the "bottom-up" stock selection process and, as a result, may deviate from the country and industry weightings in the benchmark. The Portfolio may not perform as well as its peers or benchmark during periods when the stock market favors the securities of businesses with low-quality earnings.

Generally, the Portfolio seeks to limit its investments in securities of: (i) any one company; (ii) companies in the same industry; (iii) companies located in any one country; and (iv) companies located in emerging markets (currently limited to 15% of the Portfolio’s assets measured at the time of investment).

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, whether the security has approached full valuation, if the investment thesis is invalidated, if superior opportunities to redeploy exist or emerge, or if industry group or country weights or individual positions need to be adjusted.

Risk, Heading

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Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

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Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI ACWI^® (All Country World Index) Ex U.S. as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI ACWI^® Ex U.S. is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States of America.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
2Q/09	17.53	%
Worst Quarter
3Q/11	-18.93	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

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reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

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Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio | MSCI EAFE® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

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MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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17.32%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

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(3.69%)

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

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8.21%

MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio | MSCI ACWI® Ex U.S

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

MSCI ACWI® Ex U.S. (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.83%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(2.89%)

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

9.74%

MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.89%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.95%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

97

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

303

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

525

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,166

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

30.00%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

17.34%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

7.99%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

31.33%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

4.93%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(25.67%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

19.36%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

4.90%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(16.04%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

19.48%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.53%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(18.93%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.48%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(1.37%)

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.80%

MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.89%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.20%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

122

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

381

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

660

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,455

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.18%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(1.61%)

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.53%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.89% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.85% on assets over $500 million.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Floating Rate Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Floating Rate Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks high current income.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 47% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

47.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a portfolio of floating rate loans and other floating rate debt securities. The Portfolio may also purchase fixed-income debt securities and money market securities or instruments. When New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, believes that market or economic conditions are unfavorable to investors, up to 100% of the Portfolio's assets may be invested in money market or short-term debt securities. The Manager may also invest in these types of securities or hold cash, while looking for suitable investment opportunities or to maintain liquidity.

The Portfolio may invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign securities which are generally U.S. dollar-denominated loans and other debt securities issued by one or more non-U.S. borrower(s) without a U.S. domiciled co-borrower.

Investment Process: The Manager seeks to identify investment opportunities based on the financial condition and competitiveness of individual companies. The Manager seeks to invest in companies with a high margin of safety that are leaders in industries with high barriers to entry. The Manager prefers companies with positive free cash flow, solid asset coverage and management teams with strong track records. In virtually every phase of the investment process, the Manager attempts to control risk and limit defaults.

Floating rate loans may offer a favorable yield spread over other short-term fixed-income alternatives. Historically, floating rate loans have displayed little correlation to the movements of U.S. common stocks, high-grade bonds and U.S. government securities. Some securities that are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency, such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's Investors Service Inc., are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” Floating rate loans are speculative investments and are usually rated below investment grade. They typically have less credit risk and historically have had lower default rates than junk bonds. These loans are typically the most senior source of capital in a borrower's capital structure and usually have certain of the borrower's assets pledged as collateral. Floating rate loans feature rates that reset regularly, maintaining a fixed spread over the London InterBank Offered Rate or the prime rates of large money-center banks. The interest rates for floating rate loans typically reset quarterly, although rates on some loans may adjust at other intervals. Floating rate loans mature, on average, in five to seven years, but loan maturity can be as long as nine years.

The Manager may reduce or eliminate the Portfolio's position in a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objectives of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Manager may evaluate, among other things, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition and competitiveness. The Manager continually evaluates market factors and comparative metrics to determine relative value.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Floating Rate Loans Risk: The floating rate loans in which the Portfolio invests are usually rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Moreover, such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher quality debt securities. Although certain floating rate loans are collateralized, there is no guarantee that the value of the collateral will be sufficient to repay the loan. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, floating rate loans may experience higher than normal default rates. In the event of a recession or serious credit event, among other eventualities, the Portfolio's investments in floating rate loans are more likely to decline.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Trading Market Risk: An active trading market may not exist for many of the Portfolio's loans. In addition, some loans may be subject to restrictions on their resale, which may prevent the Portfolio from obtaining the full value of the loan when it is sold. If this occurs, the Portfolio may experience a decline in its net asset value. Some of the Portfolio's investments may be considered to be illiquid.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk: To the extent the Portfolio holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Portfolio may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Portfolio's investments in these instruments could lose money.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Indexas its primary benchmark. The Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index represents tradable, senior-secured, U.S. dollar denominated non-investment-grade loans.

The Portfolio commenced operations on May 2, 2005. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2006-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
2Q/09	12.62	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-18.48	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Floating Rate Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio | Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

9.43%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.81%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.84%

MainStay VP Floating Rate Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.60%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.65%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

66

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

208

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

362

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

810

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

5.99%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

2.60%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(22.77%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

33.54%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

8.08%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.19%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

7.15%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

12.62%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(18.48%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.15%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.07%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.04%

MainStay VP Floating Rate Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.60%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

92

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

287

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

498

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,108

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

6.89%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.81%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.78%

[1] The management fee is 0.60% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.575% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP PIMCO Real Return Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 44% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

44.00%

Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text]

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

"Interest Expenses" are based on the amount incurred during the Portfolio's most recent fiscal year as a result of entering into certain investments, such as dollar roll transactions.

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. Assets not invested in inflation indexed bonds may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments. "Fixed Income Instruments" include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non- U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond's principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. "Real return" equals total return less the estimated cost of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Effective duration takes into account that for certain bonds expected cash flows will fluctuate as interest rates change and is defined in nominal yield terms, which is market convention for most bond investors and managers. Because the market convention for bonds is to use nominal yields to measure duration, duration for real return bonds, which are based on real yields, are converted to nominal durations through a conversion factor. The resulting nominal duration typically can range from 20% to 90% of the respective real duration. All security holdings will be measured in effective (nominal) duration terms. Similarly, the effective duration of the Barclays U.S. TIPS Index will be calculated using the same conversion factors. The effective duration of this Portfolio normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the effective duration of the Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, which as of December 31, 2012 was 5.6 years.

The Portfolio invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities ("junk bonds") rated B or higher by Moody's Investors Services, Inc., or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor's Rating Services or Fitch Inc., or, if unrated, determined by the Subadvisor, to be of comparable quality. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Portfolio also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Portfolio will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its total assets. The Portfolio is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified Fund.

The Portfolio may invest, without limitation, in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Portfolio's Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Portfolio may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Portfolio may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred stocks.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt or Fixed Income Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt or fixed income securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Non-Diversification Risk: Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," it may be more susceptible than diversified funds to risks associated with an individual issuer, and to single economic, political or regulatory occurrences.

Short Selling Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, the Portfolio may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. The Portfolio may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. The Portfolio may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, the Portfolio may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. The Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until the Portfolio replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with the Portfolio's custodian to cover the Portfolio's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Portfolio's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Portfolio may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, the Portfolio must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligations. This may limit the Portfolio's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot go below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Portfolio could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase the Portfolio's exposure to long positions and make any change in the Portfolio's net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio will leverage its portfolio, or if it does, that the Portfolio's leveraging strategy will be successful or that it will produce a higher return on an investment. Regulatory authorities in the U.S. or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of the Portfolio to fully implement its short-selling strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries, which may impact the Portfolio's ability to fully implement its investment strategies.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Risk Nondiversified Status

rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus

Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," it may be more susceptible than diversified funds to risks associated with an individual issuer, and to single economic, political or regulatory occurrences.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance, One Year or Less

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Interest Expenses

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

^[1]

Remainder of Other Expenses

rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

^[2]

Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

none

^[2]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

^[2]

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

2014-05-01

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

63

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

199

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

346

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

774

MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Pimco Real Return Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Interest Expenses

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

^[1]

Remainder of Other Expenses

rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.87%

^[2]

Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.06%)

^[2]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.81%

^[2]

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

2014-05-01

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

83

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

272

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

476

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,067

[1] "Interest Expenses" are based on the amount incurred during the Portfolio's most recent fiscal year as a result of entering into certain investments, such as dollar roll transactions. Under recently amended accounting guidance, certain dollar roll transactions are treated as secured borrowings and the components of the net income from such transactions are now presented in the financial statements as interest income and interest expense. These accounting changes did not affect the Portfolio's overall results of operations, net asset value, total return or the amount of expenses paid directly from your investment in the Portfolio. The amount of "Interest Expenses" (if any) will vary based on the Portfolio's use of such investments as an investment strategy.

[2] Prior to adopting the new accounting reporting requirement referenced in Footnote 1 above, New York Life Investment Management LLC contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses then included in the term Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses so that such expenses would not exceed 0.66% and 0.76% of the average daily net assets of Initial Class shares and Service Class shares, respectively. As a result of these new reporting requirements, the Portfolio may present in its financial statements "Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements" which are greater than these agreed upon expense limits. Absent the new accounting reporting requirement relating to dollar roll transactions, the Portfolio's "Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements" would have been 0.57% and 0.76% of the average daily net assets of Initial Class shares and Service Class shares, respectively. This agreement expires on May 1, 2014, and may not be amended or terminated prior to that date.

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MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio

MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks a high level of current income while preserving capital and maintaining liquidity.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio Initial Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.44%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none
Other Expenses		0.03%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.47%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio Initial Class	48	151	263	591

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests in short-term, high-quality, U.S. dollar-denominated securities that generally mature in 397 days (13 months) or less. The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity of 60 days or less and maintains a dollar-weighted average life to maturity of 120 days or less. The Portfolio seeks to maintain a stable $1.00 net asset value per share.

The Portfolio may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities; U.S. and foreign bank and bank holding company obligations, such as certificates of deposit ("CDs"), bankers' acceptances and Eurodollars; commercial paper; time deposits; repurchase agreements; and corporate debt securities. The Portfolio may invest in variable rate notes, floaters, and mortgage-related and asset-backed securities. The Portfolio may also invest in foreign securities that are U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers.

The Portfolio will generally invest in obligations that mature in 397 days or less, substantially all of which will be held to maturity. However, the Portfolio may invest in securities with a face maturity of more than 397 days provided that the security is a variable or floating rate note that meets the applicable guidelines with respect to maturity. Additionally, securities collateralizing repurchase agreements may have maturities in excess of 397 days.

Investment Process: New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, seeks to achieve the highest yield relative to minimizing risk while also maintaining liquidity and preserving principal. The Manager selects securities based on an analysis of the creditworthiness of the issuer. The Manager works to add value by emphasizing specific securities and sectors of the money market that appear to be attractively priced based upon historical and current yield spread relationships.

The Manager may sell a security prior to maturity if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio.

Principal Risks

Stable Net Asset Value Risk: An investment in the Portfolio is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Portfolio. This could occur because of unusual market conditions or a sudden collapse in the creditworthiness of a company once believed to be an issuer of high-quality, short-term securities.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Manager to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Money Market Fund Regulatory Risk: Money market funds are subject to liquidity, credit quality, and maturity requirements pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") rules. These requirements may limit the amount of yield the Portfolio may achieve. The SEC or other regulatory agencies may adopt additional money market fund regulations in the future, which may impact the operation or performance of the Portfolio.

Yield Risk: There can be no guarantee that the Portfolio will achieve or maintain any particular level of yield.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a money market fund average. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Average Lipper Variable Products Money Market Portfolio is an equally weighted performance average adjusted for capital gains distributions and income dividends of all of the money market portfolios in the Lipper Universe. Lipper Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reuters Group PLC, is an independent monitor of mutual fund performance. Lipper averages are not class specific. Lipper returns are unaudited.

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

For current yield information, call toll-free: 800-598-2019.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
1Q/07	1.22	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/10	0.00	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	0.01%	0.45%	1.60%
Average Lipper Variable Products Money Market Portfolio	Average Lipper Variable Products Money Market Portfolio (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	(0.03%)	0.47%	1.58%

7-day current yield Initial Class: 0.01%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.45% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.40% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.35% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital and,

Investment Objective, Secondary

rr_ObjectiveSecondaryTextBlock

secondarily, current income.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 52% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

52.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing approximately 80% (within a range of 70% to 90%) of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds and approximately 20% (within a range of 10% to 30%) of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds. The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 15% (within a range of 5% to 25%) of international equity portfolios/funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocation, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio*	65%	15%	80%	20%

* Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the two broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise and increase the potential for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose money. The ability of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of the issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Asset Allocation Risk: Although allocation among different asset classes generally limits the Portfolio's exposure to the risks of any one class, the risk remains that New York Life Investments may favor an asset class that performs poorly relative to the other asset classes. For example, deteriorating stock market conditions might cause an overall weakness in the market that reduces the absolute level of stock prices in that market. Under these circumstances, if the Portfolio, through its holdings of Underlying Portfolios/Funds, were invested primarily in stocks, it would perform poorly relative to a portfolio invested primarily in bonds. Similarly, the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds could be incorrect in their analysis of economic trends, countries, industries, companies, the relative attractiveness of asset classes or other matters. Moreover, because the Portfolio has set limitations on the amount of assets that may be allocated to each asset class, the Portfolio has less flexibility in its investment strategy than mutual funds that are not subject to such limitations. In addition, the asset allocations made by the Portfolio may not be ideal for all investors and may not effectively increase returns or decrease risk for investors.

Concentration Risk: To the extent that the Portfolio invests a significant portion of its assets in a single Underlying Portfolio/Fund, it will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with that Underlying Portfolio/Fund and changes in the value of that Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have a significant effect on the net asset value of the Portfolio. Similarly, the extent to which an Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests more than 25% of its assets in a single industry or economic sector may also adversely impact the Portfolio, depending on the Portfolio's level of investment in that Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Conflicts of Interest: Potential conflicts of interest situations could occur. For example, New York Life Investments may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Portfolios/Funds because the fees paid to it and its affiliates by some Underlying Portfolios/Funds are higher than the fees paid by other Underlying Portfolios/Funds. In addition, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to select certain Underlying Portfolios/Funds due to compensation considerations. Moreover, a situation could occur where proper action for the Portfolio could be adverse to the interest of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund or vice versa.

New York Life Investments and the portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to the Portfolio to act in the Portfolio's best interests when selecting Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Under the oversight of the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees, New York Life Investments will carefully analyze any such situation and take all steps believed to be necessary to minimize and, where possible, eliminate potential conflicts.

Large Transaction Risk: To minimize disruptions to the operations of the Portfolio and the Underlying Portfolios/Funds, New York Life Investments seeks to maintain existing target allocations and to implement small changes to target allocations through the netting of purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares. When New York Life Investments determines to initiate a transaction with an Underlying Portfolio/Fund, New York Life Investments generally coordinates directly with the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to ensure that the transactions are accommodated efficiently and in a cost effective manner, including possibly implementing trades over a period of days rather than all at once. These practices may temporarily affect New York Life Investments' ability to fully implement the Portfolio's investment strategies.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index, the MSCI EAFE^® Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 65%, 15% and 20%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
2Q/09	14.52	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-17.91	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

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reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

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Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

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S&P 500^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.93%

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio | MSCI EAFE® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.32%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.69%)

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.65%

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.22%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.95%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.99%

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio | Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.93%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.05%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.30%

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

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1.06%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.09%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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111

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

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347

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

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601

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

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1,329

Annual Return 2007

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9.40%

Annual Return 2008

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(32.49%)

Annual Return 2009

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28.42%

Annual Return 2010

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14.33%

Annual Return 2011

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(1.21%)

Annual Return 2012

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14.66%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

14.52%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(17.91%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.66%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.34%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.73%

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

1.06%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.34%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

136

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

425

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

734

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,613

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.37%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.09%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.47%

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Risk/Return, Heading

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MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

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Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

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The Portfolio seeks total return by investing primarily in domestic and foreign debt securities.

Expense, Heading

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Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

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The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

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Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

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The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 39% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

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39.00%

Expense Example, Heading

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Example

Expense Example, Narrative

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The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

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The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective through a flexible investment process that allocates investments across the global fixed-income markets. The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of debt or debt-related securities such as: debt or debt-related securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. or foreign governments, their agencies or instrumentalities; obligations of international or supranational entities; debt or debt-related securities issued by U.S. or foreign corporate entities; zero coupon bonds; municipal bonds; mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities; loan participation interests; convertible bonds; and variable or floating rate debt securities. The Portfolio may invest in both investment grade and non-investment grade fixed-income securities. The securities may be denominated in U.S. or foreign currencies, and may have fixed, variable, floating or inverse floating rates of interest. The Portfolio may invest without limitation in securities of foreign issuers, including emerging markets. The currency exposure of non-U.S. investments may or may not be hedged. The Portfolio may invest up to 15% of its net assets in equity securities.

The Portfolio intends to utilize various investment strategies in a broad array of fixed-income sectors to achieve its investment objective. The Portfolio will not be constrained by portfolio management relative to an index. Because an unconstrained bond portfolio does not track a fixed-income index, its performance may vary at times and demonstrate low correlation to traditional fixed-income indices. In pursuing its investment objective, the Portfolio’s investment strategy is subject to market risk and shares may gain or lose value.

The average portfolio duration of the Portfolio will normally vary from 0 to 7 years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, such as futures, options, forward commitments and swap agreements to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings or manage duration. The Portfolio may invest up to 15% of its total assets in swaps.The Portfolio may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Portfolio's short positions, either direct short positions or through derivative transactions, such as credit default swaps or total return swaps, may aggregate up to 20% of the Portfolio’s net assets. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).

Investment Process: MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, seeks to identify investment opportunities through an investment process focused on macroeconomic analysis and bottom-up security selection. The Subadvisor allocates the Portfolio's investments among the various bond market sectors based on current and projected economic and market conditions. The Portfolio may invest across bond market sectors, geographies and credit qualities.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the domestic and foreign economies, and meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition, including changes in the issuer's credit risk and competitiveness.

Risk, Heading

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Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

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Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Short Selling Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, the Portfolio may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. The Portfolio may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. The Portfolio may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, the Portfolio may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. The Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until the Portfolio replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with the Portfolio's custodian to cover the Portfolio's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Portfolio's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Portfolio may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, the Portfolio must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligations. This may limit the Portfolio's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot go below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Portfolio could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase the Portfolio's exposure to long positions and make any change in the Portfolio's net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio will leverage its portfolio, or if it does, that the Portfolio's leveraging strategy will be successful or that it will produce a higher return on an investment.

Regulatory authorities in the U.S. or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of the Portfolio to fully implement its short-selling strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries, which may impact the Portfolio's ability to fully implement its investment strategies.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

TBA Securities Risk: In a TBA securities transaction, the Portfolio commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Portfolio receives the security.

When-Issued Securities Risk: The Portfolio may agree to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, making a commitment to pay a fixed price for a security when it is issued in the future. The principal risk of transactions involving when-issued securities is that the security will be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-year period and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of a broad-based securities market index, as well as two additional benchmarks. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Indexas its primary benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index as a secondary benchmark. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index represents the London InterBank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") with a constant 3-month average maturity. LIBOR is a composite of interest rates at which banks borrow from one another in the London market, and it is a widely used benchmark for short-term interest rates. The Portfolio has selected the Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average as an additional benchmark. The Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average contains funds that pursue strategies divergent in one or more ways from conventional practice in the broader bond-fund universe. Morningstar category averages are equal-weighted returns based on constituents of the category at the end of the period. The Portfolio commenced operations on April 29, 2011. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future. Effective May 1, 2013, the Portfolio changed its investment objective and principal investment strategies. Past performance in the bar chart and table reflect the Portfolio's prior investment objective and principal investment strategies.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance in the bar chart and table reflect the Portfolio's prior investment objective and principal investment strategies.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
1Q/12	5.06	%
Worst Quarter
2Q/12	0.98	%

Caption

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Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

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Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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4.22%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

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6.18%

MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio | Bank Of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month Libor Constant Maturity Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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0.51%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

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0.40%

MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio | Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average (reflects no deductions for fees and taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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7.76%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

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3.33%

MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

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0.60%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

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none

Other Expenses

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0.05%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

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0.65%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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66

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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208

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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362

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

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810

Annual Return 2012

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13.88%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Mar. 31, 2012

Highest Quarterly Return

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5.06%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2012

Lowest Quarterly Return

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0.98%

Average Annual Returns, Label

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Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.88%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.21%

MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

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0.60%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

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0.25%

Other Expenses

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0.05%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

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0.90%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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92

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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287

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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498

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

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1,108

Average Annual Returns, Label

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Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.58%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

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6.94%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.60% on assets up to $500 million; 0.55% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.50% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

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ProspectusDate

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May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Risk/Return, Heading

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MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

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Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

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The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital and,

Investment Objective, Secondary

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secondarily, current income.

Expense, Heading

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Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

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The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

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Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

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The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 55% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

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55.00%

Expense Example, Heading

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Example

Expense Example, Narrative

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The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

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The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing approximately 60% (within a range of 50% to 70%) of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds, and approximately 40% (within a range of 30% to 50%) of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds. The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 10% (within a range of 0% to 20%) of international equity funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocations, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio*	50%	10%	60%	40%

* Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the two broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Risk, Heading

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Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Risk, Narrative

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Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise and increase the potential for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose money. The ability of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of the issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Moderate Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Moderate Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index, the MSCI EAFE^® Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 50%, 10% and 40%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
3Q/09	12.13	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-13.37	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

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reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

S&P 500^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) 

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.93%

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio | MSCI EAFE® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.32%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.69%)

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.65%

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.22%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.95%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.99%

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio | Moderate Allocation Composite Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Moderate Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.50%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.31%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.93%

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.98%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.01%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

103

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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322

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

558

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,236

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

8.73%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(25.18%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

24.22%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.09%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.94%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

12.61%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

12.13%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(13.37%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.61%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.62%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.31%

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.98%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.26%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

128

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

400

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

692

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,523

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.33%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.37%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.06%

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

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MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

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Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks a high level of current income while preserving capital and maintaining liquidity.

