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New Zealand has a flexible business visa system designed to cater to most business people's needs. Below you will find both short term and long term business visa options.
Those visiting New Zealand as a sales representative, overseas buyer, or a business visitor attending business meetings or negotiations can apply for a standard visitor visa, which usually allows the holder to stay in New Zealand for up to 3 months but does not allow them to take up employment.
New Zealand is keen to attract experienced investors and entrepreneurs to the country and has several visa streams for this purpose. These visa categories each have a minimum investment requirement, ranging from NZ $100,000 for the Entrepreneur Work visa, to NZ $10 million for the Investor Plus visa category.
Allows skilled business people with at least NZ $100,000 of investment funds to set up a business in New Zealand. After either 6 months or 2 years, Entrepreneur Work visa holders can apply for permanent residence.
New Zealand's Entrepreneur Work visa is a pathway for prospective business people and entrepreneurs wanting to establish a new business, or buy an existing one, in New Zealand. Entrepreneur Work visa holders can apply for permanent residence after a period of either 6 months or 2 years, depending on factors such as the amount invested and the number of jobs created by the business.
Entrepreneur Work visa applicants must meet several eligibility requirements, which include:
Applicants must have a minimum of NZ $100,000 available to invest in their business. These funds must be solely owned by the applicant and/or their partner or spouse. Applicants cannot use borrowed or loaned funds to meet this requirement.
The investment capital requirement can be waived at the discretion of New Zealand's Business Migration Branch. Only businesses in computing, science, and some high-value export industries can be considered for a waiver.
Applicants must provide a relevant and up to date business plan, which must be specifically tailored to the business they want to establish or buy. The business plan must demonstrate that:
Additionally, business plans relating to the purchase of an existing business must:
The Entrepreneur Work visa is initially issued for a Start-Up stage of 12 months, which allows applicants to buy or establish their business. Once applicants have taken the necessary steps towards buying or establishing their business, they can move on to the balance stage of their visa, which grants another 24 months—adding up to a total of 3 years.
In order to move from the Start-Up stage to the Balance stage, applicants must demonstrate that they have taken the necessary steps towards buying or establishing their business, such as:
After a set period, Entrepreneur Work visa holders can apply for permanent residence under the Entrepreneur Residence scheme. This option becomes available after either 6 months or 2 years:
Allows business people who can invest a minimum of NZ $10 million over a 3 year period to gain permanent residence.
This visa, also known as the Investor 1 Category visa, provides a quick and easy pathway for investors with a minimum of NZ $10 million in investment funds to gain permanent residence in New Zealand. Applicants for the Investor Plus visa do not have to submit an Expression of Interest and can instead apply for residence directly.
Investors who wish to nominate less than NZ $10 million for investment can instead apply under the Investor (Investor 1 Category) visa. Please see our investor visa page for more details.
The basic requirements for Investor Plus visa applicants are extremely light. There are no age, English language, or business experience requirements, but some other conditions are in place. In order to be granted a visa, applicants must:
Applicants must have a minimum of NZ $10 million in investment funds. These funds must be:
If transferred through a foreign exchange company, evidence of the following must be provided:
Applicants apply directly for residence, rather than submitting an Expression of Interest. If the application is approved in principle, applicants are then granted a 12 month multiple-entry work visa, which can be extended for a further 6 months if necessary, in order to research opportunities and conduct their investment in New Zealand. Partners and children can also be included on the work visa.
Applicants may then be granted residence after the applicant has:
Allows experienced business people who can invest a minimum of NZ $1.5 million in New Zealand over a 4 year period to gain permanent residence.
The New Zealand Investor visa, also known as the Investor 2 Category visa, allows experienced business people to gain permanent residence while investing at least NZ $1.5 million over a 4 year period. Applicants for the Investor visa must be no older than 65, have a minimum of 3 years of business experience, and meet various investment criteria detailed below. Investment visas are subject to a limit of 300 per year.
Investors with NZ $10 million or more in funds can also apply for the Investor Plus (Investor 1 Category) visa, which has fewer restrictions and eligibility requirements.
The basic requirements for investor visa applicants include:
In order for an applicant's Expression of Interest to be considered, they must score at least 20 points on the New Zealand Investor 2 Category points test. Higher scores increase the chance of the application being approved.