Expense, Heading

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Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

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The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Expense Example, Heading

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Example

Expense Example, Narrative

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The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

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The Portfolio invests in short-term, high-quality, U.S. dollar-denominated securities that generally mature in 397 days (13 months) or less. The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity of 60 days or less and maintains a dollar-weighted average life to maturity of 120 days or less. The Portfolio seeks to maintain a stable $1.00 net asset value per share.

The Portfolio may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities; U.S. and foreign bank and bank holding company obligations, such as certificates of deposit ("CDs"), bankers' acceptances and Eurodollars; commercial paper; time deposits; repurchase agreements; and corporate debt securities. The Portfolio may invest in variable rate notes, floaters, and mortgage-related and asset-backed securities. The Portfolio may also invest in foreign securities that are U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers.

The Portfolio will generally invest in obligations that mature in 397 days or less, substantially all of which will be held to maturity. However, the Portfolio may invest in securities with a face maturity of more than 397 days provided that the security is a variable or floating rate note that meets the applicable guidelines with respect to maturity. Additionally, securities collateralizing repurchase agreements may have maturities in excess of 397 days.

Investment Process: New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, seeks to achieve the highest yield relative to minimizing risk while also maintaining liquidity and preserving principal. The Manager selects securities based on an analysis of the creditworthiness of the issuer. The Manager works to add value by emphasizing specific securities and sectors of the money market that appear to be attractively priced based upon historical and current yield spread relationships.

The Manager may sell a security prior to maturity if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

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Stable Net Asset Value Risk: An investment in the Portfolio is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Portfolio. This could occur because of unusual market conditions or a sudden collapse in the creditworthiness of a company once believed to be an issuer of high-quality, short-term securities.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Manager to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Money Market Fund Regulatory Risk: Money market funds are subject to liquidity, credit quality, and maturity requirements pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") rules. These requirements may limit the amount of yield the Portfolio may achieve. The SEC or other regulatory agencies may adopt additional money market fund regulations in the future, which may impact the operation or performance of the Portfolio.

Yield Risk: There can be no guarantee that the Portfolio will achieve or maintain any particular level of yield.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Money Market Fund

rr_RiskMoneyMarketFund

Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Portfolio.

Risk Not Insured Depository Institution

rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution

An investment in the Portfolio is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a money market fund average. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Average Lipper Variable Products Money Market Portfolio is an equally weighted performance average adjusted for capital gains distributions and income dividends of all of the money market portfolios in the Lipper Universe. Lipper Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reuters Group PLC, is an independent monitor of mutual fund performance. Lipper averages are not class specific. Lipper returns are unaudited.

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

For current yield information, call toll-free: 800-598-2019.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
1Q/07	1.22	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/10	0.00	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

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reflects no deductions for fees and taxes

Performance Table, Closing

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7-day current yield Initial Class: 0.01%

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Money Market, Seven Day Yield, Caption

rr_MoneyMarketSevenDayYieldCaption

7-day current yield Initial Class:

Money Market Seven Day Yield

rr_MoneyMarketSevenDayYield

0.01%

MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio | Average Lipper Variable Products Money Market Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Average Lipper Variable Products Money Market Portfolio (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.03%)

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.47%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

1.58%

MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cash Management Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.44%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

48

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

151

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

263

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

591

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

0.67%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

0.85%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

2.96%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

4.57%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

4.86%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

2.18%

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

0.05%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

0.01%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.01%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

0.01%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 30, 2007

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

1.22%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2010

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

0.00%

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.01%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.45%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

1.60%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.45% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.40% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.35% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio

MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks substantial dividend income as well as long-term growth of capital through investments in the common stocks of established companies.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expense (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.80%	0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	[1]	0.84%	1.09%
Waivers / Reimbursements		(0.05%)	(0.05%)
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver	[1]	0.79%	1.04%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	81	263	461	1,033
Service Class	106	342	596	1,324

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks, with 65% in the common stocks of well-established companies paying above-average dividends.

T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., the Portfolio's Subadvisor, typically employs a "value" approach in selecting investments. The Subadvisor's in-house research team seeks companies that appear to be undervalued by various measures and may be temporarily out of favor but have good prospects for capital appreciation and dividend growth.

In selecting investments, the Subadvisor generally looks for companies in the aggregate with one or more of the following:

·an established operating history;

·above-average dividend yield relative to the S&P 500 Index;

·a low price/earnings ratio relative to the S&P 500 Index;

·a sound balance sheet and other positive financial characteristics; and

·a low stock price relative to a company's underlying value as measured by assets, cash flow, or business franchises.

Under normal market conditions, substantial dividend income means that the yield on the Portfolio's securities generally exceeds the yield on the Portfolio's benchmark. In pursuing its investment objective, the Portfolio has the discretion to deviate from its normal investment criteria, as previously described, and purchase securities that the Subadvisor believes will provide an opportunity for substantial appreciation.

These situations might arise when the Subadvisor believes a security could increase in value for a variety of reasons, including an extraordinary corporate event, a new product introduction or innovation, a favorable competitive development, or a change in management.

While most assets will typically be invested in U.S. common stocks, the Portfolio may invest in foreign stocks in keeping with the Portfolio's objectives.

The Portfolio may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.80% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.775% on assets over $500 million. New York Life Investment Management LLC has contractually agreed to waive its management fee to 0.75% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.725% on assets over $500 million. This agreement will remain in effect until May 1, 2014, and shall renew automatically for one-year terms unless New York Life Investment Management LLC provides written notice of termination prior to the start of the next term or upon approval of the Board of Trustees of the Portfolio.

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MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks current income consistent with reasonable opportunity for future growth of capital and income.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.57%	0.57%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.07%	0.07%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.64%	0.89%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	65	205	357	798
Service Class	91	284	493	1,096

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 34% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio normally invests a minimum of 30% of its net assets in equity securities and a minimum of 30% of its net assets in debt securities. From time to time, the Portfolio may temporarily invest slightly less than 30% of its net assets in equity or debt securities as a result of market conditions, individual securities transactions or cash flow considerations.

Asset Allocation Investment Process: Asset allocation decisions are made by MacKay Shields LLC ("MacKay Shields"), the Subadvisor for the fixed-income portion of the Portfolio, based on the relative values of each asset class, inclusive of the ability of each asset class to generate income. As part of these asset allocation decisions, MacKay Shields may use equity index futures to add exposure to the equity markets. Neither equity index futures nor fixed-income futures are counted toward the Portfolio's total equity or fixed-income exposures, respectively.

Equity Investment Process: Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. ("Epoch"), the Subadvisor for the equity portion of the Portfolio, invests primarily in companies that generate increasing levels of free cash flow and have managements that use it to create returns for shareholders.

The security selection process focuses on free-cash-flow analytics as opposed to traditional accounting-based metrics. Epoch seeks to identify companies with a consistent, straightforward ability to both generate free cash flow and to intelligently allocate it among internal reinvestment opportunities, acquisitions, dividends, share repurchases and/or debt reductions.

Epoch seeks to find and invest in companies that meet its definition of quality-companies that are free cash flow positive or becoming free cash flow positive, that are debt free or deleveraging, and that are led by strong management. Epoch evaluates whether a company has a focus on shareholder yield by analyzing the company's existing cash dividend, the company's share repurchase activities, and the company's debt reduction activities as well as the likelihood of positive changes to each of these criteria, among other factors.

Debt Investment Process: The Portfolio may invest in investment grade and below investment grade debt securities of varying maturities. In pursuing the Portfolio's investment objective, the Portfolio may invest up to 30% of its net assets in debt securities that MacKay Shields believes may provide capital appreciation in addition to income and are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency, such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's Investors Service, Inc., or if unrated, deemed to be of comparable creditworthiness by MacKay Shields. For purposes of this limitation, both the percentage and rating are counted at the time of purchase. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality. Some securities that are rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies are commonly referred to as "junk bonds."

The Portfolio maintains a flexible approach by investing in a broad range of securities, which may be diversified by company, industry and type.

Principal debt investments include U.S. government securities, domestic and foreign debt securities, mortgage-related and asset-backed securities and floating rate loans. The Portfolio may also enter into mortgage dollar roll and to-be-announced ("TBA") securities transactions.

The Portfolio may also invest in convertible securities such as bonds, debentures, corporate notes and preferred stocks or other securities that are convertible into common stock or the cash value of a stock or a basket or index of equity securities.

Investments Across the Portfolio: The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, such as futures, options, forward commitments and swap agreements, to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings. The Portfolio also may use fixed-income futures for purposes of managing duration and yield curve exposures. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in swaps, including credit default swaps.

The Subadvisors may sell a security if they no longer believe the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a debt security, MacKay Shields may evaluate, among other things, deterioration in the issuer's credit quality. Epoch may sell or reduce a position in a security if, among other things, it sees an interruption to the dividend policy, a deterioration in fundamentals or the security is deemed less attractive relative to another security on a return/risk basis. Epoch may also sell or reduce a position in a security when it believes its investment objectives have been met or if it sees the investment thesis is failing to materialize.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisors may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Floating Rate Loans Risk: The floating rate loans in which the Portfolio invests are usually rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Moreover, such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher quality debt securities. Although certain floating rate loans are collateralized, there is no guarantee that the value of the collateral will be sufficient to repay the loan. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, floating rate loans may experience higher than normal default rates. In the event of a recession or serious credit event, among other eventualities, the Portfolio's investments in floating rate loans are more likely to decline.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

TBA Securities Risk: In a TBA securities transaction, the Portfolio commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Portfolio receives the security.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer tothe risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI World Indexas its primary benchmark. The MSCI World Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Index measures the performance of the large-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. It is a subset of the Russell 3000^® Index and includes approximately 1,000 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 1000^® Index represents approximately 92% of the U.S. market. The Portfolio has selected the Income Builder Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Income Builder Composite Index is comprised of the MSCI World Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 50%/50%, respectively. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/10	10.26	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-14.14	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio

Average Annual Returns, Label

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

Initial Class

Initial Class

15.00%

4.41%

7.07%

Service Class

Service Class

14.71%

4.15%

6.80%

Msci World Index

MSCI World Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

15.83%

(1.18%)

7.51%

Russell 1000® Index

Russell 1000^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

16.42%

1.92%

7.52%

Income Builder Composite Index

Income Builder Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

10.13%

2.89%

6.70%

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

4.22%

5.95%

5.18%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.57% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.55% on assets over $1 billion.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

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ProspectusDate

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May 01, 2013

MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 60% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

60.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

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The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio invests primarily in U.S. dollar-denominated equity securities of U.S. and foreign companies with market capitalizations (at the time of investment) of at least $3 billion. The Portfolio seeks to achieve a total return greater than the Russell 1000^® Value Index over longer periods of time and indices comprised of value-oriented stocks over shorter periods of time.

The Portfolio will typically hold between 25 and 30 securities. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks and other equity securities. Other equity securities may include American Depositary Receipts, warrants, real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), preferred stocks and other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock.

Investment Process: Institutional Capital LLC's ("ICAP" or "Subadvisor") investment process involves the following key components: Identify Best Values – ICAP identifies stocks that it believes offer the best values and seeks to avoid companies that are exhibiting excessive deterioration in earnings trends. ICAP also considers the dividend yield as a component of total returns when evaluating the attractiveness of a security; Identify Catalysts – ICAP focuses on what it believes the key investment variables (catalysts) are that could potentially impact the security's market value. These catalysts are primarily company-specific, such as a new product, restructuring or a change in management, but occasionally the catalyst can be thematic - dependent on macroeconomic or industry trends; Portfolio Construction – After a review of stock recommendations, ICAP's portfolio management team determines whether or not to add the stock to the portfolio or to monitor it for future purchase.

ICAP continuously monitors each security and evaluates whether to eliminate it when its price target is achieved, the catalyst becomes inoperative or another stock offers a greater opportunity.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Mid-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Concentrated Portfolio Risk: Because the Portfolio invests in relatively few holdings, a larger percentage of its assets may be invested in a particular issuer or in fewer companies than is typical of other mutual funds. This may increase volatility. The Portfolio will be more susceptible to adverse economic, political, regulatory or market developments affecting a single issuer.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Depositary Receipts Risk: Investments in depositary receipts may entail the special risks of foreign investing, including currency exchange fluctuations, government regulations, and the potential for political and economic instability.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Real Estate Investment Trust Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Value Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Value Index measures the performance of the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values. The Portfolio has selected the S&P 500^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered on June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
2Q/09	15.90	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-22.19	%

Average Annual Returns, Caption

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Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio | Russell 1000® Value Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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17.51%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.59%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.38%

MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.10%

MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.76%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

81

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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252

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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439

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

978

Annual Return 2003

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27.95%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

11.37%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

5.44%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

19.31%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

6.86%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(37.59%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

29.41%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

18.12%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(1.44%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

15.58%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.90%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.19%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.58%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.68%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.61%

MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.76%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.04%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

106

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

331

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

574

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,271

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.29%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.42%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.34%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.80% on assets up to $250 million; 0.75% on assets from $250 million to $1 billion; and 0.74% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP Floating Rate Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio

MainStay VP Floating Rate Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks high current income.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.60%	0.60%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.05%	0.05%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.65%	0.90%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	66	208	362	810
Service Class	92	287	498	1,108

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 47% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a portfolio of floating rate loans and other floating rate debt securities. The Portfolio may also purchase fixed-income debt securities and money market securities or instruments. When New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, believes that market or economic conditions are unfavorable to investors, up to 100% of the Portfolio's assets may be invested in money market or short-term debt securities. The Manager may also invest in these types of securities or hold cash, while looking for suitable investment opportunities or to maintain liquidity.

The Portfolio may invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign securities which are generally U.S. dollar-denominated loans and other debt securities issued by one or more non-U.S. borrower(s) without a U.S. domiciled co-borrower.

Investment Process: The Manager seeks to identify investment opportunities based on the financial condition and competitiveness of individual companies. The Manager seeks to invest in companies with a high margin of safety that are leaders in industries with high barriers to entry. The Manager prefers companies with positive free cash flow, solid asset coverage and management teams with strong track records. In virtually every phase of the investment process, the Manager attempts to control risk and limit defaults.

Floating rate loans may offer a favorable yield spread over other short-term fixed-income alternatives. Historically, floating rate loans have displayed little correlation to the movements of U.S. common stocks, high-grade bonds and U.S. government securities. Some securities that are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency, such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's Investors Service Inc., are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” Floating rate loans are speculative investments and are usually rated below investment grade. They typically have less credit risk and historically have had lower default rates than junk bonds. These loans are typically the most senior source of capital in a borrower's capital structure and usually have certain of the borrower's assets pledged as collateral. Floating rate loans feature rates that reset regularly, maintaining a fixed spread over the London InterBank Offered Rate or the prime rates of large money-center banks. The interest rates for floating rate loans typically reset quarterly, although rates on some loans may adjust at other intervals. Floating rate loans mature, on average, in five to seven years, but loan maturity can be as long as nine years.

The Manager may reduce or eliminate the Portfolio's position in a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objectives of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Manager may evaluate, among other things, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition and competitiveness. The Manager continually evaluates market factors and comparative metrics to determine relative value.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Floating Rate Loans Risk: The floating rate loans in which the Portfolio invests are usually rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Moreover, such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher quality debt securities. Although certain floating rate loans are collateralized, there is no guarantee that the value of the collateral will be sufficient to repay the loan. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, floating rate loans may experience higher than normal default rates. In the event of a recession or serious credit event, among other eventualities, the Portfolio's investments in floating rate loans are more likely to decline.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Trading Market Risk: An active trading market may not exist for many of the Portfolio's loans. In addition, some loans may be subject to restrictions on their resale, which may prevent the Portfolio from obtaining the full value of the loan when it is sold. If this occurs, the Portfolio may experience a decline in its net asset value. Some of the Portfolio's investments may be considered to be illiquid.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk: To the extent the Portfolio holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Portfolio may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Portfolio's investments in these instruments could lose money.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Indexas its primary benchmark. The Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index represents tradable, senior-secured, U.S. dollar denominated non-investment-grade loans.

The Portfolio commenced operations on May 2, 2005. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2006-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	12.62	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-18.48	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns Mainstay VP Floating Rate Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, Since Inception
Initial Class	Initial Class	7.15%	4.07%	4.04%
Service Class	Service Class	6.89%	3.81%	3.78%
Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index	Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	9.43%	4.81%	4.84%

[1] The management fee is 0.60% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.575% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio

MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)		1.40%	1.40%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses Dividend Expense on Securities Sold Short	[1]	0.63%	0.63%
Other Expenses Broker Fees and Charges on Short Sales	[1]	0.20%	0.20%
Other Expenses Remainder of Other Expenses	[1]	0.13%	0.13%
Other Expenses		0.96%	0.96%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses	[1]	0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		2.40%	2.65%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years
Initial Class	243	748
Service Class	268	823

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. Because the Portfolio has been in operation for less than one full calendar year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate for the most recent fiscal year is not available.

Principal Investment Strategies

To achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective, Marketfield Asset Management LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, will allocate the Portfolio’s assets among investments in equity securities, fixed-income securities and other investment companies, including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), in proportions consistent with the Subadvisor’s evaluation of their expected risks and returns.

The Portfolio’s equity securities investments may include common and preferred stocks of United States companies of any size. The Portfolio may invest up to 50% of its net assets in equity securities of foreign companies of any size, including up to 35% of its net assets in securities issued by corporations or governments located in developing or emerging markets. The Portfolio’s investments in foreign securities may include, but are not limited to, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Also, with respect to 50% of the Portfolio’s net assets, the Portfolio may engage in short sales of securities to profit from an anticipated decline in the price of the securities sold short.

Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio’s investments in fixed-income securities consist of investment grade corporate bonds and debentures, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, United States Treasury obligations, municipal securities, obligations issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities and convertible securities. However, the Portfolio may invest up to 30% of its net assets in fixed income securities that are below investment grade. Below investment grade securities are generally securities that receive low ratings from independent rating agencies, such as rated lower than BBB- by Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) and Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or if unrated, are determined to be of equivalent quality by the Subadvisor. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. Securities that are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency are commonly referred to as “high yield debt” or “junk bonds.” The fixed-income securities in which the Portfolio invests may have maturities of any length and may have variable and floating interest rates. The Portfolio may also invest in zero-coupon bonds, without limitation.

In addition, the Portfolio may invest up to 50% of its net assets in equity or fixed-income options, futures contracts and convertible securities and may invest up to 30% of its net assets in swap agreements. The Subadvisor shall manage the Portfolio so that the Portfolio will not be deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act.

Investment Process. When reviewing investment opportunities for the Portfolio, the Subadvisor considers various factors, including macroeconomic conditions, corporate earnings at a macroeconomic level, anticipated inflation and interest rates, consumer risk and its perception of the outlook of the capital markets as a whole. A macroeconomic strategy focuses on broad trends and is generally distinguished from a strategy that focuses on the prospects of particular companies or issuers. The Subadvisor may allocate the Portfolio’s investments between equity and fixed-income securities at its discretion, without limitation.

Security selection for the Portfolio is driven by the Subadvisor’s top-down analysis of economic issues, the Subadvisor’s perception of investor sentiment and investment flows. Once the Subadvisor has identified a theme that is expected to either benefit or disadvantage a specific sector or country, it seeks to implement an investment strategy that is appropriate for the Portfolio. In some cases, the Subadvisor may utilize a sector- or country-specific ETF that offers exposure to a broad range of securities. In other situations, the Subadvisor may select a single issue that is perceived by the Subadvisor to be particularly germane to a specific concern or a small group of issues with characteristics that match the goal of creating portfolio exposure to a macroeconomic theme.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio or when the security is deemed less attractive relative to another security on a return/risk basis. The Subadvisor may also sell or reduce a position in a security if it sees the investment theme failing to materialize.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Short Selling Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, the Portfolio may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. The Portfolio may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. The Portfolio may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, the Portfolio may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. The Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until the Portfolio replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with the Portfolio's custodian to cover the Portfolio's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Portfolio's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Portfolio may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, the Portfolio must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral held with the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligations. This may limit the Portfolio's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot go below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Portfolio could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase the Portfolio's exposure to long positions and make any change in the Portfolio's net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio will leverage its portfolio, or if it does, that the Portfolio's leveraging strategy will be successful or that it will produce a higher return on an investment.

Regulatory authorities in the U.S. or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of the Portfolio to fully implement its short-selling strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries, which may impact the Portfolio's ability to fully implement its investment strategies.

Depositary Receipts Risk: Investments in depositary receipts may entail the special risks of foreign investing, including currency exchange fluctuations, government regulations, and the potential for political and economic instability.

Debt or Fixed-Income Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt or fixed-income securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Other Investment Companies Risk: The risks of owning another investment company are generally similar to the risks of investment directly in the securities in which that investment company invests. However, an investment company may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance. In addition, because closed-end funds trade on a secondary market, their shares may trade at a premium or discount to the actual net asset value of their portfolio securities and their shares may have greater volatility because of the potential lack of liquidity.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Zero Coupon Bond Risk: Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest and compound semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed income securities. An investment in zero-coupon and delayed interest securities may cause the Portfolio to recognize income, and therefore the Portfolio may be required to make distributions to shareholders before the Portfolio receives any cash payments on its investment.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Municipal Bond Risk: Municipal bond risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers, and the possibility of future tax and legislative changes, which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. Municipalities continue to experience economic and financial difficulties in the current economic environment. The ability of a municipal issuer to make payments and the value of municipal bonds can be affected by uncertainties in the municipal securities market. Such uncertainties could cause increased volatility in the municipal securities market and could negatively impact the Portfolio’s net asset value.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio.

Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Tax Risk: The Portfolio’s investments and investment strategies, including transactions in options and futures contracts, may be subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions, the effect of which may be to produce income that will not qualify as good income under the gross income requirements that must be met for the Portfolio to qualify as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

[1] Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Bond Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Bond Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 311% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

311.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds, which include all types of debt securities such as debt or debt-related securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign governments, their agencies or instrumentalities; obligations of international or supranational entities; debt securities issued by U.S. or foreign corporate entities; zero coupon bonds; mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities; and loan participation interests. The effective maturity of this portion of the Portfolio's holdings will usually be in the intermediate range (three to ten years), although it may vary depending on market conditions as determined by New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager. Effective maturity is a measure of a debt security's maturity which takes into consideration the possibility that the issuer may call the debt security before its maturity date.

At least 65% of the Portfolio's total assets will be invested in investment grade debt securities generally as rated by an independent rating agency, such as rated Baa or better by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or BBB or better by Standard & Poor's ("S&P") when purchased, or if unrated, determined by the Manager to be of comparable quality. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality.

The Portfolio may invest in mortgage dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Portfolio sells securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis.

Commercial paper must be rated by an independent rating agency, such as Prime-1 by Moody's or A-1 by S&P, when purchased, or if unrated, determined by the Manager to be of comparable quality. The Portfolio's principal investments may have fixed or floating rates of interest. The Portfolio may also invest in derivatives, such as futures and options, to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss of (hedge) certain of its holdings.

Investment Process: Fundamental analysis and interest rate trends are the principal factors considered by the Manager in determining whether to increase or decrease the emphasis placed upon a particular type of security or industry sector within the Portfolio. Maturity shifts are based on a set of investment decisions that take into account a broad range of fundamental and technical indicators.

The Manager may sell a security if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Manager may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition, and changes in the condition and outlook in the issuer's industry.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Loan Participation Interest Risk: There may not be a readily available market for loan participation interests, which in some cases could result in the Portfolio disposing of such a security at a substantial discount from face value or holding such a security until maturity. In addition, there is also the credit risk of the underlying corporate borrower as well as the lending institution or other participant from whom the Portfolio purchased the loan participation interests.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Manager to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Indexas its primary benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
3Q/09	4.67	%
Worst Quarter
2Q/04	-2.39	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Bond Portfolio | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.22%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.95%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.18%

MainStay VP Bond Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.49%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.53%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

54

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

170

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

296

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

665

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

4.52%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

4.09%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

2.18%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

4.55%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

6.52%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

3.72%

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

7.77%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

7.84%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

7.24%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

4.66%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

4.67%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2004

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(2.39%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.66%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.24%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.30%

MainStay VP Bond Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.49%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

80

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

249

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

433

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

966

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.40%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.97%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.03%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.50% on assets up to $500 million; 0.475% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.45% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in securities of small-cap companies.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 32% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

32.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of U.S. companies with market capitalizations at the time of investment of $3.5 billion or less, which include common stocks, securities convertible into common stock, and exchange traded funds ("ETFs") whose underlying securities are issued by small capitalization companies. The Portfolio may also invest in mid-cap stocks. Securities of U.S. companies are those traded primarily in the U.S. securities markets.

Investment Process: Epoch Investment Partners, Inc., the Portfolio's Subadvisor, invests primarily in companies that generate increasing levels of free cash flow and have managements that use it to create returns for shareholders.

The security selection process focuses on free-cash-flow analytics as opposed to traditional accounting-based metrics. The Subadvisor seeks to identify companies with a consistent, straightforward ability to both generate free cash flow and to intelligently allocate it among internal reinvestment opportunities, acquisitions, dividends, share repurchases and/or debt reduction.

The Subadvisor may sell or reduce a position in a security when it believes its investment objectives have been met or when the security is deemed less attractive relative to another security on a return/risk basis. The Subadvisor may sell or reduce a position in a security if it sees the investment thesis failing to materialize.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 2500™ Index as its primary benchmark. The Russell 2500™ Index measures the performance of the small to mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, commonly referred to as “smid” cap. The Russell 2500™ Index is a subset of the Russell 3000^® Index. It includes approximately 2,500 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
2Q/09	24.21	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-28.42	%

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio | Russell 2500™ Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Russell 2500™ Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.88%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.34%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

10.49%

MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.79%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.83%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

85

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

265

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

460

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,025

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

38.49%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

5.86%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

12.04%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

12.64%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

36.10%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(47.22%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

41.02%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

25.03%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(2.75%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

12.80%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

24.21%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(28.42%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.80%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.41%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

9.90%

MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.79%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.08%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

110

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

343

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

595

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,317

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.52%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.17%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

9.63%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.80% on assets up to $200 million; 0.75% on assets from $200 million to $500 million; 0.725% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.70% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

42.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text]

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing substantially all of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds (normally within a range of 90% to 100%). The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 20% (within a range of 10% to 30%) of international equity funds. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocation, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio*	80%	20%	100%	0%

*Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. 

These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of small capitalization companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects, and greater spreads between bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Asset Allocation Risk: Although allocation among different asset classes generally limits the Portfolio's exposure to the risks of any one class, the risk remains that New York Life Investments may favor an asset class that performs poorly relative to the other asset classes. For example, deteriorating stock market conditions might cause an overall weakness in the market that reduces the absolute level of stock prices in that market. Under these circumstances, if the Portfolio, through its holdings of Underlying Portfolios/Funds, were invested primarily in stocks, it would perform poorly relative to a portfolio invested primarily in bonds. Similarly, the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds could be incorrect in their analysis of economic trends, countries, industries, companies, the relative attractiveness of asset classes or other matters. Moreover, because the Portfolio has set limitations on the amount of assets that may be allocated to each asset class, the Portfolio has less flexibility in its investment strategy than mutual funds that are not subject to such limitations. In addition, the asset allocations made by the Portfolio may not be ideal for all investors and may not effectively increase returns or decrease risk for investors.

Concentration Risk: To the extent that the Portfolio invests a significant portion of its assets in a single Underlying Portfolio/Fund, it will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with that Underlying Portfolio/Fund and changes in the value of that Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have a significant effect on the net asset value of the Portfolio. Similarly, the extent to which an Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests more than 25% of its assets in a single industry or economic sector may also adversely impact the Portfolio, depending on the Portfolio's level of investment in that Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Conflicts of Interest: Potential conflicts of interest situations could occur. For example, New York Life Investments may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Portfolios/Funds because the fees paid to it and its affiliates by some Underlying Portfolios/Funds are higher than the fees paid by other Underlying Portfolios/Funds. In addition, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to select certain Underlying Portfolios/Funds due to compensation considerations. Moreover, a situation could occur where proper action for the Portfolio could be adverse to the interest of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund or vice versa.

New York Life Investments and the portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to the Portfolio to act in the Portfolio's best interests when selecting Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Under the oversight of the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees, New York Life Investments will carefully analyze any such situation and take all steps believed to be necessary to minimize and, where possible, eliminate potential conflicts.

Large Transaction Risk: To minimize disruptions to the operations of the Portfolio and the Underlying Portfolios/Funds, New York Life Investments seeks to maintain existing target allocations and to implement small changes to target allocations through the netting of purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares. When New York Life Investments determines to initiate a transaction with an Underlying Portfolio/Fund, New York Life Investments generally coordinates directly with the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to ensure that the transactions are accommodated efficiently and in a cost effective manner, including possibly implementing trades over a period of days rather than all at once. These practices may temporarily affect New York Life Investments' ability to fully implement the Portfolio's investment strategies.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Growth Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Growth Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index and the MSCI EAFE^® Index weighted 80% and 20%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
3Q/09	16.14	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-20.77	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.93%

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio | MSCI EAFE® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.32%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.69%)

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.65%

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio | Growth Allocation Composite Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Growth Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.34%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.64%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.54%

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

1.14%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.18%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

120

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

375

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

649

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,432

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

10.41%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(37.58%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

28.04%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

15.03%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(2.65%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

15.47%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.14%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(20.77%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.47%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.66%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.68%

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

1.14%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.43%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

146

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

452

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

782

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,713

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.18%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.41%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.42%

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks substantial dividend income as well as long-term growth of capital through investments in the common stocks of established companies.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expense (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

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The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

15.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text]

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks, with 65% in the common stocks of well-established companies paying above-average dividends.

T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., the Portfolio's Subadvisor, typically employs a "value" approach in selecting investments. The Subadvisor's in-house research team seeks companies that appear to be undervalued by various measures and may be temporarily out of favor but have good prospects for capital appreciation and dividend growth.

In selecting investments, the Subadvisor generally looks for companies in the aggregate with one or more of the following:

·an established operating history;

·above-average dividend yield relative to the S&P 500 Index;

·a low price/earnings ratio relative to the S&P 500 Index;

·a sound balance sheet and other positive financial characteristics; and

·a low stock price relative to a company's underlying value as measured by assets, cash flow, or business franchises.

Under normal market conditions, substantial dividend income means that the yield on the Portfolio's securities generally exceeds the yield on the Portfolio's benchmark. In pursuing its investment objective, the Portfolio has the discretion to deviate from its normal investment criteria, as previously described, and purchase securities that the Subadvisor believes will provide an opportunity for substantial appreciation.

These situations might arise when the Subadvisor believes a security could increase in value for a variety of reasons, including an extraordinary corporate event, a new product introduction or innovation, a favorable competitive development, or a change in management.

While most assets will typically be invested in U.S. common stocks, the Portfolio may invest in foreign stocks in keeping with the Portfolio's objectives.

The Portfolio may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance, One Year or Less

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.80%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

^[1]

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

^[1]

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

2014-05-01

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

81

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

263

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

461

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,033

MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio | Service Class

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.80%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.09%

^[1]

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.04%

^[1]

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

2014-05-01

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

106

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

342

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

596

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,324

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.80% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.775% on assets over $500 million. New York Life Investment Management LLC has contractually agreed to waive its management fee to 0.75% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.725% on assets over $500 million. This agreement will remain in effect until May 1, 2014, and shall renew automatically for one-year terms unless New York Life Investment Management LLC provides written notice of termination prior to the start of the next term or upon approval of the Board of Trustees of the Portfolio.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks current income

Investment Objective, Secondary

rr_ObjectiveSecondaryTextBlock

and, secondarily, long-term growth of capital

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 53% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

53.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing approximately 60% (within a range of 50% to 70%) of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds and approximately 40% (within a range of 30% to 50%) of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds. The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 5% (within the range of 0% to 20%) of international equity funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocations, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio*	35%	5%	40%	60%

* Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the two broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise and increase the potential for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose money. The ability of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of the issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Asset Allocation Risk: Although allocation among different asset classes generally limits the Portfolio's exposure to the risks of any one class, the risk remains that New York Life Investments may favor an asset class that performs poorly relative to the other asset classes. For example, deteriorating stock market conditions might cause an overall weakness in the market that reduces the absolute level of stock prices in that market. Under these circumstances, if the Portfolio, through its holdings of Underlying Portfolios/Funds, were invested primarily in stocks, it would perform poorly relative to a portfolio invested primarily in bonds. Similarly, the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds could be incorrect in their analysis of economic trends, countries, industries, companies, the relative attractiveness of asset classes or other matters. Moreover, because the Portfolio has set limitations on the amount of assets that may be allocated to each asset class, the Portfolio has less flexibility in its investment strategy than mutual funds that are not subject to such limitations. In addition, the asset allocations made by the Portfolio may not be ideal for all investors and may not effectively increase returns or decrease risk for investors.

Concentration Risk: To the extent that the Portfolio invests a significant portion of its assets in a single Underlying Portfolio/Fund, it will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with that Underlying Portfolio/Fund and changes in the value of that Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have a significant effect on the net asset value of the Portfolio. Similarly, the extent to which an Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests more than 25% of its assets in a single industry or economic sector may also adversely impact the Portfolio, depending on the Portfolio's level of investment in that Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Conflicts of Interest: Potential conflicts of interest situations could occur. For example, New York Life Investments may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Portfolios/Funds because the fees paid to it and its affiliates by some Underlying Portfolios/Funds are higher than the fees paid by other Underlying Portfolios/Funds. In addition, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to select certain Underlying Portfolios/Funds due to compensation considerations. Moreover, a situation could occur where proper action for the Portfolio could be adverse to the interest of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund or vice versa.

New York Life Investments and the portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to the Portfolio to act in the Portfolio's best interests when selecting Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Under the oversight of the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees, New York Life Investments will carefully analyze any such situation and take all steps believed to be necessary to minimize and, where possible, eliminate potential conflicts.

Large Transaction Risk: To minimize disruptions to the operations of the Portfolio and the Underlying Portfolios/Funds, New York Life Investments seeks to maintain existing target allocations and to implement small changes to target allocations through the netting of purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares. When New York Life Investments determines to initiate a transaction with an Underlying Portfolio/Fund, New York Life Investments generally coordinates directly with the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to ensure that the transactions are accommodated efficiently and in a cost effective manner, including possibly implementing trades over a period of days rather than all at once. These practices may temporarily affect New York Life Investments' ability to fully implement the Portfolio's investment strategies.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Conservative Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Conservative Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index, the MSCI EAFE^® Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 35%, 5% and 60%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
3Q/09	10.20	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-9.63	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

S&P 500^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.93%

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio | MSCI EAFE® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.32%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(3.69%)

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.65%

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.22%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.95%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.99%

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio | Conservative Allocation Composite Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Conservative Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

9.05%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.42%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.44%

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.88%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

90

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

281

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

488

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,084

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

7.49%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(18.41%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

22.28%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.03%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.90%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

10.69%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

10.20%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(9.63%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.69%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.95%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.86%

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

none

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.13%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

115

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

359

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

622

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,375

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.42%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.68%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.60%

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in hard asset securities.

Investment Objective, Secondary

rr_ObjectiveSecondaryTextBlock

Income is a secondary consideration

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

24.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes) in securities of "hard asset" companies and instruments that derive their value from "hard assets." Hard assets include precious metals (including gold), base and industrial metals, energy, natural resources and other commodities. A hard assets company is a company that derives directly or indirectly, at least 50% of its revenues from exploration, development, production, distribution or facilitation of processes relating to hard assets. The Portfolio concentrates its investments in the securities of hard assets companies and instruments that derive their value from hard assets. The Portfolio is considered to be "non-diversified," which means that it may invest in fewer securities than a "diversified" Portfolio.

The Portfolio may invest without limitation in any one hard asset sector and is not required to invest any portion of its assets in any one hard asset sector. The Portfolio may invest in securities of companies located anywhere in the world, including the U.S. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest in securities of issuers from a number of different countries, and may invest any amount of its assets in emerging markets. The Portfolio may invest in securities of companies of any capitalization range.

Utilizing qualitative and quantitative measures, the investment management team of Van Eck Associates Corporation, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, selects equity securities of companies that it believes represent value opportunities and/or that have growth potential. Candidates for the Portfolio's portfolio are evaluated based on their relative desirability using a wide range of criteria and are regularly reviewed to ensure that they continue to offer absolute and relative desirability.

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments, such as structured notes, futures, options and swap agreements, to gain or hedge exposure to hard assets, hard asset companies and other assets. The Portfolio may enter into foreign currency transactions to attempt to moderate the effect of currency fluctuations. The Portfolio may write covered call options on portfolio securities to the extent that the value of all securities with respect to which covered calls are written does not exceed 10% of the Portfolio's net asset value.

The Portfolio may also invest in exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and money market funds, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Prospectus or the Portfolio’s Statement of Additional Information. The Portfolio may invest in ETFs to participate in, or gain rapid exposure to, certain market sectors, or when direct investments in certain countries are not permitted.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Commodities and Commodity-Linked Derivatives Risk: Exposure to the commodities markets, such as precious metals, industrial metals, gas and other energy products and natural resources, may subject the Portfolio to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors including changes in overall market movements, political and economic events and policies, war, acts of terrorism and changes in interest rates or inflation rates. Because the value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument and structured note typically are based upon the price movements of physical commodities, the value of these securities will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodities or related index of investment.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio. The performance of structured securities is determined by the instrument underlying the security. Structured securities are subject to the credit risk of the issuing party and may be less liquid than other types of securities.

Direct Investments Risk: Direct investments may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses. Because of the absence of any public trading market for these investments, the Portfolio may take longer to liquidate these positions than would be the case for publicly traded securities. Direct investments are generally considered illiquid and will be aggregated with other illiquid investments for purposes of the limitation on illiquid investments.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Hard Assets Concentration Risk: The Portfolio may be subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than a fund whose portfolio has exposure to a broader range of sectors. The Portfolio may be susceptible to financial, economic, political, or market events, as well as government regulation, impacting the hard assets sectors (such as the energy, metals and real estate sectors). Precious metals and natural resources securities are at times volatile and there may be sharp fluctuations in prices, even during periods of rising prices.

Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk: The Portfolio's investment in another investment company may subject the Portfolio indirectly to the underlying risks of the investment company. The Portfolio also will bear its share of the underlying investment company's fees and expenses, which are in addition to the Portfolio's own fees and expenses.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Non-Diversification Risk: Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," it may be more susceptible than diversified funds to risks associated with an individual issuer, and to single economic, political or regulatory occurrences.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Risk Nondiversified Status

rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus

Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," it may be more susceptible than diversified funds to risks associated with an individual issuer, and to single economic, political or regulatory occurrences.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance, One Year or Less

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.89%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.94%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

96

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

300

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

520

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,155

XML

MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio

MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.89%	0.89%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses		0.06%	0.06%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.95%	1.20%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	97	303	525	1,166
Service Class	122	381	660	1,455

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests in those companies that meet the quality and valuation criteria of Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor.

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of issuers, wherever organized, which operate mainly outside the U.S. The Portfolio invests in securities of companies which conduct business in a variety of countries, with a minimum of five countries other than the U.S. This includes countries with established economies as well as emerging market countries that the Subadvisor believes present favorable opportunities. The Portfolio may also invest in exchange traded funds ("ETFs").

Investment Process: The Subadvisor seeks to identify investment opportunities through “bottom-up” analysis and fundamental research. The Subadvisor performs research to identify reasonably priced companies with competitive market advantages that it believes are able to benefit from long-term market trends and that the Subadvisor believes are able to sustainably grow earnings over time regardless of economic climate. Allocations to countries and industries are also a result of the "bottom-up" stock selection process and, as a result, may deviate from the country and industry weightings in the benchmark. The Portfolio may not perform as well as its peers or benchmark during periods when the stock market favors the securities of businesses with low-quality earnings.

Generally, the Portfolio seeks to limit its investments in securities of: (i) any one company; (ii) companies in the same industry; (iii) companies located in any one country; and (iv) companies located in emerging markets (currently limited to 15% of the Portfolio’s assets measured at the time of investment).

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, whether the security has approached full valuation, if the investment thesis is invalidated, if superior opportunities to redeploy exist or emerge, or if industry group or country weights or individual positions need to be adjusted.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI ACWI^® (All Country World Index) Ex U.S. as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI ACWI^® Ex U.S. is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States of America.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	17.53	%
Worst Quarter
3Q/11	-18.93	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP International Equity Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	19.48%	(1.37%)	7.80%
Service Class	Service Class	19.18%	(1.61%)	7.53%
MSCI EAFE® Index	MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	17.32%	(3.69%)	8.21%
MSCI ACWI® Ex U.S	MSCI ACWI® Ex U.S. (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.83%	(2.89%)	9.74%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.89% on assets up to $500 million; and 0.85% on assets over $500 million.

XML

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio

MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio	Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	none	none
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses	0.04%	0.04%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses	1.14%	1.14%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	1.18%	1.43%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	120	375	649	1,432
Service Class	146	452	782	1,713

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing substantially all of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds (normally within a range of 90% to 100%). The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 20% (within a range of 10% to 30%) of international equity funds. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocation, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio*	80%	20%	100%	0%

*Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. 

These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of small capitalization companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects, and greater spreads between bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Asset Allocation Risk: Although allocation among different asset classes generally limits the Portfolio's exposure to the risks of any one class, the risk remains that New York Life Investments may favor an asset class that performs poorly relative to the other asset classes. For example, deteriorating stock market conditions might cause an overall weakness in the market that reduces the absolute level of stock prices in that market. Under these circumstances, if the Portfolio, through its holdings of Underlying Portfolios/Funds, were invested primarily in stocks, it would perform poorly relative to a portfolio invested primarily in bonds. Similarly, the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds could be incorrect in their analysis of economic trends, countries, industries, companies, the relative attractiveness of asset classes or other matters. Moreover, because the Portfolio has set limitations on the amount of assets that may be allocated to each asset class, the Portfolio has less flexibility in its investment strategy than mutual funds that are not subject to such limitations. In addition, the asset allocations made by the Portfolio may not be ideal for all investors and may not effectively increase returns or decrease risk for investors.

Concentration Risk: To the extent that the Portfolio invests a significant portion of its assets in a single Underlying Portfolio/Fund, it will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with that Underlying Portfolio/Fund and changes in the value of that Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have a significant effect on the net asset value of the Portfolio. Similarly, the extent to which an Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests more than 25% of its assets in a single industry or economic sector may also adversely impact the Portfolio, depending on the Portfolio's level of investment in that Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Conflicts of Interest: Potential conflicts of interest situations could occur. For example, New York Life Investments may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Portfolios/Funds because the fees paid to it and its affiliates by some Underlying Portfolios/Funds are higher than the fees paid by other Underlying Portfolios/Funds. In addition, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to select certain Underlying Portfolios/Funds due to compensation considerations. Moreover, a situation could occur where proper action for the Portfolio could be adverse to the interest of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund or vice versa.

New York Life Investments and the portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to the Portfolio to act in the Portfolio's best interests when selecting Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Under the oversight of the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees, New York Life Investments will carefully analyze any such situation and take all steps believed to be necessary to minimize and, where possible, eliminate potential conflicts.

Large Transaction Risk: To minimize disruptions to the operations of the Portfolio and the Underlying Portfolios/Funds, New York Life Investments seeks to maintain existing target allocations and to implement small changes to target allocations through the netting of purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares. When New York Life Investments determines to initiate a transaction with an Underlying Portfolio/Fund, New York Life Investments generally coordinates directly with the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to ensure that the transactions are accommodated efficiently and in a cost effective manner, including possibly implementing trades over a period of days rather than all at once. These practices may temporarily affect New York Life Investments' ability to fully implement the Portfolio's investment strategies.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Growth Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Growth Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index and the MSCI EAFE^® Index weighted 80% and 20%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/09	16.14	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-20.77	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Growth Allocation Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, Since Inception
Initial Class	Initial Class	15.47%	0.66%	3.68%
Service Class	Service Class	15.18%	0.41%	3.42%
S&P 500® Index	S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.00%	1.66%	3.93%
MSCI EAFE® Index	MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	17.32%	(3.69%)	1.65%
Growth Allocation Composite Index	Growth Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.34%	0.64%	3.54%

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MainStay VP DFA/DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP DFA DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

MainStay VP DFA / DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP DFA DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio	Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	1.20%	1.20%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses	0.20%	0.20%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses	0.03%	0.03%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	1.43%	1.68%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP DFA DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	146	452	782	1,713
Service Class	171	530	913	1,987

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 81% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity and equity-related securities, including preferred stock, of companies located in or associated with emerging market countries. The Portfolio may also invest in exchange-traded funds.

The Portfolio utilizes two Subadvisors, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP ("DFA") and DuPont Capital Management Corporation ("DuPont Capital"), with investment processes and styles that New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, believes are complementary. Each Subadvisor is responsible for managing a portion of the Portfolio's assets, as designated by the Manager from time to time.

DFA Investment Process:DFA believes that equity investing should involve a long-term view and a systematic focus on sources of expected returns, not on stock picking or market timing. In constructing an investment portfolio, DFA identifies a broadly diversified universe of eligible securities with precisely-defined risk and return characteristics. It then places priority on efficiently managing portfolio turnover and keeping trading costs low. In general, DFA does not intend to purchase or sell securities for the investment portfolio based on prospects for the economy, the securities markets or the individual issuers whose shares are eligible for purchase.

DFA may use derivatives such as forward currency exchange contracts to facilitate the settlement of equity trades or to transfer balances from one currency to another currency, including to repatriate currency to U.S. dollars. DFA may also use futures contracts and options on futures contracts, to gain market exposure on the Portfolio's uninvested cash pending investment in securities or to maintain liquidity to pay redemptions.

DuPont Capital Investment Process:DuPont Capital seeks to identify emerging market companies trading at a significant discount relative to such companies' estimated normalized earnings potential by using in-depth fundamental analysis combined with top down country risk assessment. DuPont Capital attempts to build a portfolio with a long-term investment horizon that it believes will achieve excess returns with below average risk, relative to the broader emerging market equity universe.

DuPont Capital may sell a security when it believes the security is approaching full valuation, changing circumstances affect the original reasons for its purchase or more attractive opportunities are identified.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisors may not produce the desired results.

Depositary Receipts Risk: Investments in depositary receipts may entail the special risks of foreign investing, including currency exchange fluctuations, government regulations, and the potential for political and economic instability.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Exchange Traded Fund ("ETF") Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of small capitalization companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects, and greater spreads between bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisors believe is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

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MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio

MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in hard asset securities.

Income is a secondary consideration

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses	MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio Initial Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	0.89%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none
Total Other Expenses	0.05%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements	0.94%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
MainStay VP Van Eck Global Hard Assets Portfolio Initial Class	96	300	520	1,155

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes) in securities of "hard asset" companies and instruments that derive their value from "hard assets." Hard assets include precious metals (including gold), base and industrial metals, energy, natural resources and other commodities. A hard assets company is a company that derives directly or indirectly, at least 50% of its revenues from exploration, development, production, distribution or facilitation of processes relating to hard assets. The Portfolio concentrates its investments in the securities of hard assets companies and instruments that derive their value from hard assets. The Portfolio is considered to be "non-diversified," which means that it may invest in fewer securities than a "diversified" Portfolio.

The Portfolio may invest without limitation in any one hard asset sector and is not required to invest any portion of its assets in any one hard asset sector. The Portfolio may invest in securities of companies located anywhere in the world, including the U.S. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest in securities of issuers from a number of different countries, and may invest any amount of its assets in emerging markets. The Portfolio may invest in securities of companies of any capitalization range.

Utilizing qualitative and quantitative measures, the investment management team of Van Eck Associates Corporation, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, selects equity securities of companies that it believes represent value opportunities and/or that have growth potential. Candidates for the Portfolio's portfolio are evaluated based on their relative desirability using a wide range of criteria and are regularly reviewed to ensure that they continue to offer absolute and relative desirability.

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments, such as structured notes, futures, options and swap agreements, to gain or hedge exposure to hard assets, hard asset companies and other assets. The Portfolio may enter into foreign currency transactions to attempt to moderate the effect of currency fluctuations. The Portfolio may write covered call options on portfolio securities to the extent that the value of all securities with respect to which covered calls are written does not exceed 10% of the Portfolio's net asset value.

The Portfolio may also invest in exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and money market funds, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Prospectus or the Portfolio’s Statement of Additional Information. The Portfolio may invest in ETFs to participate in, or gain rapid exposure to, certain market sectors, or when direct investments in certain countries are not permitted.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Commodities and Commodity-Linked Derivatives Risk: Exposure to the commodities markets, such as precious metals, industrial metals, gas and other energy products and natural resources, may subject the Portfolio to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors including changes in overall market movements, political and economic events and policies, war, acts of terrorism and changes in interest rates or inflation rates. Because the value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument and structured note typically are based upon the price movements of physical commodities, the value of these securities will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodities or related index of investment.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio. The performance of structured securities is determined by the instrument underlying the security. Structured securities are subject to the credit risk of the issuing party and may be less liquid than other types of securities.

Direct Investments Risk: Direct investments may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses. Because of the absence of any public trading market for these investments, the Portfolio may take longer to liquidate these positions than would be the case for publicly traded securities. Direct investments are generally considered illiquid and will be aggregated with other illiquid investments for purposes of the limitation on illiquid investments.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Hard Assets Concentration Risk: The Portfolio may be subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than a fund whose portfolio has exposure to a broader range of sectors. The Portfolio may be susceptible to financial, economic, political, or market events, as well as government regulation, impacting the hard assets sectors (such as the energy, metals and real estate sectors). Precious metals and natural resources securities are at times volatile and there may be sharp fluctuations in prices, even during periods of rising prices.

Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk: The Portfolio's investment in another investment company may subject the Portfolio indirectly to the underlying risks of the investment company. The Portfolio also will bear its share of the underlying investment company's fees and expenses, which are in addition to the Portfolio's own fees and expenses.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Non-Diversification Risk: Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," it may be more susceptible than diversified funds to risks associated with an individual issuer, and to single economic, political or regulatory occurrences.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 186% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

186.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in companies with market capitalizations at the time of investment that are similar to the market capitalizations of companies in the Russell Midcap^® Index, and invests primarily in common stocks of U.S. companies.

Investment Process: Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, seeks to construct a broadly diversified portfolio across sectors and industries using quantitative analysis to identify undervalued and overvalued securities. Investments are selected using an objective, disciplined and broadly-applied process, while limiting exposure to risk. The Subadvisor seeks to control the Portfolio's exposure to risk by diversifying the Portfolio's portfolio over a large number of securities.

In unusual market conditions, the Portfolio may invest all or a portion of its assets in investment grade notes and bonds, cash and cash equivalents.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio, if better opportunities are identified, or if it determines the initial investment expectations are not being met.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Mid-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell Midcap^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell Midcap^® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Midcap^® Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^® Index and includes approximately 800 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell Midcap^® Index represents approximately 31% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 1000^® Index companies.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
3Q/09	20.89	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-25.49	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio | Russell Midcap® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Russell Midcap® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.28%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.57%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

10.65%

MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.85%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

^[2]

Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[2]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

^[2]

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

87

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

282

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

494

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,103

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

35.43%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

22.27%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

15.86%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

14.96%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

5.03%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(42.24%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

36.93%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

23.64%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(2.99%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

17.52%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

20.89%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(25.49%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.52%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.20%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

9.95%

MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.85%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.15%

^[2]

Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[2]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.10%

^[2]

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

112

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

360

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

628

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,393

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.22%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.94%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

9.68%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.85% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.80% on assets over $1 billion.

[2] New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses so that Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (excluding taxes, interest, litigation, extraordinary expenses, brokerage and other transaction expenses relating to the purchase or sale of portfolio investments, and acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses) of a class do not exceed the following percentages of average daily net assets: Initial Class, 0.84%; and Service Class, 1.09%. This agreement will remain in effect until May 1, 2014, and shall renew automatically for one-year terms unless New York Life Investments provides written notice of termination prior to the start of the next term or upon approval of the Board of Trustees of the Portfolio.

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MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio

MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks current income

and, secondarily, long-term growth of capital

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio	Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	none	none
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none	0.25%
Other Expenses	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses	0.85%	0.85%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	0.88%	1.13%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	90	281	488	1,084
Service Class	115	359	622	1,375

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 53% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing approximately 60% (within a range of 50% to 70%) of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds and approximately 40% (within a range of 30% to 50%) of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds. The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 5% (within the range of 0% to 20%) of international equity funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocations, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio*	35%	5%	40%	60%

* Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the two broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise and increase the potential for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose money. The ability of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of the issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Asset Allocation Risk: Although allocation among different asset classes generally limits the Portfolio's exposure to the risks of any one class, the risk remains that New York Life Investments may favor an asset class that performs poorly relative to the other asset classes. For example, deteriorating stock market conditions might cause an overall weakness in the market that reduces the absolute level of stock prices in that market. Under these circumstances, if the Portfolio, through its holdings of Underlying Portfolios/Funds, were invested primarily in stocks, it would perform poorly relative to a portfolio invested primarily in bonds. Similarly, the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds could be incorrect in their analysis of economic trends, countries, industries, companies, the relative attractiveness of asset classes or other matters. Moreover, because the Portfolio has set limitations on the amount of assets that may be allocated to each asset class, the Portfolio has less flexibility in its investment strategy than mutual funds that are not subject to such limitations. In addition, the asset allocations made by the Portfolio may not be ideal for all investors and may not effectively increase returns or decrease risk for investors.

Concentration Risk: To the extent that the Portfolio invests a significant portion of its assets in a single Underlying Portfolio/Fund, it will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with that Underlying Portfolio/Fund and changes in the value of that Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have a significant effect on the net asset value of the Portfolio. Similarly, the extent to which an Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests more than 25% of its assets in a single industry or economic sector may also adversely impact the Portfolio, depending on the Portfolio's level of investment in that Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Conflicts of Interest: Potential conflicts of interest situations could occur. For example, New York Life Investments may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Portfolios/Funds because the fees paid to it and its affiliates by some Underlying Portfolios/Funds are higher than the fees paid by other Underlying Portfolios/Funds. In addition, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to select certain Underlying Portfolios/Funds due to compensation considerations. Moreover, a situation could occur where proper action for the Portfolio could be adverse to the interest of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund or vice versa.

New York Life Investments and the portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to the Portfolio to act in the Portfolio's best interests when selecting Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Under the oversight of the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees, New York Life Investments will carefully analyze any such situation and take all steps believed to be necessary to minimize and, where possible, eliminate potential conflicts.

Large Transaction Risk: To minimize disruptions to the operations of the Portfolio and the Underlying Portfolios/Funds, New York Life Investments seeks to maintain existing target allocations and to implement small changes to target allocations through the netting of purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares. When New York Life Investments determines to initiate a transaction with an Underlying Portfolio/Fund, New York Life Investments generally coordinates directly with the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to ensure that the transactions are accommodated efficiently and in a cost effective manner, including possibly implementing trades over a period of days rather than all at once. These practices may temporarily affect New York Life Investments' ability to fully implement the Portfolio's investment strategies.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Conservative Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Conservative Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index, the MSCI EAFE^® Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 35%, 5% and 60%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/09	10.20	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-9.63	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Conservative Allocation Portfolio

Average Annual Returns, Label

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

Initial Class

Initial Class

10.69%

4.95%

5.86%

Service Class

Service Class

10.42%

4.68%

5.60%

S&P 500® Index

S&P 500^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

16.00%

1.66%

3.93%

MSCI EAFE® Index

MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

17.32%

(3.69%)

1.65%

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

4.22%

5.95%

5.99%

Conservative Allocation Composite Index

Conservative Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

9.05%

4.42%

5.44%

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MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.70%	0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.08%	0.08%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses		0.01%	0.01%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.79%	1.04%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	81	252	439	978
Service Class	106	331	574	1,271

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 202% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests approximately 60% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks and 40% of its assets in fixed-income securities (such as bonds) and cash equivalents. Although this 60/40 ratio may vary, under normal market conditions, the Portfolio will invest at least 25% of its assets in fixed-income securities.

The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities, but only in countries the Manager or Subadvisor considers stable and only in securities considered to be of high quality. The Portfolio may also invest in derivatives, such as futures and options, to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Under normal market conditions, the Manager and Subadvisor will seek to keep the portfolio fully invested rather than taking temporary cash positions with respect to their portions of the Portfolio's assets. The Manager and Subadvisor will sell a security if it becomes relatively overvalued, if better opportunities are identified, or if they determine that the initial investment expectations are not being met.

Equity Investment Process: Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, manages the equity portion of the Portfolio. The Subadvisor generally invests in mid-capitalization, value oriented stocks, but may also invest in large capitalization, value oriented stocks. The Subadvisor considers mid-capitalization stocks to be those with a market capitalization that, at the time of investment, are similar to the companies in the Russell Midcap^® Index (which ranged from $296.4 million to $25.1 billion as of December 31, 2012), the S&P MidCap 400^® Index (which ranged from $403.7 million to $16.2 billion as of December 31, 2012), or a universe selected from the smallest 800 companies of the largest 1,000 companies, ranked by market capitalization. Mid-capitalization stocks are common stocks of mid-size U.S. companies that tend to be well known, and to have a large amount of stock outstanding compared to small-capitalization stocks.

"Value" stocks are stocks that the Subadvisor determines (1) have strong or improving fundamental characteristics and (2) have been overlooked by the marketplace so that they are undervalued or "underpriced" relative to the rest of the Portfolio's universe.

The Portfolio seeks to construct a broadly diversified portfolio across countries, sectors and industries using quantitative analysis to identify undervalued and overvalued securities. Investments are selected using an objective, disciplined and broadly-applied process, while seeking to limit exposure to risk.

Fixed-Income Investment Process: New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, manages the fixed-income portion of the Portfolio. The Manager generally invests in U.S. government securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and investment grade bonds issued by U.S. corporations. It selects fixed-income securities based on their credit quality, duration and price. The fixed-income portion of the portfolio normally has an intermediate term duration that ranges from three to five years.

The Portfolio's investments may include variable rate notes, floaters and mortgage-related securities (including mortgage-backed) securities, which are debt securities whose values are based on underlying pools of mortgages, and asset-backed securities, which are debt securities whose values are based on underlying pools of credit receivables.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager and Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Mid-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Manager to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell Midcap^® Value Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell Midcap^® Value Index measures the performance of the mid-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell Midcap^® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Portfolio has selected the Balanced Composite Index as a secondary benchmark. The Balanced Composite Index is comprised of the Russell Midcap^® Value Index and the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index weighted 60%/40%, respectively. The Portfolio has selected the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index as an additional benchmark. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index is a market capitalization-weighted index including U.S. government and fixed coupon domestic investment grade corporate bonds.

The Portfolio commenced operations on May 2, 2005. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2006-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	13.54	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-12.95	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio

Average Annual Returns, Label

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

Initial Class

Initial Class

12.32%

3.94%

5.06%

Service Class

Service Class

12.04%

3.68%

4.79%

Russell Midcap® Value Index

Russell Midcap® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

18.51%

3.79%

6.65%

Balanced Composite Index

Balanced Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

12.74%

5.04%

6.50%

Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index

Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

4.24%

5.19%

5.05%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.70% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.65% on assets over $1 billion.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 69% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

69.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in large capitalization companies, which are companies having a market capitalization in excess of $4 billion at the time of purchase. Typically, Winslow Capital Management, LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, invests substantially all of the Portfolio's investable assets in domestic securities. However, the Portfolio is permitted to invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities, which are generally securities issued by companies organized outside the U.S. and traded primarily in markets outside the U.S.

Investment Process: The Portfolio invests in those companies that the Subadvisor believes will provide an opportunity for achieving superior portfolio returns (i.e., returns in excess of the returns of the average stock mutual fund) over the long term. The Subadvisor seeks to invest in companies that have the potential for above-average future earnings growth with management focused on shareholder value.

When purchasing stocks for the Portfolio, the Subadvisor looks for companies typically having some or all of the following attributes: addressing markets with growth opportunities; favorable market share; identifiable and sustainable competitive advantages; a management team that can perpetuate the firm's competitive advantages; and, attractive, and preferably rising, returns on invested capital.

The Subadvisor takes a "bottom-up" investment approach when selecting investments. This means it bases investment decisions on company specific factors, not general economic conditions.

Under normal market conditions, the Subadvisor employs a sell discipline pursuant to which it may sell some or all of its position in a stock when a stock becomes fully valued, the fundamental business prospects are deteriorating, or the position exceeds limits set by the Subadvisor.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Growth Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Growth Index measures the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”) as a secondary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 6, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 5, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block]

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
1Q/12	17.24	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-22.96	%

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio | Russell 1000® Growth Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.26%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.12%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.52%

MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.10%

MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.74%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

80

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

249

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

433

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

966

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

28.05%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

(2.32%)

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

4.35%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

7.24%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

21.35%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(38.80%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

40.04%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

16.18%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(0.27%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

13.11%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2012

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.24%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.96%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.11%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.35%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.67%

MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.74%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.03%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

105

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

328

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

569

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,259

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.83%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.10%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.41%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.75% on assets up to $500 million; 0.725% on assets from $500 million to $750 million; 0.71% on assets from $750 million to $1 billion; 0.70% on assets from $1 billion to $2 billion; 0.66% on assets from $2 billion to $3 billion; 0.61% on assets from $3 billion to $7 billion; 0.585% on assets from $7 billion to $9 billion; and 0.575% on assets over $9 billion.

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MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio

MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.70%	0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.74%	0.99%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	76	237	411	918
Service Class	101	315	547	1,213

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities of U.S. companies, the prospective earnings growth of which, in the opinion of Cornerstone Capital Management LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, is not fully appreciated by the market or reflected in current market valuations. The Subadvisor also looks for companies it believes have strong management, superior industry positions, excellent balance sheets and superior earnings growth potential. U.S. companies are companies organized in the U.S. that trade primarily on U.S. securities markets. The Portfolio may also invest in foreign companies. Generally, foreign companies are companies organized outside the U.S. that trade primarily in non-U.S. securities markets.

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its assets in common stocks of large-capitalization growth companies. Large-capitalization growth companies are those that, at the time of investment, have market capitalizations within the range of market capitalizations of companies appearing in the Russell 1000^® Growth Index (which ranged from $296.4 million to $500.4 billion as of December 31, 2012). The Portfolio generally will invest in common stocks of companies with market capitalizations of at least $3 billion at the time of purchase.

Investment Process. Normally, the Portfolio holds between 35 and 55 securities. The 25 most highly regarded of these companies, in the Subadvisor’s opinion, usually constitute approximately 70% or more of the Portfolio’s net assets. Notwithstanding this focus, the Portfolio has no policy to concentrate in securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries. Although the Portfolio does not have a policy to concentrate its investments in any one industry, a large portion of its assets has historically been in technology companies which the Subadvisor believes offer strong growth potential.

During market declines, while adding to positions in favored stocks, the Portfolio becomes somewhat more aggressive, gradually reducing the number of companies represented in its portfolio. Conversely, in rising markets, while reducing or eliminating fully valued positions, the Portfolio becomes somewhat more conservative, gradually increasing the number of companies represented in its portfolio. Through this process, the Subadvisor tends to add to positions on price weakness and sell into price strength, all else being equal and assuming long-term company fundamentals are intact. Risk is therefore increased during periods of weakness and reduced during periods of strength. The Subadvisor uses this active management strategy to attempt to add incremental performance while seeking to mitigate risk by utilizing a buy low, sell high discipline.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Concentrated Portfolio Risk: Because the Portfolio invests in relatively few holdings, a larger percentage of its assets may be invested in a particular issuer or in fewer companies than is typical of other mutual funds. This may increase volatility. The Portfolio will be more susceptible to adverse economic, political, regulatory or market developments affecting a single issuer.

Technology Stock Risk: The Portfolio may focus its investments in technology companies. Technology companies are subject to risks such as those relating to the potential rapid obsolescence of technology, failure of the market to accept new technologies and difficulty obtaining financing for necessary research and development or expansion.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Growth Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Growth Index measures the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^® companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Effective January 11, 2013, the Portfolio changed its subadvisor and revised its principal investment strategies. The past performance in the bar chart and table reflect the Portfolio's prior subadvisor and principal investment strategies.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
1Q/12	16.18	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-20.82	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	14.94%	0.85%	5.79%
Service Class	Service Class	14.66%	0.60%	5.53%
Russell 1000® Growth Index	Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	15.26%	3.12%	7.52%

[1] The management fee has been restated to reflect the current management fee. At a special meeting of shareholders held on January 7, 2013, the shareholders of the Portfolio approved an amendment to the Amended and Restated Management Agreement dated May 1, 2013 between New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") and MainStay VP Funds Trust with respect to the Portfolio, which imposed an increase in the management fees paid to New York Life Investments, which in turn, increased the Portfolio's overall fees. Accordingly, effective May 1, 2013, the management fee is as follows: 0.70% on assets up to $500 million; 0.675% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.65% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio

MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in securities of small-cap companies.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)		0.79%	0.79%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	[1]	none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.83%	1.08%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	85	265	460	1,025
Service Class	110	343	595	1,317

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 32% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of U.S. companies with market capitalizations at the time of investment of $3.5 billion or less, which include common stocks, securities convertible into common stock, and exchange traded funds ("ETFs") whose underlying securities are issued by small capitalization companies. The Portfolio may also invest in mid-cap stocks. Securities of U.S. companies are those traded primarily in the U.S. securities markets.

Investment Process: Epoch Investment Partners, Inc., the Portfolio's Subadvisor, invests primarily in companies that generate increasing levels of free cash flow and have managements that use it to create returns for shareholders.

The security selection process focuses on free-cash-flow analytics as opposed to traditional accounting-based metrics. The Subadvisor seeks to identify companies with a consistent, straightforward ability to both generate free cash flow and to intelligently allocate it among internal reinvestment opportunities, acquisitions, dividends, share repurchases and/or debt reduction.

The Subadvisor may sell or reduce a position in a security when it believes its investment objectives have been met or when the security is deemed less attractive relative to another security on a return/risk basis. The Subadvisor may sell or reduce a position in a security if it sees the investment thesis failing to materialize.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 2500™ Index as its primary benchmark. The Russell 2500™ Index measures the performance of the small to mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, commonly referred to as “smid” cap. The Russell 2500™ Index is a subset of the Russell 3000^® Index. It includes approximately 2,500 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	24.21	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-28.42	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP U.S. Small Cap Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	12.80%	0.41%	9.90%
Service Class	Service Class	12.52%	0.17%	9.63%
Russell 2500™ Index	Russell 2500™ Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	17.88%	4.34%	10.49%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.80% on assets up to $200 million; 0.75% on assets from $200 million to $500 million; 0.725% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.70% on assets over $1 billion.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. Because the Portfolio has been in operation for less than one full calendar year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate for the most recent fiscal year is not available.

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

To achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective, Marketfield Asset Management LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, will allocate the Portfolio’s assets among investments in equity securities, fixed-income securities and other investment companies, including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), in proportions consistent with the Subadvisor’s evaluation of their expected risks and returns.

The Portfolio’s equity securities investments may include common and preferred stocks of United States companies of any size. The Portfolio may invest up to 50% of its net assets in equity securities of foreign companies of any size, including up to 35% of its net assets in securities issued by corporations or governments located in developing or emerging markets. The Portfolio’s investments in foreign securities may include, but are not limited to, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Also, with respect to 50% of the Portfolio’s net assets, the Portfolio may engage in short sales of securities to profit from an anticipated decline in the price of the securities sold short.

Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio’s investments in fixed-income securities consist of investment grade corporate bonds and debentures, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, United States Treasury obligations, municipal securities, obligations issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities and convertible securities. However, the Portfolio may invest up to 30% of its net assets in fixed income securities that are below investment grade. Below investment grade securities are generally securities that receive low ratings from independent rating agencies, such as rated lower than BBB- by Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) and Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or if unrated, are determined to be of equivalent quality by the Subadvisor. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. Securities that are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency are commonly referred to as “high yield debt” or “junk bonds.” The fixed-income securities in which the Portfolio invests may have maturities of any length and may have variable and floating interest rates. The Portfolio may also invest in zero-coupon bonds, without limitation.

In addition, the Portfolio may invest up to 50% of its net assets in equity or fixed-income options, futures contracts and convertible securities and may invest up to 30% of its net assets in swap agreements. The Subadvisor shall manage the Portfolio so that the Portfolio will not be deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act.

Investment Process. When reviewing investment opportunities for the Portfolio, the Subadvisor considers various factors, including macroeconomic conditions, corporate earnings at a macroeconomic level, anticipated inflation and interest rates, consumer risk and its perception of the outlook of the capital markets as a whole. A macroeconomic strategy focuses on broad trends and is generally distinguished from a strategy that focuses on the prospects of particular companies or issuers. The Subadvisor may allocate the Portfolio’s investments between equity and fixed-income securities at its discretion, without limitation.

Security selection for the Portfolio is driven by the Subadvisor’s top-down analysis of economic issues, the Subadvisor’s perception of investor sentiment and investment flows. Once the Subadvisor has identified a theme that is expected to either benefit or disadvantage a specific sector or country, it seeks to implement an investment strategy that is appropriate for the Portfolio. In some cases, the Subadvisor may utilize a sector- or country-specific ETF that offers exposure to a broad range of securities. In other situations, the Subadvisor may select a single issue that is perceived by the Subadvisor to be particularly germane to a specific concern or a small group of issues with characteristics that match the goal of creating portfolio exposure to a macroeconomic theme.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio or when the security is deemed less attractive relative to another security on a return/risk basis. The Subadvisor may also sell or reduce a position in a security if it sees the investment theme failing to materialize.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Short Selling Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, the Portfolio may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. The Portfolio may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. The Portfolio may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, the Portfolio may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. The Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until the Portfolio replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with the Portfolio's custodian to cover the Portfolio's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Portfolio's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Portfolio may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, the Portfolio must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral held with the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligations. This may limit the Portfolio's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot go below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Portfolio could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase the Portfolio's exposure to long positions and make any change in the Portfolio's net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio will leverage its portfolio, or if it does, that the Portfolio's leveraging strategy will be successful or that it will produce a higher return on an investment.

Regulatory authorities in the U.S. or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of the Portfolio to fully implement its short-selling strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries, which may impact the Portfolio's ability to fully implement its investment strategies.

Depositary Receipts Risk: Investments in depositary receipts may entail the special risks of foreign investing, including currency exchange fluctuations, government regulations, and the potential for political and economic instability.

Debt or Fixed-Income Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt or fixed-income securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Other Investment Companies Risk: The risks of owning another investment company are generally similar to the risks of investment directly in the securities in which that investment company invests. However, an investment company may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance. In addition, because closed-end funds trade on a secondary market, their shares may trade at a premium or discount to the actual net asset value of their portfolio securities and their shares may have greater volatility because of the potential lack of liquidity.

Exchange Traded Fund Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Zero Coupon Bond Risk: Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest and compound semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed income securities. An investment in zero-coupon and delayed interest securities may cause the Portfolio to recognize income, and therefore the Portfolio may be required to make distributions to shareholders before the Portfolio receives any cash payments on its investment.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Municipal Bond Risk: Municipal bond risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers, and the possibility of future tax and legislative changes, which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. Municipalities continue to experience economic and financial difficulties in the current economic environment. The ability of a municipal issuer to make payments and the value of municipal bonds can be affected by uncertainties in the municipal securities market. Such uncertainties could cause increased volatility in the municipal securities market and could negatively impact the Portfolio’s net asset value.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio.

Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Tax Risk: The Portfolio’s investments and investment strategies, including transactions in options and futures contracts, may be subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions, the effect of which may be to produce income that will not qualify as good income under the gross income requirements that must be met for the Portfolio to qualify as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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Since the Portfolio had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance, One Year or Less

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Since the Portfolio had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

1.40%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses Dividend Expense on Securities Sold Short

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.63%

^[1]

Other Expenses Broker Fees and Charges on Short Sales

rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.20%

^[1]

Other Expenses Remainder of Other Expenses

rr_Component3OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[1]

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.96%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

^[1]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

2.40%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

243

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

748

MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Marketfield Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

1.40%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses Dividend Expense on Securities Sold Short

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.63%

^[1]

Other Expenses Broker Fees and Charges on Short Sales

rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.20%

^[1]

Other Expenses Remainder of Other Expenses

rr_Component3OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[1]

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.96%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

^[1]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

2.65%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

268

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

823

[1] Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

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MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio

MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.55%	0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements		0.59%	0.84%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	60	189	329	738
Service Class	86	268	466	1,037

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 132% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks. The Portfolio primarily invests in common stocks of U.S. companies with market capitalizations that, at the time of investment, are similar to companies in the Standard & Poor's 500^® Index ("S&P 500^® Index”) (which ranged from $1.6 billion to $500.4 billion as of December 31, 2012) and the Russell 1000^® Index (which ranged from $296.4 million to $500.4 billion as of December 31, 2012).

Investment Process: The Portfolio seeks to construct a broadly-diversified portfolio across sectors and industries using quantitative analysis to identify undervalued and overvalued securities. Using an objective, disciplined and broadly-applied process, Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, selects securities that it believes have the most potential to appreciate, while seeking to limit exposure to risk. The Subadvisor seeks to control the Portfolio's exposure to risk by diversifying the Portfolio's portfolio over a large number of securities.

In unusual market conditions, the Portfolio may invest all or a portion of its assets in investment grade notes and bonds, cash and cash equivalents.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio, if better opportunities are identified, or if it determines the initial investment expectations are not being met.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the S&P 500^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Index measures the performance of the large-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. It is a subset of the Russell 3000^® Index and includes approximately 1,000 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 1000^® Index represents approximately 92% of the U.S. market.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

 The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/09	15.26	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-21.62	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	16.72%	0.77%	6.75%
Service Class	Service Class	16.43%	0.52%	6.48%
S&P 500® Index	S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.00%	1.66%	7.10%
Russell 1000® Index	Russell 1000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.42%	1.92%	7.52%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.55% on assets up to $500 million; 0.525% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.50% on assets over $1 billion.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Eagle Small Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Eagle Small Growth Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Risk/Return, Heading

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MainStay VP Eagle Small Cap Growth Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

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Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

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The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Expense, Heading

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Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 78% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

78.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text]

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in small capitalization companies. For purposes of the Portfolio, small-capitalization companies are generally those that have market capitalizations no larger than the largest capitalized company included in the Russell 2000^® Growth Index at the time of the Portfolio's investment (approximately $4.7 billion as of December 31, 2012).

When making its investment decisions, Eagle Asset Management, Inc., the Portfolio's Subadvisor, generally focuses on investing in the securities of companies that the Subadvisor believes have accelerating earnings growth rates, reasonable valuations (typically with a price-to-earnings ratio of no more than the earnings growth rate), strong management that participates in the ownership of the company, reasonable debt levels and/or a high or expanding return on equity. The Subadvisor utilizes a "bottom up" approach to identifying companies in which it invests and performs proprietary investment research. A bottom-up method of analysis de-emphasizes the significance of economic and market cycles. The primary focus is on the individual companies rather than the industry in which that company operates or the economy as a whole. The Portfolio will sell securities when they no longer meet the Subadvisor's investment criteria.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP Eagle Small Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Eagle Small Growth Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.81%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.86%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

88

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

274

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

477

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,061

MainStay VP Eagle Small Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Eagle Small Growth Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.81%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.11%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

113

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

353

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

612

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,352

XML

MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio

MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital growth, consistent with preservation of capital and balanced current income.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)		0.55%	0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	[1]	0.59%	0.84%
Waivers / Reimbursements	[1]	(0.01%)	(0.01%)
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements	[1]	0.58%	0.83%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	59	188	328	737
Service Class	85	267	465	1,036

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 63% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio pursues its investment objective by normally investing 35-65% of its assets in equity securities and the remaining assets in fixed-income securities and cash equivalents. The Portfolio normally invests at least 25% of its assets in fixed-income securities. Fixed-income securities may include corporate debt securities, U.S. government obligations, mortgage-backed securities and other mortgage-related products, and short-term securities.

In choosing investments for the Portfolio, Janus Capital Management LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, applies a "bottom up" approach with one portfolio manager focusing on the equity portion of the Portfolio and the other portfolio manager focusing on the fixed-income portion of the Portfolio. In other words, the portfolio managers look at companies one at a time to determine if a company is an attractive investment opportunity and if it is consistent with the Portfolio's investment policies. The portfolio managers may also consider economic factors, such as the effect of interest rates on certain of the Portfolio’s fixed-income investments. The portfolio managers share day-to-day responsibility for the Portfolio's investments.

The Portfolio may invest in foreign equity and debt securities, which may include investments in emerging markets.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Debt or Fixed Income Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt or fixed income securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

[1] New York Life Investment Management LLC has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses so that Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses do not exceed 0.58% and 0.83% of the average daily net assets of Initial Class shares and Service Class shares, respectively. This agreement expires on May 1, 2014, and may not be amended or terminated prior to that date.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP MFS® Utilities Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 43% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

43.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes) in securities of issuers in the utilities group of industries. Massachusetts Financial Services Company, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, considers a company to be in the utilities group of industries if, at the time of investment, the Subadvisor determines that a substantial portion (i.e., at least 50%) of the company's assets or revenues are derived from one or more utilities. Issuers in the utilities industries include issuers engaged in the manufacture, production, generation, transmission, sale or distribution of electric, gas or other types of energy, water or other sanitary services; and issuers engaged in telecommunications, including telephone, cellular telephone, satellite, microwave, cable television, and other communications media (but not engaged in public broadcasting).

The Subadvisor primarily invests the Portfolio's assets in equity securities, but may also invest in debt instruments, including less than investment grade quality debt instruments (commonly referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”). Equity securities include common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into stocks, and depositary receipts for such securities. Debt instruments include corporate bonds.

The Subadvisor may invest the Portfolio's assets in companies of any size.

The Subadvisor may invest the Portfolio's assets in U.S. and foreign securities, including emerging market securities.

While the Subadvisor may use derivatives for any investment purpose, to the extent the Subadvisor uses derivatives, the Subadvisor expects to use derivatives primarily to increase or decrease currency exposure. Derivatives include futures, forward contracts, options, structured securities, inverse floating rate instruments, and swaps.

The Subadvisor uses a "bottom-up" investment approach to buying and selling investments for the Portfolio. Investments are selected primarily based on fundamental analysis of individual issuers and/or instruments in light of the issuer's financial condition and market, economic, political, and regulatory conditions. Factors considered for equity securities may include analysis of an issuer's earnings, cash flows, competitive position, and management ability. Factors considered for debt instruments may include the instrument's credit quality, collateral characteristics and indenture provisions and the issuer's management ability, capital structure, leverage, and ability to meet its current obligations. Quantitative models that systematically evaluate the valuation, price and earnings momentum, earnings quality, and other factors of the issuer of an equity security or the structure of a debt instrument may also be considered.

Strategy Portfolio Concentration [Text]

rr_StrategyPortfolioConcentration

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes) in securities of issuers in the utilities group of industries.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Utilities Concentration Risk: The Portfolio's performance will be closely tied to the performance of utilities issuers and, as a result, can be more volatile than the performance of more broadly-diversified funds. The price of stocks in the utilities sector can be very volatile due to supply and/or demand for services or fuel, financing costs, conservation efforts, the negative impact of regulation, and other factors.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio. The performance of structured securities is determined by the instrument underlying the security. Structured securities are subject to the credit risk of the issuing party and may be less liquid than other types of securities.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance, One Year or Less

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.73%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.80%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

82

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

255

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

444

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

990

MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.73%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.05%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

107

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

334

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

579

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,283

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP DFA/DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP DFA DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP DFA / DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 81% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

81.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

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The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity and equity-related securities, including preferred stock, of companies located in or associated with emerging market countries. The Portfolio may also invest in exchange-traded funds.

The Portfolio utilizes two Subadvisors, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP ("DFA") and DuPont Capital Management Corporation ("DuPont Capital"), with investment processes and styles that New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, believes are complementary. Each Subadvisor is responsible for managing a portion of the Portfolio's assets, as designated by the Manager from time to time.

DFA Investment Process:DFA believes that equity investing should involve a long-term view and a systematic focus on sources of expected returns, not on stock picking or market timing. In constructing an investment portfolio, DFA identifies a broadly diversified universe of eligible securities with precisely-defined risk and return characteristics. It then places priority on efficiently managing portfolio turnover and keeping trading costs low. In general, DFA does not intend to purchase or sell securities for the investment portfolio based on prospects for the economy, the securities markets or the individual issuers whose shares are eligible for purchase.

DFA may use derivatives such as forward currency exchange contracts to facilitate the settlement of equity trades or to transfer balances from one currency to another currency, including to repatriate currency to U.S. dollars. DFA may also use futures contracts and options on futures contracts, to gain market exposure on the Portfolio's uninvested cash pending investment in securities or to maintain liquidity to pay redemptions.

DuPont Capital Investment Process:DuPont Capital seeks to identify emerging market companies trading at a significant discount relative to such companies' estimated normalized earnings potential by using in-depth fundamental analysis combined with top down country risk assessment. DuPont Capital attempts to build a portfolio with a long-term investment horizon that it believes will achieve excess returns with below average risk, relative to the broader emerging market equity universe.

DuPont Capital may sell a security when it believes the security is approaching full valuation, changing circumstances affect the original reasons for its purchase or more attractive opportunities are identified.

Risk, Heading

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Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

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Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisors may not produce the desired results.

Depositary Receipts Risk: Investments in depositary receipts may entail the special risks of foreign investing, including currency exchange fluctuations, government regulations, and the potential for political and economic instability.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Exchange Traded Fund ("ETF") Risk: The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Portfolio could result in losses on the Portfolio's investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of small capitalization companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects, and greater spreads between bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisors believe is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance, One Year or Less

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Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP DFA/DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP DFA DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

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1.20%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

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none

Total Other Expenses

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0.20%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

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0.03%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

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1.43%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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146

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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452

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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782

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,713

MainStay VP DFA/DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP DFA DuPont Capital Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

1.20%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.20%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.68%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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171

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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530

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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913

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,987

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MainStay VP Government Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Government Portfolio

MainStay VP Government Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks current income.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Government Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.50%	0.50%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.54%	0.79%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Government Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	55	173	302	677
Service Class	81	252	439	978

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 40% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government securities. It may invest up to 20% of its net assets in mortgage-related and asset-backed securities or other investment grade securities that are not U.S. government securities.

The Portfolio's principal investments are debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. These securities include U.S. Treasury bills (maturing in one year or less), notes (maturing in 1 to 10 years), bonds (generally maturing in more than 10 years), Government National Mortgage Association mortgage-backed certificates and other U.S. government securities representing ownership interests in mortgage pools such as securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association and by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and certain corporate fixed-income securities that are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Portfolio also invests in variable rate notes and floaters, which are debt securities with a variable interest rate tied to another interest rate such as a money market index or Treasury bill rate, as well as money market instruments and cash equivalents.

Investment Process: In pursuing the Portfolio's investment strategies, MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, uses a combined approach to investing, analyzing economic trends as well as factors pertinent to particular issuers and securities. As part of the Portfolio's principal strategies, the Subadvisor may use a variety of investment practices such as mortgage dollar roll transactions, to-be-announced ("TBA") securities transactions, and transactions on a when-issued basis.

The Portfolio may also invest in derivatives such as futures and options to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings. The Subadvisor may sell a security prior to maturity if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. Investments in the Portfolio are not guaranteed. While some of the Portfolio's investments, such as U.S. Treasury obligations, are backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. government, some securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

TBA Securities Risk: In a TBA securities transaction, the Portfolio commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Portfolio receives the security.

When-Issued Securities Risk: The Portfolio may agree to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, making a commitment to pay a fixed price for a security when it is issued in the future. The principal risk of transactions involving when-issued securities is that the security will be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk: To the extent the Portfolio holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Portfolio may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Portfolio's investments in these instruments could lose money.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Government Bond Indexas its primary benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index consists of publicly issued debt of the U.S. Treasury and government agencies.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
4Q/08	6.65	%
Worst Quarter
2Q/04	-2.74	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Government Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	3.96%	5.31%	4.48%
Service Class	Service Class	3.70%	5.04%	4.21%
Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index	Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	2.02%	5.23%	4.66%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.50% on assets up to $500 million; 0.475% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.45% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio

MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital and,

secondarily, current income.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio	Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	none	none
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none	0.25%
Other Expenses	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses	0.98%	0.98%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	1.01%	1.26%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	103	322	558	1,236
Service Class	128	400	692	1,523

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 55% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing approximately 60% (within a range of 50% to 70%) of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds, and approximately 40% (within a range of 30% to 50%) of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds. The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 10% (within a range of 0% to 20%) of international equity funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocations, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio*	50%	10%	60%	40%

* Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the two broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise and increase the potential for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose money. The ability of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of the issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Moderate Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Moderate Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index, the MSCI EAFE^® Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 50%, 10% and 40%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/09	12.13	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-13.37	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Moderate Allocation Portfolio

Average Annual Returns, Label

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

Initial Class

Initial Class

12.61%

3.62%

5.31%

Service Class

Service Class

12.33%

3.37%

5.06%

S&P 500® Index

S&P 500^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) 

16.00%

1.66%

3.93%

MSCI EAFE® Index

MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

17.32%

(3.69%)

1.65%

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

4.22%

5.95%

5.99%

Moderate Allocation Composite Index

Moderate Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

11.50%

3.31%

4.93%

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 132% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

132.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks. The Portfolio primarily invests in common stocks of U.S. companies with market capitalizations that, at the time of investment, are similar to companies in the Standard & Poor's 500^® Index ("S&P 500^® Index”) (which ranged from $1.6 billion to $500.4 billion as of December 31, 2012) and the Russell 1000^® Index (which ranged from $296.4 million to $500.4 billion as of December 31, 2012).

Investment Process: The Portfolio seeks to construct a broadly-diversified portfolio across sectors and industries using quantitative analysis to identify undervalued and overvalued securities. Using an objective, disciplined and broadly-applied process, Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, selects securities that it believes have the most potential to appreciate, while seeking to limit exposure to risk. The Subadvisor seeks to control the Portfolio's exposure to risk by diversifying the Portfolio's portfolio over a large number of securities.

In unusual market conditions, the Portfolio may invest all or a portion of its assets in investment grade notes and bonds, cash and cash equivalents.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio, if better opportunities are identified, or if it determines the initial investment expectations are not being met.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the S&P 500^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Index measures the performance of the large-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. It is a subset of the Russell 3000^® Index and includes approximately 1,000 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 1000^® Index represents approximately 92% of the U.S. market.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block]

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

 The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. 

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
3Q/09	15.26	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-21.62	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.10%

MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio | Russell 1000® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Russell 1000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.42%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.92%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.52%

MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.55%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.59%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

60

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

189

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

329

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

738

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

26.37%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

10.90%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

7.70%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

16.47%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

5.14%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(36.39%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

22.40%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.60%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

1.57%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

16.72%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.26%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(21.62%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.72%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.77%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.75%

MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Common Stock Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.55%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

86

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

268

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

466

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,037

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.43%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.52%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.48%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.55% on assets up to $500 million; 0.525% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.50% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Government Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Government Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Government Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks current income.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 40% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

40.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government securities. It may invest up to 20% of its net assets in mortgage-related and asset-backed securities or other investment grade securities that are not U.S. government securities.

The Portfolio's principal investments are debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. These securities include U.S. Treasury bills (maturing in one year or less), notes (maturing in 1 to 10 years), bonds (generally maturing in more than 10 years), Government National Mortgage Association mortgage-backed certificates and other U.S. government securities representing ownership interests in mortgage pools such as securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association and by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and certain corporate fixed-income securities that are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Portfolio also invests in variable rate notes and floaters, which are debt securities with a variable interest rate tied to another interest rate such as a money market index or Treasury bill rate, as well as money market instruments and cash equivalents.

Investment Process: In pursuing the Portfolio's investment strategies, MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, uses a combined approach to investing, analyzing economic trends as well as factors pertinent to particular issuers and securities. As part of the Portfolio's principal strategies, the Subadvisor may use a variety of investment practices such as mortgage dollar roll transactions, to-be-announced ("TBA") securities transactions, and transactions on a when-issued basis.

The Portfolio may also invest in derivatives such as futures and options to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings. The Subadvisor may sell a security prior to maturity if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. Investments in the Portfolio are not guaranteed. While some of the Portfolio's investments, such as U.S. Treasury obligations, are backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. government, some securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

TBA Securities Risk: In a TBA securities transaction, the Portfolio commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Portfolio receives the security.

When-Issued Securities Risk: The Portfolio may agree to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, making a commitment to pay a fixed price for a security when it is issued in the future. The principal risk of transactions involving when-issued securities is that the security will be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk: To the extent the Portfolio holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Portfolio may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Portfolio's investments in these instruments could lose money.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Government Bond Indexas its primary benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index consists of publicly issued debt of the U.S. Treasury and government agencies.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best Quarter
4Q/08	6.65	%
Worst Quarter
2Q/04	-2.74	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

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reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

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Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Government Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Government Portfolio | Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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2.02%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

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5.23%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

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4.66%

MainStay VP Government Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Government Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

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0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

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0.54%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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55

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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173

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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302

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

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677

Annual Return 2003

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1.88%

Annual Return 2004

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3.33%

Annual Return 2005

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2.38%

Annual Return 2006

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4.06%

Annual Return 2007

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6.69%

Annual Return 2008

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9.80%

Annual Return 2009

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1.61%

Annual Return 2010

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5.35%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

5.98%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

3.96%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

6.65%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2004

Lowest Quarterly Return

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(2.74%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.96%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.31%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.48%

MainStay VP Government Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Government Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

81

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

252

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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439

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

978

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.70%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.04%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.21%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.50% on assets up to $500 million; 0.475% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.45% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

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ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Risk/Return, Heading

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MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

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Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

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The Portfolio seeks current income consistent with reasonable opportunity for future growth of capital and income.

Expense, Heading

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Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

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The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

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Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

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The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 34% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

34.00%

Expense Example, Heading

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Example

Expense Example, Narrative

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The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

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The Portfolio normally invests a minimum of 30% of its net assets in equity securities and a minimum of 30% of its net assets in debt securities. From time to time, the Portfolio may temporarily invest slightly less than 30% of its net assets in equity or debt securities as a result of market conditions, individual securities transactions or cash flow considerations.

Asset Allocation Investment Process: Asset allocation decisions are made by MacKay Shields LLC ("MacKay Shields"), the Subadvisor for the fixed-income portion of the Portfolio, based on the relative values of each asset class, inclusive of the ability of each asset class to generate income. As part of these asset allocation decisions, MacKay Shields may use equity index futures to add exposure to the equity markets. Neither equity index futures nor fixed-income futures are counted toward the Portfolio's total equity or fixed-income exposures, respectively.

Equity Investment Process: Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. ("Epoch"), the Subadvisor for the equity portion of the Portfolio, invests primarily in companies that generate increasing levels of free cash flow and have managements that use it to create returns for shareholders.

The security selection process focuses on free-cash-flow analytics as opposed to traditional accounting-based metrics. Epoch seeks to identify companies with a consistent, straightforward ability to both generate free cash flow and to intelligently allocate it among internal reinvestment opportunities, acquisitions, dividends, share repurchases and/or debt reductions.

Epoch seeks to find and invest in companies that meet its definition of quality-companies that are free cash flow positive or becoming free cash flow positive, that are debt free or deleveraging, and that are led by strong management. Epoch evaluates whether a company has a focus on shareholder yield by analyzing the company's existing cash dividend, the company's share repurchase activities, and the company's debt reduction activities as well as the likelihood of positive changes to each of these criteria, among other factors.

Debt Investment Process: The Portfolio may invest in investment grade and below investment grade debt securities of varying maturities. In pursuing the Portfolio's investment objective, the Portfolio may invest up to 30% of its net assets in debt securities that MacKay Shields believes may provide capital appreciation in addition to income and are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency, such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's Investors Service, Inc., or if unrated, deemed to be of comparable creditworthiness by MacKay Shields. For purposes of this limitation, both the percentage and rating are counted at the time of purchase. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality. Some securities that are rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies are commonly referred to as "junk bonds."

The Portfolio maintains a flexible approach by investing in a broad range of securities, which may be diversified by company, industry and type.

Principal debt investments include U.S. government securities, domestic and foreign debt securities, mortgage-related and asset-backed securities and floating rate loans. The Portfolio may also enter into mortgage dollar roll and to-be-announced ("TBA") securities transactions.

The Portfolio may also invest in convertible securities such as bonds, debentures, corporate notes and preferred stocks or other securities that are convertible into common stock or the cash value of a stock or a basket or index of equity securities.

Investments Across the Portfolio: The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, such as futures, options, forward commitments and swap agreements, to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings. The Portfolio also may use fixed-income futures for purposes of managing duration and yield curve exposures. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in swaps, including credit default swaps.

The Subadvisors may sell a security if they no longer believe the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a debt security, MacKay Shields may evaluate, among other things, deterioration in the issuer's credit quality. Epoch may sell or reduce a position in a security if, among other things, it sees an interruption to the dividend policy, a deterioration in fundamentals or the security is deemed less attractive relative to another security on a return/risk basis. Epoch may also sell or reduce a position in a security when it believes its investment objectives have been met or if it sees the investment thesis is failing to materialize.

Risk, Heading

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Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

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Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisors may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Floating Rate Loans Risk: The floating rate loans in which the Portfolio invests are usually rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Moreover, such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher quality debt securities. Although certain floating rate loans are collateralized, there is no guarantee that the value of the collateral will be sufficient to repay the loan. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, floating rate loans may experience higher than normal default rates. In the event of a recession or serious credit event, among other eventualities, the Portfolio's investments in floating rate loans are more likely to decline.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

TBA Securities Risk: In a TBA securities transaction, the Portfolio commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Portfolio receives the security.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer tothe risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI World Indexas its primary benchmark. The MSCI World Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Index measures the performance of the large-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. It is a subset of the Russell 3000^® Index and includes approximately 1,000 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 1000^® Index represents approximately 92% of the U.S. market. The Portfolio has selected the Income Builder Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Income Builder Composite Index is comprised of the MSCI World Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 50%/50%, respectively. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

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The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
3Q/10	10.26	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-14.14	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

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reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

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Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio | MSCI World Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

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MSCI World Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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15.83%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

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(1.18%)

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

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7.51%

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio | Russell 1000® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

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Russell 1000^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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16.42%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

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1.92%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

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7.52%

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio | Income Builder Composite Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

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Income Builder Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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10.13%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

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2.89%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

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6.70%

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Average Annual Returns, Label

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Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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4.22%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

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5.95%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

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5.18%

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

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0.57%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

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none

Other Expenses

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0.07%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

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0.64%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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65

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

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205

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

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357

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

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798

Annual Return 2003

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19.68%

Annual Return 2004

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6.37%

Annual Return 2005

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6.50%

Annual Return 2006

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9.50%

Annual Return 2007

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7.51%

Annual Return 2008

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(26.92%)

Annual Return 2009

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23.51%

Annual Return 2010

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14.79%

Annual Return 2011

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4.12%

Annual Return 2012

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15.00%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

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10.26%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

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Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

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(14.14%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

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Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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15.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.41%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.07%

MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Income Builder Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.57%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

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0.25%

Other Expenses

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0.07%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

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0.89%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

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91

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

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284

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

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493

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

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1,096

Average Annual Returns, Label

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Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

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14.71%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

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4.15%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.80%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.57% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.55% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio

MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return by investing primarily in domestic and foreign debt securities.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.60%	0.60%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.05%	0.05%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.65%	0.90%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	66	208	362	810
Service Class	92	287	498	1,108

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 39% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective through a flexible investment process that allocates investments across the global fixed-income markets. The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of debt or debt-related securities such as: debt or debt-related securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. or foreign governments, their agencies or instrumentalities; obligations of international or supranational entities; debt or debt-related securities issued by U.S. or foreign corporate entities; zero coupon bonds; municipal bonds; mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities; loan participation interests; convertible bonds; and variable or floating rate debt securities. The Portfolio may invest in both investment grade and non-investment grade fixed-income securities. The securities may be denominated in U.S. or foreign currencies, and may have fixed, variable, floating or inverse floating rates of interest. The Portfolio may invest without limitation in securities of foreign issuers, including emerging markets. The currency exposure of non-U.S. investments may or may not be hedged. The Portfolio may invest up to 15% of its net assets in equity securities.

The Portfolio intends to utilize various investment strategies in a broad array of fixed-income sectors to achieve its investment objective. The Portfolio will not be constrained by portfolio management relative to an index. Because an unconstrained bond portfolio does not track a fixed-income index, its performance may vary at times and demonstrate low correlation to traditional fixed-income indices. In pursuing its investment objective, the Portfolio’s investment strategy is subject to market risk and shares may gain or lose value.

The average portfolio duration of the Portfolio will normally vary from 0 to 7 years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, such as futures, options, forward commitments and swap agreements to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings or manage duration. The Portfolio may invest up to 15% of its total assets in swaps.The Portfolio may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Portfolio's short positions, either direct short positions or through derivative transactions, such as credit default swaps or total return swaps, may aggregate up to 20% of the Portfolio’s net assets. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).

Investment Process: MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, seeks to identify investment opportunities through an investment process focused on macroeconomic analysis and bottom-up security selection. The Subadvisor allocates the Portfolio's investments among the various bond market sectors based on current and projected economic and market conditions. The Portfolio may invest across bond market sectors, geographies and credit qualities.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the domestic and foreign economies, and meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition, including changes in the issuer's credit risk and competitiveness.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Short Selling Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, the Portfolio may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. The Portfolio may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. The Portfolio may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, the Portfolio may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. The Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until the Portfolio replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with the Portfolio's custodian to cover the Portfolio's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Portfolio's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Portfolio may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, the Portfolio must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligations. This may limit the Portfolio's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot go below zero.

By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Portfolio could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The use of leverage may increase the Portfolio's exposure to long positions and make any change in the Portfolio's net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio will leverage its portfolio, or if it does, that the Portfolio's leveraging strategy will be successful or that it will produce a higher return on an investment.

Regulatory authorities in the U.S. or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of the Portfolio to fully implement its short-selling strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries, which may impact the Portfolio's ability to fully implement its investment strategies.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

TBA Securities Risk: In a TBA securities transaction, the Portfolio commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Portfolio receives the security.

When-Issued Securities Risk: The Portfolio may agree to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, making a commitment to pay a fixed price for a security when it is issued in the future. The principal risk of transactions involving when-issued securities is that the security will be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-year period and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of a broad-based securities market index, as well as two additional benchmarks. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Indexas its primary benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index as a secondary benchmark. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index represents the London InterBank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") with a constant 3-month average maturity. LIBOR is a composite of interest rates at which banks borrow from one another in the London market, and it is a widely used benchmark for short-term interest rates. The Portfolio has selected the Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average as an additional benchmark. The Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average contains funds that pursue strategies divergent in one or more ways from conventional practice in the broader bond-fund universe. Morningstar category averages are equal-weighted returns based on constituents of the category at the end of the period. The Portfolio commenced operations on April 29, 2011. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future. Effective May 1, 2013, the Portfolio changed its investment objective and principal investment strategies. Past performance in the bar chart and table reflect the Portfolio's prior investment objective and principal investment strategies.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2012)

Best Quarter
1Q/12	5.06	%
Worst Quarter
2Q/12	0.98	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Unconstrained Bond Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, Since Inception
Initial Class	Initial Class	13.88%	7.21%
Service Class	Service Class	13.58%	6.94%
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	4.22%	6.18%
Bank Of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month Libor Constant Maturity Index	Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar 3-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	0.51%	0.40%
Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average	Morningstar Nontraditional Bond Category Average (reflects no deductions for fees and taxes)	7.76%	3.33%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.60% on assets up to $500 million; 0.55% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.50% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP Eagle Small Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Eagle Small Growth Portfolio

MainStay VP Eagle Small Cap Growth Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Eagle Small Growth Portfolio	Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	0.81%	0.81%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none	0.25%
Other Expenses	0.05%	0.05%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	0.86%	1.11%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Eagle Small Growth Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	88	274	477	1,061
Service Class	113	353	612	1,352

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 78% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in small capitalization companies. For purposes of the Portfolio, small-capitalization companies are generally those that have market capitalizations no larger than the largest capitalized company included in the Russell 2000^® Growth Index at the time of the Portfolio's investment (approximately $4.7 billion as of December 31, 2012).

When making its investment decisions, Eagle Asset Management, Inc., the Portfolio's Subadvisor, generally focuses on investing in the securities of companies that the Subadvisor believes have accelerating earnings growth rates, reasonable valuations (typically with a price-to-earnings ratio of no more than the earnings growth rate), strong management that participates in the ownership of the company, reasonable debt levels and/or a high or expanding return on equity. The Subadvisor utilizes a "bottom up" approach to identifying companies in which it invests and performs proprietary investment research. A bottom-up method of analysis de-emphasizes the significance of economic and market cycles. The primary focus is on the individual companies rather than the industry in which that company operates or the economy as a whole. The Portfolio will sell securities when they no longer meet the Subadvisor's investment criteria.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

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Document Type	dei_DocumentType	485BPOS
Document Period End Date	dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate	Dec. 31, 2012
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Document Effective Date	dei_DocumentEffectiveDate	May 01, 2013

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MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio

MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks investment results that correspond to the total return performance (reflecting reinvestment of dividends) of common stocks in the aggregate as represented by the S&P 500^® Index.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.25%	0.25%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements		0.29%	0.54%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	30	93	163	368
Service Class	55	173	302	677

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks as represented in the Standard & Poor's 500^® Index ("S&P 500^® Index”) in the same proportion, to the extent feasible.

The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its total assets in options and futures contracts to maintain cash reserves, while being fully invested, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Portfolio may invest in such derivatives to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings.

Investment Process: Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, uses statistical techniques to determine which stocks are to be purchased or sold to replicate the S&P 500^® Index to the extent feasible. From time to time, adjustments may be made in the Portfolio's holdings because of changes in the composition of the S&P 500^® Index. The correlation between the investment performance of the Portfolio and the S&P 500^® Index is expected to be at least 0.95, before charges, fees and expenses, on an annual basis. A correlation of 1.00 would indicate perfect correlation, which would be achieved when the net asset value of the Portfolio, including the value of its dividend and capital gains distributions, increases or decreases in exact proportion to changes in the S&P 500^® Index.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

S&P 500^® Index Risk: If the value of the S&P 500^® Index declines, the net asset value of shares of the Portfolio will also decline. The Portfolio's ability to mirror the S&P 500^® Index may be affected by, among other things, transaction costs; changes in either the composition of the S&P 500^® Index or the number of shares outstanding for the components of the S&P 500^® Index; and the timing and amount of contributions to, and redemptions from, the Portfolio by shareholders.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the S&P 500^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	15.85	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-21.92	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	15.66%	1.45%	6.84%
Service Class	Service Class	15.37%	1.20%	6.57%
S&P 500® Index	S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.00%	1.66%	7.10%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.25% on assets up to $1 billion; 0.225% on assets from $1 billion to $2 billion; 0.215% on assets from $2 billion to $3 billion; and 0.20% on assets over $3 billion.

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MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio

MainStay VP MFS® Utilities Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio	Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	0.73%	0.73%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses	0.07%	0.07%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	0.80%	1.05%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP MFS Utilities Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	82	255	444	990
Service Class	107	334	579	1,283

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 43% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes) in securities of issuers in the utilities group of industries. Massachusetts Financial Services Company, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, considers a company to be in the utilities group of industries if, at the time of investment, the Subadvisor determines that a substantial portion (i.e., at least 50%) of the company's assets or revenues are derived from one or more utilities. Issuers in the utilities industries include issuers engaged in the manufacture, production, generation, transmission, sale or distribution of electric, gas or other types of energy, water or other sanitary services; and issuers engaged in telecommunications, including telephone, cellular telephone, satellite, microwave, cable television, and other communications media (but not engaged in public broadcasting).

The Subadvisor primarily invests the Portfolio's assets in equity securities, but may also invest in debt instruments, including less than investment grade quality debt instruments (commonly referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”). Equity securities include common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into stocks, and depositary receipts for such securities. Debt instruments include corporate bonds.

The Subadvisor may invest the Portfolio's assets in companies of any size.

The Subadvisor may invest the Portfolio's assets in U.S. and foreign securities, including emerging market securities.

While the Subadvisor may use derivatives for any investment purpose, to the extent the Subadvisor uses derivatives, the Subadvisor expects to use derivatives primarily to increase or decrease currency exposure. Derivatives include futures, forward contracts, options, structured securities, inverse floating rate instruments, and swaps.

The Subadvisor uses a "bottom-up" investment approach to buying and selling investments for the Portfolio. Investments are selected primarily based on fundamental analysis of individual issuers and/or instruments in light of the issuer's financial condition and market, economic, political, and regulatory conditions. Factors considered for equity securities may include analysis of an issuer's earnings, cash flows, competitive position, and management ability. Factors considered for debt instruments may include the instrument's credit quality, collateral characteristics and indenture provisions and the issuer's management ability, capital structure, leverage, and ability to meet its current obligations. Quantitative models that systematically evaluate the valuation, price and earnings momentum, earnings quality, and other factors of the issuer of an equity security or the structure of a debt instrument may also be considered.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Utilities Concentration Risk: The Portfolio's performance will be closely tied to the performance of utilities issuers and, as a result, can be more volatile than the performance of more broadly-diversified funds. The price of stocks in the utilities sector can be very volatile due to supply and/or demand for services or fuel, financing costs, conservation efforts, the negative impact of regulation, and other factors.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Swap transactions tend to shift the Portfolio's investment exposure from one type of investment to another, and therefore entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option. Forward commitments entail the risk that the instrument may be worth less when it is issued or received than the price the Portfolio agreed to pay when it made the commitment. The use of foreign currency forwards may result in currency exchange losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates or an imperfect correlation between portfolio holdings denominated in a particular currency and the forward contracts entered into by the Portfolio. The performance of structured securities is determined by the instrument underlying the security. Structured securities are subject to the credit risk of the issuing party and may be less liquid than other types of securities.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation together with current income.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 69% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

69.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in "convertible securities" such as bonds, debentures, corporate notes, and preferred stocks or other securities that are convertible into common stock or the cash value of a stock or a basket or index of equity securities. The balance of the Portfolio may be invested or held in non-convertible debt, equity securities that do not pay regular dividends, U.S. government securities, and cash or cash equivalents.

Investment Process: The Portfolio takes a flexible approach by investing in a broad range of securities of a variety of companies and industries. The Portfolio invests in investment grade and below investment grade debt securities. Below investment grade securities are generally securities that receive low ratings from an independent rating agency, such as rated lower than BBB- by Standard & Poor's ("S&P") and Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or if unrated, are determined to be of equivalent quality by MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor. Some securities that are rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies are commonly referred to as "junk bonds." The Subadvisor may also invest without restriction in securities with lower ratings from an independent rating agency, such as within the rating category of BB or B by S&P or Ba or B by Moody's. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the lower rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality.

In selecting convertible securities for purchase or sale, the Subadvisor takes into account a variety of investment considerations, including the potential return of the common stock into which the convertible security is convertible, credit risk, projected interest return, and the premium for the convertible security relative to the underlying common stock.

The Portfolio may also invest in "synthetic" convertible securities, which are derivative positions composed of two or more securities whose investment characteristics, taken together, resemble those of traditional convertible securities. Unlike traditional convertible securities whose conversion values are based on the common stock of the issuer of the convertible security, "synthetic" and "exchangeable" convertible securities are preferred stocks or debt obligations of an issuer which are structured with an embedded equity component whose conversion value is based on the value of the common stocks of one or more different issuers or a particular benchmark (which may include indices, baskets of domestic stocks, commodities, a foreign issuer or basket of foreign stocks, or a company whose stock is not yet publicly traded). The value of a synthetic convertible is the sum of the values of its preferred stock or debt obligation component and its convertible component.

The Portfolio may invest in foreign securities, which are securities issued by companies organized outside the U.S. and traded primarily in markets outside the U.S.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition, changes in credit risk, and changes in projected interest return.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Synthetic Convertible Securities Risk: The values of a synthetic convertible and a true convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations. In addition, in purchasing a synthetic convertible security, the Portfolio may have counterparty (including counterparty credit) risk with respect to the financial institution or investment bank that offers the instrument.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Indexas its primary benchmark. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Index is a market-capitalization weighted index of domestic corporate convertible securities. In order to be included in the Index, bonds and preferred stocks must be convertible only to common stock.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block]

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has  varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
3Q/09	15.78	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-17.90	%

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio | Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.96%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.06%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.31%

MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.60%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

65

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

205

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

357

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

798

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

22.23%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

6.11%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

6.59%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

10.44%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

14.86%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(34.42%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

46.08%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

17.86%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(4.75%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

9.13%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.78%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(17.90%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

9.13%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.25%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.48%

MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.60%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.89%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

91

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

284

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

493

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,096

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.86%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.00%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.22%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.60% on assets up to $500 million; 0.55% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.50% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio

MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks maximum current income through investment in a diversified portfolio of high-yield debt securities.

Capital appreciation is a secondary objective

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.56%	0.56%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.03%	0.03%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.59%	0.84%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	60	189	329	738
Service Class	86	268	466	1,037

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in high-yield corporate debt securities, including all types of high-yield domestic and foreign corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency, such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's Investors Service, Inc., or that are unrated but are considered to be of comparable quality by MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor.

Some securities that are rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies are commonly referred to as "junk bonds." These securities are sometimes considered speculative. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the lower rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality.

The Portfolio's high-yield investments may also include convertible corporate securities and loan participation interests (e.g., bank debt). The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in common stocks and other equity-related securities.

The Portfolio may hold cash or invest in short-term instruments during times when the Subadvisor is unable to identify attractive high-yield securities.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, the Portfolio may invest without limit in investment grade securities and may invest in U.S. government securities or other high quality money market instruments. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions may exist in some cases, for up to a year. To the extent the Portfolio is invested in cash, investment grade debt or other high quality instruments, the yield on these investments tends to be lower than the yield on other investments normally purchased by the Portfolio. Although investing heavily in these investments may help to preserve the Portfolio's assets, it may not be consistent with the Portfolio's primary investment objective and may limit the Portfolio's ability to achieve a high level of income.

Investment Process: The Subadvisor seeks to identify investment opportunities through analyzing individual companies and evaluates each company's competitive position, financial condition, and business prospects. The Portfolio only invests in companies in which the Subadvisor has judged that there is sufficient asset coverage—that is, the Subadvisor's subjective appraisal of a company's value divided by the value of its debt, with the intent of maximizing default-adjusted income and returns.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objectives of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition and competitiveness.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Loan Participation Interest Risk: There may not be a readily available market for loan participation interests, which in some cases could result in the Portfolio disposing of such a security at a substantial discount from face value or holding such a security until maturity. In addition, there is also the credit risk of the underlying corporate borrower as well as the lending institution or other participant from whom the Portfolio purchased the loan participation interests.

Floating Rate Loans Risk: The floating rate loans in which the Portfolio invests are usually rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Moreover, such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher quality debt securities. Although certain floating rate loans are collateralized, there is no guarantee that the value of the collateral will be sufficient to repay the loan. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, floating rate loans may experience higher than normal default rates. In the event of a recession or serious credit event, among other eventualities, the Portfolio's investments in floating rate loans are more likely to decline.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Credit Suisse High Yield Indexas its primary benchmark. The Credit Suisse High Yield Index is a market-weighted index that includes publicly traded bonds rated below BBB by S&P and Baa by Moody's.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	17.22	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-17.83	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	13.42%	8.04%	10.32%
Service Class	Service Class	13.14%	7.77%	10.04%
Credit Suisse High Yield Index	Credit Suisse High Yield Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	14.71%	9.53%	10.25%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.57% on assets up to $1 billion; 0.55% on assets from $1 billion to $5 billion; and 0.525% on assets over $5 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

42.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities of U.S. companies, the prospective earnings growth of which, in the opinion of Cornerstone Capital Management LLC, the Portfolio’s Subadvisor, is not fully appreciated by the market or reflected in current market valuations. The Subadvisor also looks for companies it believes have strong management, superior industry positions, excellent balance sheets and superior earnings growth potential. U.S. companies are companies organized in the U.S. that trade primarily on U.S. securities markets. The Portfolio may also invest in foreign companies. Generally, foreign companies are companies organized outside the U.S. that trade primarily in non-U.S. securities markets.

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its assets in common stocks of large-capitalization growth companies. Large-capitalization growth companies are those that, at the time of investment, have market capitalizations within the range of market capitalizations of companies appearing in the Russell 1000^® Growth Index (which ranged from $296.4 million to $500.4 billion as of December 31, 2012). The Portfolio generally will invest in common stocks of companies with market capitalizations of at least $3 billion at the time of purchase.

Investment Process. Normally, the Portfolio holds between 35 and 55 securities. The 25 most highly regarded of these companies, in the Subadvisor’s opinion, usually constitute approximately 70% or more of the Portfolio’s net assets. Notwithstanding this focus, the Portfolio has no policy to concentrate in securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries. Although the Portfolio does not have a policy to concentrate its investments in any one industry, a large portion of its assets has historically been in technology companies which the Subadvisor believes offer strong growth potential.

During market declines, while adding to positions in favored stocks, the Portfolio becomes somewhat more aggressive, gradually reducing the number of companies represented in its portfolio. Conversely, in rising markets, while reducing or eliminating fully valued positions, the Portfolio becomes somewhat more conservative, gradually increasing the number of companies represented in its portfolio. Through this process, the Subadvisor tends to add to positions on price weakness and sell into price strength, all else being equal and assuming long-term company fundamentals are intact. Risk is therefore increased during periods of weakness and reduced during periods of strength. The Subadvisor uses this active management strategy to attempt to add incremental performance while seeking to mitigate risk by utilizing a buy low, sell high discipline.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Concentrated Portfolio Risk: Because the Portfolio invests in relatively few holdings, a larger percentage of its assets may be invested in a particular issuer or in fewer companies than is typical of other mutual funds. This may increase volatility. The Portfolio will be more susceptible to adverse economic, political, regulatory or market developments affecting a single issuer.

Technology Stock Risk: The Portfolio may focus its investments in technology companies. Technology companies are subject to risks such as those relating to the potential rapid obsolescence of technology, failure of the market to accept new technologies and difficulty obtaining financing for necessary research and development or expansion.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Growth Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Growth Index measures the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^® companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Effective January 11, 2013, the Portfolio changed its subadvisor and revised its principal investment strategies. The past performance in the bar chart and table reflect the Portfolio's prior subadvisor and principal investment strategies.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
1Q/12	16.18	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-20.82	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio | Russell 1000® Growth Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.26%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.12%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.52%

MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.70%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

76

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

237

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

411

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

918

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

26.99%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

4.16%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

8.41%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

4.45%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

12.39%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(38.87%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

34.18%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.21%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(1.37%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

14.94%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2012

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.18%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(20.82%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.94%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.85%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.79%

MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Cornerstone Growth Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.70%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.99%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

101

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

315

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

547

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,213

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.66%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.60%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.53%

[1] The management fee has been restated to reflect the current management fee. At a special meeting of shareholders held on January 7, 2013, the shareholders of the Portfolio approved an amendment to the Amended and Restated Management Agreement dated May 1, 2013 between New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") and MainStay VP Funds Trust with respect to the Portfolio, which imposed an increase in the management fees paid to New York Life Investments, which in turn, increased the Portfolio's overall fees. Accordingly, effective May 1, 2013, the management fee is as follows: 0.70% on assets up to $500 million; 0.675% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.65% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio

MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation together with current income.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.60%	0.60%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.64%	0.89%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	65	205	357	798
Service Class	91	284	493	1,096

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 69% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in "convertible securities" such as bonds, debentures, corporate notes, and preferred stocks or other securities that are convertible into common stock or the cash value of a stock or a basket or index of equity securities. The balance of the Portfolio may be invested or held in non-convertible debt, equity securities that do not pay regular dividends, U.S. government securities, and cash or cash equivalents.

Investment Process: The Portfolio takes a flexible approach by investing in a broad range of securities of a variety of companies and industries. The Portfolio invests in investment grade and below investment grade debt securities. Below investment grade securities are generally securities that receive low ratings from an independent rating agency, such as rated lower than BBB- by Standard & Poor's ("S&P") and Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or if unrated, are determined to be of equivalent quality by MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor. Some securities that are rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies are commonly referred to as "junk bonds." The Subadvisor may also invest without restriction in securities with lower ratings from an independent rating agency, such as within the rating category of BB or B by S&P or Ba or B by Moody's. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the lower rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality.

In selecting convertible securities for purchase or sale, the Subadvisor takes into account a variety of investment considerations, including the potential return of the common stock into which the convertible security is convertible, credit risk, projected interest return, and the premium for the convertible security relative to the underlying common stock.

The Portfolio may also invest in "synthetic" convertible securities, which are derivative positions composed of two or more securities whose investment characteristics, taken together, resemble those of traditional convertible securities. Unlike traditional convertible securities whose conversion values are based on the common stock of the issuer of the convertible security, "synthetic" and "exchangeable" convertible securities are preferred stocks or debt obligations of an issuer which are structured with an embedded equity component whose conversion value is based on the value of the common stocks of one or more different issuers or a particular benchmark (which may include indices, baskets of domestic stocks, commodities, a foreign issuer or basket of foreign stocks, or a company whose stock is not yet publicly traded). The value of a synthetic convertible is the sum of the values of its preferred stock or debt obligation component and its convertible component.

The Portfolio may invest in foreign securities, which are securities issued by companies organized outside the U.S. and traded primarily in markets outside the U.S.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition, changes in credit risk, and changes in projected interest return.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Synthetic Convertible Securities Risk: The values of a synthetic convertible and a true convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations. In addition, in purchasing a synthetic convertible security, the Portfolio may have counterparty (including counterparty credit) risk with respect to the financial institution or investment bank that offers the instrument.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Indexas its primary benchmark. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Index is a market-capitalization weighted index of domestic corporate convertible securities. In order to be included in the Index, bonds and preferred stocks must be convertible only to common stock.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has  varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/09	15.78	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-17.90	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Convertible Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	9.13%	3.25%	7.48%
Service Class	Service Class	8.86%	3.00%	7.22%
Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Index	Bank of America Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertible Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	14.96%	4.06%	7.31%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.60% on assets up to $500 million; 0.55% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.50% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks investment results that correspond to the total return performance (reflecting reinvestment of dividends) of common stocks in the aggregate as represented by the S&P 500^® Index.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

10.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks as represented in the Standard & Poor's 500^® Index ("S&P 500^® Index”) in the same proportion, to the extent feasible.

The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its total assets in options and futures contracts to maintain cash reserves, while being fully invested, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Portfolio may invest in such derivatives to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings.

Investment Process: Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, uses statistical techniques to determine which stocks are to be purchased or sold to replicate the S&P 500^® Index to the extent feasible. From time to time, adjustments may be made in the Portfolio's holdings because of changes in the composition of the S&P 500^® Index. The correlation between the investment performance of the Portfolio and the S&P 500^® Index is expected to be at least 0.95, before charges, fees and expenses, on an annual basis. A correlation of 1.00 would indicate perfect correlation, which would be achieved when the net asset value of the Portfolio, including the value of its dividend and capital gains distributions, increases or decreases in exact proportion to changes in the S&P 500^® Index.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

S&P 500^® Index Risk: If the value of the S&P 500^® Index declines, the net asset value of shares of the Portfolio will also decline. The Portfolio's ability to mirror the S&P 500^® Index may be affected by, among other things, transaction costs; changes in either the composition of the S&P 500^® Index or the number of shares outstanding for the components of the S&P 500^® Index; and the timing and amount of contributions to, and redemptions from, the Portfolio by shareholders.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the S&P 500^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

rr_BarChartHeading

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
2Q/09	15.85	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-21.92	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio | S&P 500® Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.00%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.66%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.10%

MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.25%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.29%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

30

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

93

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

163

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

368

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

28.19%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

10.49%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

4.77%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

15.45%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

5.22%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(37.01%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.26%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

14.73%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

1.85%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

15.66%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.85%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(21.92%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.66%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.45%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.84%

MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP S&P 500 Index Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.25%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.54%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

55

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

173

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

302

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

677

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.37%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.20%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.57%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.25% on assets up to $1 billion; 0.225% on assets from $1 billion to $2 billion; 0.215% on assets from $2 billion to $3 billion; and 0.20% on assets over $3 billion.

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MainStay VP Bond Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Bond Portfolio

MainStay VP Bond Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Bond Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.49%	0.49%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.53%	0.78%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Bond Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	54	170	296	665
Service Class	80	249	433	966

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 311% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds, which include all types of debt securities such as debt or debt-related securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign governments, their agencies or instrumentalities; obligations of international or supranational entities; debt securities issued by U.S. or foreign corporate entities; zero coupon bonds; mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities; and loan participation interests. The effective maturity of this portion of the Portfolio's holdings will usually be in the intermediate range (three to ten years), although it may vary depending on market conditions as determined by New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager. Effective maturity is a measure of a debt security's maturity which takes into consideration the possibility that the issuer may call the debt security before its maturity date.

At least 65% of the Portfolio's total assets will be invested in investment grade debt securities generally as rated by an independent rating agency, such as rated Baa or better by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or BBB or better by Standard & Poor's ("S&P") when purchased, or if unrated, determined by the Manager to be of comparable quality. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality.

The Portfolio may invest in mortgage dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Portfolio sells securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis.

Commercial paper must be rated by an independent rating agency, such as Prime-1 by Moody's or A-1 by S&P, when purchased, or if unrated, determined by the Manager to be of comparable quality. The Portfolio's principal investments may have fixed or floating rates of interest. The Portfolio may also invest in derivatives, such as futures and options, to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss of (hedge) certain of its holdings.

Investment Process: Fundamental analysis and interest rate trends are the principal factors considered by the Manager in determining whether to increase or decrease the emphasis placed upon a particular type of security or industry sector within the Portfolio. Maturity shifts are based on a set of investment decisions that take into account a broad range of fundamental and technical indicators.

The Manager may sell a security if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Manager may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition, and changes in the condition and outlook in the issuer's industry.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Loan Participation Interest Risk: There may not be a readily available market for loan participation interests, which in some cases could result in the Portfolio disposing of such a security at a substantial discount from face value or holding such a security until maturity. In addition, there is also the credit risk of the underlying corporate borrower as well as the lending institution or other participant from whom the Portfolio purchased the loan participation interests.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Manager to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk: A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Portfolio sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Portfolio at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Indexas its primary benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/09	4.67	%
Worst Quarter
2Q/04	-2.39	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Bond Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	4.66%	6.24%	5.30%
Service Class	Service Class	4.40%	5.97%	5.03%
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	4.22%	5.95%	5.18%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.50% on assets up to $500 million; 0.475% on assets from $500 million to $1 billion; and 0.45% on assets over $1 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital growth, consistent with preservation of capital and balanced current income.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

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Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

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The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 63% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

63.00%

Expense Example, Heading

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Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

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The Portfolio pursues its investment objective by normally investing 35-65% of its assets in equity securities and the remaining assets in fixed-income securities and cash equivalents. The Portfolio normally invests at least 25% of its assets in fixed-income securities. Fixed-income securities may include corporate debt securities, U.S. government obligations, mortgage-backed securities and other mortgage-related products, and short-term securities.

In choosing investments for the Portfolio, Janus Capital Management LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, applies a "bottom up" approach with one portfolio manager focusing on the equity portion of the Portfolio and the other portfolio manager focusing on the fixed-income portion of the Portfolio. In other words, the portfolio managers look at companies one at a time to determine if a company is an attractive investment opportunity and if it is consistent with the Portfolio's investment policies. The portfolio managers may also consider economic factors, such as the effect of interest rates on certain of the Portfolio’s fixed-income investments. The portfolio managers share day-to-day responsibility for the Portfolio's investments.

The Portfolio may invest in foreign equity and debt securities, which may include investments in emerging markets.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

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Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Debt or Fixed Income Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt or fixed income securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include the risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody, substantial economic and political disruptions and the nationalization of foreign deposits or assets.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

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Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

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Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

Performance, One Year or Less

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Since the Portfolio does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no calendar year performance information is available.

MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

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Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.55%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.59%

^[1]

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.01%)

^[1]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.58%

^[1]

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

2014-05-01

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

59

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

188

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

328

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

737

MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Janus Balanced Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.55%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Total Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

^[1]

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.01%)

^[1]

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.83%

^[1]

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

2014-05-01

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

85

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

267

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

465

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,036

[1] New York Life Investment Management LLC has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses so that Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses do not exceed 0.58% and 0.83% of the average daily net assets of Initial Class shares and Service Class shares, respectively. This agreement expires on May 1, 2014, and may not be amended or terminated prior to that date.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

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ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

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MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

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Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

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The Portfolio seeks maximum current income through investment in a diversified portfolio of high-yield debt securities.

Investment Objective, Secondary

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Capital appreciation is a secondary objective

Expense, Heading

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Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

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The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

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Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

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The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

30.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

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Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

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Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in high-yield corporate debt securities, including all types of high-yield domestic and foreign corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade by an independent rating agency, such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's Investors Service, Inc., or that are unrated but are considered to be of comparable quality by MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor.

Some securities that are rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies are commonly referred to as "junk bonds." These securities are sometimes considered speculative. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the lower rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality.

The Portfolio's high-yield investments may also include convertible corporate securities and loan participation interests (e.g., bank debt). The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in common stocks and other equity-related securities.

The Portfolio may hold cash or invest in short-term instruments during times when the Subadvisor is unable to identify attractive high-yield securities.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, the Portfolio may invest without limit in investment grade securities and may invest in U.S. government securities or other high quality money market instruments. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions may exist in some cases, for up to a year. To the extent the Portfolio is invested in cash, investment grade debt or other high quality instruments, the yield on these investments tends to be lower than the yield on other investments normally purchased by the Portfolio. Although investing heavily in these investments may help to preserve the Portfolio's assets, it may not be consistent with the Portfolio's primary investment objective and may limit the Portfolio's ability to achieve a high level of income.

Investment Process: The Subadvisor seeks to identify investment opportunities through analyzing individual companies and evaluates each company's competitive position, financial condition, and business prospects. The Portfolio only invests in companies in which the Subadvisor has judged that there is sufficient asset coverage—that is, the Subadvisor's subjective appraisal of a company's value divided by the value of its debt, with the intent of maximizing default-adjusted income and returns.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objectives of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition and competitiveness.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand of debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio's income, if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Loan Participation Interest Risk: There may not be a readily available market for loan participation interests, which in some cases could result in the Portfolio disposing of such a security at a substantial discount from face value or holding such a security until maturity. In addition, there is also the credit risk of the underlying corporate borrower as well as the lending institution or other participant from whom the Portfolio purchased the loan participation interests.

Floating Rate Loans Risk: The floating rate loans in which the Portfolio invests are usually rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Moreover, such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher quality debt securities. Although certain floating rate loans are collateralized, there is no guarantee that the value of the collateral will be sufficient to repay the loan. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, floating rate loans may experience higher than normal default rates. In the event of a recession or serious credit event, among other eventualities, the Portfolio's investments in floating rate loans are more likely to decline.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio manager's ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

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Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Credit Suisse High Yield Indexas its primary benchmark. The Credit Suisse High Yield Index is a market-weighted index that includes publicly traded bonds rated below BBB by S&P and Baa by Moody's.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 4, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 3, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
2Q/09	17.22	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-17.83	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio | Credit Suisse High Yield Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Credit Suisse High Yield Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.71%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.53%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

10.25%

MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.56%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.59%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

60

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

189

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

329

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

738

Annual Return 2003

rr_AnnualReturn2003

36.37%

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

12.72%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

2.94%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

12.04%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

2.31%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(24.11%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

42.82%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.67%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

6.26%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

13.42%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.22%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(17.83%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.42%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.04%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

10.32%

MainStay VP High Yield Corporate Bond Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.56%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waivers / Reimbursements

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

86

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

268

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

466

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,037

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.14%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

7.77%

Average Annual Returns, 10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

10.04%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.57% on assets up to $1 billion; 0.55% on assets from $1 billion to $5 billion; and 0.525% on assets over $5 billion.

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MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio

MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.74%	0.74%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.78%	1.03%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	80	249	433	966
Service Class	105	328	569	1,259

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 69% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in large capitalization companies, which are companies having a market capitalization in excess of $4 billion at the time of purchase. Typically, Winslow Capital Management, LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, invests substantially all of the Portfolio's investable assets in domestic securities. However, the Portfolio is permitted to invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities, which are generally securities issued by companies organized outside the U.S. and traded primarily in markets outside the U.S.

Investment Process: The Portfolio invests in those companies that the Subadvisor believes will provide an opportunity for achieving superior portfolio returns (i.e., returns in excess of the returns of the average stock mutual fund) over the long term. The Subadvisor seeks to invest in companies that have the potential for above-average future earnings growth with management focused on shareholder value.

When purchasing stocks for the Portfolio, the Subadvisor looks for companies typically having some or all of the following attributes: addressing markets with growth opportunities; favorable market share; identifiable and sustainable competitive advantages; a management team that can perpetuate the firm's competitive advantages; and, attractive, and preferably rising, returns on invested capital.

The Subadvisor takes a "bottom-up" investment approach when selecting investments. This means it bases investment decisions on company specific factors, not general economic conditions.

Under normal market conditions, the Subadvisor employs a sell discipline pursuant to which it may sell some or all of its position in a stock when a stock becomes fully valued, the fundamental business prospects are deteriorating, or the position exceeds limits set by the Subadvisor.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Growth Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Growth Index measures the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”) as a secondary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 6, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 5, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
1Q/12	17.24	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-22.96	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Large Cap Growth Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	13.11%	2.35%	6.67%
Service Class	Service Class	12.83%	2.10%	6.41%
Russell 1000® Growth Index	Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	15.26%	3.12%	7.52%
S&P 500® Index	S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.00%	1.66%	7.10%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.75% on assets up to $500 million; 0.725% on assets from $500 million to $750 million; 0.71% on assets from $750 million to $1 billion; 0.70% on assets from $1 billion to $2 billion; 0.66% on assets from $2 billion to $3 billion; 0.61% on assets from $3 billion to $7 billion; 0.585% on assets from $7 billion to $9 billion; and 0.575% on assets over $9 billion.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

ProspectusDate

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return, Heading

rr_RiskReturnHeading

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio

Investment Objective, Heading

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

investment Objective, Primary

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Expense, Heading

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

Expense, Narrative

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Operating Expenses, Caption

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Portfolio Turnover, Heading

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 202% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

202.00%

Expense Example, Heading

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example, Narrative

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Expense Example, By Year, Caption

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Investment Strategy, Heading

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies

Investment Strategy, Narrative

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio invests approximately 60% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks and 40% of its assets in fixed-income securities (such as bonds) and cash equivalents. Although this 60/40 ratio may vary, under normal market conditions, the Portfolio will invest at least 25% of its assets in fixed-income securities.

The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities, but only in countries the Manager or Subadvisor considers stable and only in securities considered to be of high quality. The Portfolio may also invest in derivatives, such as futures and options, to try to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Under normal market conditions, the Manager and Subadvisor will seek to keep the portfolio fully invested rather than taking temporary cash positions with respect to their portions of the Portfolio's assets. The Manager and Subadvisor will sell a security if it becomes relatively overvalued, if better opportunities are identified, or if they determine that the initial investment expectations are not being met.

Equity Investment Process: Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, manages the equity portion of the Portfolio. The Subadvisor generally invests in mid-capitalization, value oriented stocks, but may also invest in large capitalization, value oriented stocks. The Subadvisor considers mid-capitalization stocks to be those with a market capitalization that, at the time of investment, are similar to the companies in the Russell Midcap^® Index (which ranged from $296.4 million to $25.1 billion as of December 31, 2012), the S&P MidCap 400^® Index (which ranged from $403.7 million to $16.2 billion as of December 31, 2012), or a universe selected from the smallest 800 companies of the largest 1,000 companies, ranked by market capitalization. Mid-capitalization stocks are common stocks of mid-size U.S. companies that tend to be well known, and to have a large amount of stock outstanding compared to small-capitalization stocks.

"Value" stocks are stocks that the Subadvisor determines (1) have strong or improving fundamental characteristics and (2) have been overlooked by the marketplace so that they are undervalued or "underpriced" relative to the rest of the Portfolio's universe.

The Portfolio seeks to construct a broadly diversified portfolio across countries, sectors and industries using quantitative analysis to identify undervalued and overvalued securities. Investments are selected using an objective, disciplined and broadly-applied process, while seeking to limit exposure to risk.

Fixed-Income Investment Process: New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Portfolio's Manager, manages the fixed-income portion of the Portfolio. The Manager generally invests in U.S. government securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and investment grade bonds issued by U.S. corporations. It selects fixed-income securities based on their credit quality, duration and price. The fixed-income portion of the portfolio normally has an intermediate term duration that ranges from three to five years.

The Portfolio's investments may include variable rate notes, floaters and mortgage-related securities (including mortgage-backed) securities, which are debt securities whose values are based on underlying pools of mortgages, and asset-backed securities, which are debt securities whose values are based on underlying pools of credit receivables.

Risk, Heading

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk, Narrative

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Manager and Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Mid-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Manager may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Portfolio’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Portfolio to sell its bond holdings at a time when the Manager might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Portfolio’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Additional risks associated with an investment in the Portfolio include the following: (i) not all U.S. government securities are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government—some are backed only by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt; and (ii) the Portfolio's yield will fluctuate with changes in short-term interest rates.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Portfolio to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. Futures may be more volatile than direct investments in the instrument underlying the futures, and may not correlate perfectly to the underlying instrument. Futures also may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Due to fluctuations in the price of the underlying security, the Portfolio may not be able to profitably exercise an option and may lose its entire investment in an option.

Floaters and Variable Rate Notes Risk: Floaters and variable rate notes provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate notes may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Portfolio's ability to sell the securities at any given time. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest rates in general. Such securities also may lose value.

Mortgage-Backed/Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Portfolio's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Portfolio to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Manager to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by the Portfolio that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Portfolio may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Portfolio shares or receive less than the market value when selling Portfolio shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Portfolio may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Portfolio may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Risk, Lose Money

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past Performance

Performance, Narrative

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell Midcap^® Value Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell Midcap^® Value Index measures the performance of the mid-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell Midcap^® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Portfolio has selected the Balanced Composite Index as a secondary benchmark. The Balanced Composite Index is comprised of the Russell Midcap^® Value Index and the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index weighted 60%/40%, respectively. The Portfolio has selected the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index as an additional benchmark. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index is a market capitalization-weighted index including U.S. government and fixed coupon domestic investment grade corporate bonds.

The Portfolio commenced operations on May 2, 2005. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future

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Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Bar Chart, Heading

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Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2006-2012)

Bar Chart, Narrative

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The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads

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Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Bar Chart, Closing

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Best Quarter
2Q/09	13.54	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-12.95	%

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes

Average Annual Returns, Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio | Russell Midcap® Value Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Russell Midcap® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

18.51%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.79%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.65%

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio | Balanced Composite Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Balanced Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.74%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.04%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.50%

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio | Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Bank of America Merrill Lynch 1-10 Year U.S. Corporate & Government Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.24%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.19%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.05%

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio | Initial Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.70%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.08%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

81

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

252

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

439

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

978

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

10.70%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

2.80%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(24.85%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

23.07%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.62%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.79%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

12.32%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

13.54%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(12.95%)

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Initial Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.32%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.94%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.06%

MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Balanced Portfolio | Service Class

Risk Return [Abstract]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.70%

^[1]

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.08%

Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.04%

Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

106

Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

331

Expense Example, With Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

574

Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,271

Average Annual Returns, Label

rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel

Service Class

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.04%

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

3.68%

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.79%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.70% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.65% on assets over $1 billion.

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MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio

MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital and,

secondarily, current income.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio	Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	none	none
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	none	0.25%
Other Expenses	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses	1.06%	1.06%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	1.09%	1.34%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	111	347	601	1,329
Service Class	136	425	734	1,613

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 52% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio is a "fund of funds," meaning that it seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in other MainStay VP Portfolios and other funds managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") (the "Underlying Portfolios/Funds"). The Underlying Portfolios/Funds are described and offered in this Prospectus and in separate prospectuses. The Portfolio is designed for investors with a particular risk profile, and invests in a distinct mix of Underlying Portfolios/Funds.

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing approximately 80% (within a range of 70% to 90%) of its assets in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds and approximately 20% (within a range of 10% to 30%) of its assets in Underlying Fixed-Income Portfolios/Funds. The Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds may consist of approximately 15% (within a range of 5% to 25%) of international equity portfolios/funds. New York Life Investments may change the asset class allocation, the Underlying Portfolios/Funds in which the Portfolio invests, or the target weighting without prior approval from shareholders. With respect to investments in Underlying Equity Portfolios/Funds with a global mandate, as determined by an independent monitoring firm, the assets will be deemed to be allocated equally between U.S. equity funds and international equity funds for the purpose of calculating weighting in these asset classes.

New York Life Investments uses a two-step asset allocation process to create the Portfolio's investments. The first step includes a strategic review of the target allocations to the equity and fixed-income asset classes and a determination of any tactical allocation adjustments to establish the portion of the Portfolio's investable portfolio (meaning the Portfolio's assets available for investment, other than working cash balances) to be invested in each asset class.

The following table illustrates the Portfolio's target allocations among asset classes (the target allocations and/or actual holdings will vary from time to time as a result of the tactical allocation process, although these variations will remain within the ranges described above):

	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Total Equity	Fixed-Income
MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio*	65%	15%	80%	20%

* Percentages represent target allocations, actual allocation percentages may vary up to +/-10% under normal conditions.

The second step in the Portfolio's construction process involves the actual selection of Underlying Portfolios/Funds to represent the two broad asset classes indicated above and determination of target weightings among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds for the Portfolio's investments. The Portfolio may invest in any or all of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds within an asset class, but will not normally invest in every Underlying Portfolio/Fund at one time. Selection of individual Underlying Portfolios/Funds is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, past performance and total portfolio characteristics (e.g., size, style, credit quality and duration). For cash management purposes, the Portfolio may hold a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio also may invest in Underlying Portfolios/Funds that are money market funds.

New York Life Investments monitors the Portfolio's investments daily to ensure that the Portfolio's actual asset class allocations among the Underlying Portfolios/Funds continue to conform to the Portfolio's target allocations over time and may periodically adjust target asset class allocations based on various quantitative and qualitative data relating to the U.S. and international economies, securities markets, and various segments within those markets. In response to adverse market or other conditions, the Portfolio may, regardless of its normal asset class allocations, temporarily hold all or a portion of its assets in U.S. government securities, money market funds, cash, or cash equivalents. In connection with the asset allocation process, the Portfolio may from time to time invest more than 25% of its assets in one Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Principal Risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not guaranteed, and you may experience losses. The Portfolio's level of risk will depend on its investment allocation in the Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Principal risks of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds which could adversely affect the performance of the Portfolio, may include:

Market Changes Risk: The value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests or poor security selection, which could cause the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying instrument. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value. Derivatives may also be subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its contractual obligations to the Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Debt Securities Risk: The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, i.e., the issuer may not repay the loan created by the issuance of that debt security; (ii) maturity risk, i.e., a debt security with a longer maturity may fluctuate in value more than one with a shorter maturity; (iii) market risk, i.e., low demand for debt securities may negatively impact their price; (iv) interest rate risk, i.e., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security goes up; (v) selection risk, i.e., the securities selected by the Underlying Portfolio/Fund manager or subadvisor may underperform the market or other securities selected by other funds; and (vi) call risk, i.e., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity in the bond markets, making it more difficult for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to sell its bond holdings at a time when the manager or subadvisor might wish to sell. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund’s bond holdings. Please see “Liquidity and Valuation Risk” below for more information.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

High-Yield Securities Risk: Investments in high-yield securities or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are sometimes considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss than higher quality securities. Such securities may, under certain circumstances, be less liquid than higher rated securities. These securities pay investors a premium (a high interest rate or yield) because of the increased risk of loss. These securities can also be subject to greater price volatility. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk: Securities purchased by an Underlying Portfolio/Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to, among other things, events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions, investor perceptions or lack of market participants. The lack of an active trading market may make it difficult to obtain an accurate price for a security. If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security's sale. As a result, the Portfolio could pay more than the market value when buying Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Underlying Portfolio/Fund shares. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, unusually high volume of redemptions, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks. Smaller capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or market developments.

Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise and increase the potential for the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to lose money. The ability of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's manager or subadvisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market's perception of the issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved.

Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Short Sales Risk: If a security sold short increases in price, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss, which could be theoretically unlimited. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have substantial short positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. An Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund is employing a form of leverage which creates special risks.

The Underlying Portfolio/Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

Until an Underlying Portfolio/Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Underlying Portfolio/Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Underlying Portfolio/Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, an Underlying Portfolio/Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to or held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligation. This may limit an Underlying Portfolio/Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Underlying Portfolio/Fund's portfolio manager believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the performance of Underlying Portfolio/Funds that invest in value stocks may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Asset Allocation Risk: Although allocation among different asset classes generally limits the Portfolio's exposure to the risks of any one class, the risk remains that New York Life Investments may favor an asset class that performs poorly relative to the other asset classes. For example, deteriorating stock market conditions might cause an overall weakness in the market that reduces the absolute level of stock prices in that market. Under these circumstances, if the Portfolio, through its holdings of Underlying Portfolios/Funds, were invested primarily in stocks, it would perform poorly relative to a portfolio invested primarily in bonds. Similarly, the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolios/Funds could be incorrect in their analysis of economic trends, countries, industries, companies, the relative attractiveness of asset classes or other matters. Moreover, because the Portfolio has set limitations on the amount of assets that may be allocated to each asset class, the Portfolio has less flexibility in its investment strategy than mutual funds that are not subject to such limitations. In addition, the asset allocations made by the Portfolio may not be ideal for all investors and may not effectively increase returns or decrease risk for investors.

Concentration Risk: To the extent that the Portfolio invests a significant portion of its assets in a single Underlying Portfolio/Fund, it will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with that Underlying Portfolio/Fund and changes in the value of that Underlying Portfolio/Fund may have a significant effect on the net asset value of the Portfolio. Similarly, the extent to which an Underlying Portfolio/Fund invests more than 25% of its assets in a single industry or economic sector may also adversely impact the Portfolio, depending on the Portfolio's level of investment in that Underlying Portfolio/Fund.

Conflicts of Interest: Potential conflicts of interest situations could occur. For example, New York Life Investments may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Portfolios/Funds because the fees paid to it and its affiliates by some Underlying Portfolios/Funds are higher than the fees paid by other Underlying Portfolios/Funds. In addition, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to select certain Underlying Portfolios/Funds due to compensation considerations. Moreover, a situation could occur where proper action for the Portfolio could be adverse to the interest of an Underlying Portfolio/Fund or vice versa.

New York Life Investments and the portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to the Portfolio to act in the Portfolio's best interests when selecting Underlying Portfolios/Funds. Under the oversight of the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees, New York Life Investments will carefully analyze any such situation and take all steps believed to be necessary to minimize and, where possible, eliminate potential conflicts.

Large Transaction Risk: To minimize disruptions to the operations of the Portfolio and the Underlying Portfolios/Funds, New York Life Investments seeks to maintain existing target allocations and to implement small changes to target allocations through the netting of purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares. When New York Life Investments determines to initiate a transaction with an Underlying Portfolio/Fund, New York Life Investments generally coordinates directly with the portfolio managers of the Underlying Portfolio/Fund to ensure that the transactions are accommodated efficiently and in a cost effective manner, including possibly implementing trades over a period of days rather than all at once. These practices may temporarily affect New York Life Investments' ability to fully implement the Portfolio's investment strategies.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one- and five-year periods and for the life of the Portfolio compare to those of three broad-based securities market indices, as well as a composite index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (“S&P 500^® Index”)as its primary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The Portfolio has selected the MSCI EAFE^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The MSCI EAFE^® Index consists of international stocks representing the developed world outside of North America. The Portfolio has selected the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as an additional benchmark. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The Portfolio has selected the Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index as an additional benchmark. The Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index consists of the S&P 500^® Index, the MSCI EAFE^® Index and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index weighted 65%, 15% and 20%, respectively.

The Portfolio commenced operations on February 13, 2006. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the life of the Portfolio. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2007-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	14.52	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-17.91	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Moderate Growth Allocation Portfolio

Average Annual Returns, Label

Average Annual Returns, 1 Year

Average Annual Returns, 5 Years

Average Annual Returns, Since Inception

Initial Class

Initial Class

14.66%

2.34%

4.73%

Service Class

Service Class

14.37%

2.09%

4.47%

S&P 500® Index

S&P 500^® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

16.00%

1.66%

3.93%

MSCI EAFE® Index

MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

17.32%

(3.69%)

1.65%

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

4.22%

5.95%

5.99%

Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index

Moderate Growth Allocation Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)

13.93%

2.05%

4.30%

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MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio

MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.85%	0.85%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.04%	0.04%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses		0.01%	0.01%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	[2]	0.90%	1.15%
Waivers / Reimbursements	[2]	(0.05%)	(0.05%)
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Waiver	[2]	0.85%	1.10%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	87	282	494	1,103
Service Class	112	360	628	1,393

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 186% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in companies with market capitalizations at the time of investment that are similar to the market capitalizations of companies in the Russell Midcap^® Index, and invests primarily in common stocks of U.S. companies.

Investment Process: Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor, seeks to construct a broadly diversified portfolio across sectors and industries using quantitative analysis to identify undervalued and overvalued securities. Investments are selected using an objective, disciplined and broadly-applied process, while limiting exposure to risk. The Subadvisor seeks to control the Portfolio's exposure to risk by diversifying the Portfolio's portfolio over a large number of securities.

In unusual market conditions, the Portfolio may invest all or a portion of its assets in investment grade notes and bonds, cash and cash equivalents.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio, if better opportunities are identified, or if it determines the initial investment expectations are not being met.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Mid-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks.

Growth Stock Risk: If growth companies do not increase their earnings at a rate expected by investors, the market price of the stock may decline significantly, even if earnings show an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell Midcap^® Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell Midcap^® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Midcap^® Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^® Index and includes approximately 800 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell Midcap^® Index represents approximately 31% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 1000^® Index companies.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
3Q/09	20.89	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-25.49	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP Mid Cap Core Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	17.52%	2.20%	9.95%
Service Class	Service Class	17.22%	1.94%	9.68%
Russell Midcap® Index	Russell Midcap® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	17.28%	3.57%	10.65%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.85% on assets up to $1 billion; and 0.80% on assets over $1 billion.

[2] New York Life Investment Management LLC ("New York Life Investments") has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses so that Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (excluding taxes, interest, litigation, extraordinary expenses, brokerage and other transaction expenses relating to the purchase or sale of portfolio investments, and acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses) of a class do not exceed the following percentages of average daily net assets: Initial Class, 0.84%; and Service Class, 1.09%. This agreement will remain in effect until May 1, 2014, and shall renew automatically for one-year terms unless New York Life Investments provides written notice of termination prior to the start of the next term or upon approval of the Board of Trustees of the Portfolio.

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MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio (Prospectus Summary) | MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio

MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table and the example do not include any separate account or policy fees or sales charges imposed under the variable annuity policies and variable universal life insurance policies for which the Portfolio is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher. Investors should consult the applicable variable annuity policy or variable universal life insurance policy prospectus for more information.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio		Initial Class	Service Class
Management Fees (as an annual percentage of the Portfolio's average daily net assets)	[1]	0.76%	0.76%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		none	0.25%
Total Other Expenses		0.03%	0.03%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses		0.79%	1.04%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, With Redemption, 10 Years
Initial Class	81	252	439	978
Service Class	106	331	574	1,271

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 60% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests primarily in U.S. dollar-denominated equity securities of U.S. and foreign companies with market capitalizations (at the time of investment) of at least $3 billion. The Portfolio seeks to achieve a total return greater than the Russell 1000^® Value Index over longer periods of time and indices comprised of value-oriented stocks over shorter periods of time.

The Portfolio will typically hold between 25 and 30 securities. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks and other equity securities. Other equity securities may include American Depositary Receipts, warrants, real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), preferred stocks and other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock.

Investment Process: Institutional Capital LLC's ("ICAP" or "Subadvisor") investment process involves the following key components: Identify Best Values – ICAP identifies stocks that it believes offer the best values and seeks to avoid companies that are exhibiting excessive deterioration in earnings trends. ICAP also considers the dividend yield as a component of total returns when evaluating the attractiveness of a security; Identify Catalysts – ICAP focuses on what it believes the key investment variables (catalysts) are that could potentially impact the security's market value. These catalysts are primarily company-specific, such as a new product, restructuring or a change in management, but occasionally the catalyst can be thematic - dependent on macroeconomic or industry trends; Portfolio Construction – After a review of stock recommendations, ICAP's portfolio management team determines whether or not to add the stock to the portfolio or to monitor it for future purchase.

ICAP continuously monitors each security and evaluates whether to eliminate it when its price target is achieved, the catalyst becomes inoperative or another stock offers a greater opportunity.

Principal Risks

Loss of Money Risk: Before considering an investment in the Portfolio, you should understand that you could lose money.

Market Changes Risk: The value of the Portfolio's investments may change because of broad changes in the markets in which the Portfolio invests, which could cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar objectives. From time to time, markets may experience periods of acute stress that may result in increased volatility. Such market conditions tend to add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the net asset value of the Portfolio's shares.

Management Risk: The investment strategies, practices and risk analysis used by the Subadvisor may not produce the desired results.

Equity Securities Risk: Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changing economic, stock market, industry and company conditions and the risks inherent in the portfolio managers' ability to anticipate such changes that can adversely affect the value of the Portfolio's holdings. Opportunity for greater gain often comes with greater risk of loss.

Mid-Cap Stock Risk: Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to greater price volatility, significantly lower trading volumes, cyclical, static or moderate growth prospects and greater spreads between their bid and ask prices than stocks of larger companies. Because these businesses frequently rely on narrower product lines and niche markets, they can suffer isolated setbacks.

Value Stock Risk: Value stocks may never reach what the Subadvisor believes is their full value or they may go down in value. In addition, different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and therefore the Portfolio's performance may be lower or higher than that of funds that invest in other types of equity securities.

Concentrated Portfolio Risk: Because the Portfolio invests in relatively few holdings, a larger percentage of its assets may be invested in a particular issuer or in fewer companies than is typical of other mutual funds. This may increase volatility. The Portfolio will be more susceptible to adverse economic, political, regulatory or market developments affecting a single issuer.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be riskier than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, less liquid trading markets and political and economic developments in foreign countries, may affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities may also subject the Portfolio's investments to changes in currency rates. These risks may be greater with respect to securities of companies that conduct their business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally in emerging markets.

Depositary Receipts Risk: Investments in depositary receipts may entail the special risks of foreign investing, including currency exchange fluctuations, government regulations, and the potential for political and economic instability.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. In part, the total return for a convertible security depends upon the performance of the underlying stock into which it can be converted. Also, issuers of convertible securities are often not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and typically are more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Portfolio could lose its entire investment.

Real Estate Investment Trust Risk: Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency.

Past Performance

The following bar chart and tables indicate some of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. The average annual total returns table shows how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the one-, five- and ten-year periods compare to those of two broad-based securities market indices. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. The Portfolio has selected the Russell 1000^® Value Indexas its primary benchmark. The Russell 1000^® Value Index measures the performance of the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values. The Portfolio has selected the S&P 500^® Index as a secondary benchmark. The S&P 500^® Index is widely regarded as the standard index for measuring large-cap U.S. stock market performance.

Performance for the Service Class shares, first offered on June 5, 2003, includes historical performance of the Initial Class shares through June 4, 2003, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Service Class shares. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows you how the Portfolio's calendar year performance has varied over the last ten years. Separate account and policy charges are not reflected in the bar chart and table.

Annual Returns, Initial Class Shares (by calendar year 2003-2012)

Best Quarter
2Q/09	15.90	%
Worst Quarter
4Q/08	-22.19	%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns MainStay VP ICAP Select Equity Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, Label	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Initial Class	Initial Class	15.58%	1.68%	7.61%
Service Class	Service Class	15.29%	1.42%	7.34%
Russell 1000® Value Index	Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	17.51%	0.59%	7.38%
S&P 500® Index	S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	16.00%	1.66%	7.10%

[1] The management fee is as follows: 0.80% on assets up to $250 million; 0.75% on assets from $250 million to $1 billion; and 0.74% on assets over $1 billion.