Full details of the New Zealand Investor 2 Category points system can be found in our Investor Visa (Investor 2 Category) points system section.
Applicants must have a minimum of NZ $1.5 million in investment funds and NZ $1 million in personal settlement funds. These funds must be:
If transferred through a foreign exchange company, evidence of the following must be provided:
Applicants apply directly for residence, rather than submitting an Expression of Interest. If the application is approved in principle, applicants are then granted a 12 month multiple-entry work visa, which can be extended for a further 6 months if necessary, in order to research opportunities and conduct their investment in New Zealand. Partners and children can also be included on the work visa.
Applicants may then be granted residence after the applicant has:
The New Zealand Investor (Investor 2 Category) visa is subject to a points test. Applicants must score a minimum of 20 points on the tables below for their Expression of Interest to be considered. Higher scores increase the likelihood of approval.
If you feel you meet the points requirements for this visa, feel free to contact us. Our experienced immigration aspects can help with all aspects of your application.
Points are awarded for the following Criteria:
Applicants must be no older than 65 when submitting an Expression of Interest. If applicants turn 66 while their case is being considered, they will be rejected automatically.
| Age | Points | Age | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60-65 | 0 | 42 | 18 |
| 59 | 1 | 41 | 19 |
| 58 | 2 | 40 | 20 |
| 57 | 3 | 39 | 21 |
| 56 | 4 | 38 | 22 |
| 55 | 5 | 37 | 23 |
| 54 | 6 | 36 | 24 |
| 53 | 7 | 35 | 25 |
| 52 | 8 | 34 | 26 |
| 51 | 9 | 33 | 27 |
| 50 | 10 | 32 | 28 |
| 49 | 11 | 31 | 29 |
| 48 | 12 | 30 | 30 |
| 47 | 13 | 29 | 31 |
| 46 | 14 | 28 | 32 |
| 45 | 15 | 27 | 33 |
| 44 | 16 | 26 | 34 |
| 43 | 17 | 25 or less | 35 |
A minimum of 3 years of business experience is required. Business experience only counts if it consists of change management, organisation, direction setting, mentoring, and/or control of a business with either an annual turnover of at least NZ $1 million or at least 5 full time employees.
This experience must have been gained as a senior manger or as an owner with at least 25% ownership of the business
Points are awarded for business experience as follows:
| Business Experience | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 years | 9 |
| 4 years | 12 |
| 5 years | 15 |
| 6 years | 18 |
| 7 years | 21 |
| 8 years | 24 |
| 9 years | 27 |
| 10 years | 30 |
Applicants must have a minimum of NZ $1.5 million in investment funds which they solely own or which are collectively owned by them, their partner, and/or their dependent children. All funds must be legally earned or acquired.
Points are awarded for business experience as follows:
| Funds (Millions of NZD) | Points | Funds (Millions of MZD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 10 | 5.75 | 95 |
| 1.75 | 15 | 6 | 100 |
| 2 | 20 | 6.25 | 105 |
| 2.25 | 25 | 6.5 | 110 |
| 2.5 | 30 | 6.75 | 115 |
| 2.75 | 35 | 7 | 120 |
| 3 | 40 | 7.25 | 125 |
| 3.25 | 45 | 7.5 | 130 |
| 3.5 | 50 | 7.75 | 135 |
| 3.75 | 55 | 8 | 140 |
| 4 | 60 | 8.25 | 145 |
| 4.25 | 65 | 8.5 | 150 |
| 4.5 | 70 | 8.75 | 155 |
| 4.75 | 75 | 9 | 160 |
| 5 | 80 | 9.25 | 165 |
| 5.25 | 85 | 9.5 | 170 |
| 5.5 | 90 | 9.75 | 175 |
All applicants must have a high level of English language proficiency. Applicants from English-speaking countries or those who have significant experience in English-speaking professional or academic settings should include this information in their Expression of Interest. Applicants without this background will need to provide a certificate showing an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test score of 3 or more, which must have been achieved no more than 2 years before the submission of their Expression of Interest.
Applicants who score 3 on their IELTS test will be required to complete 20 hours of English tuition in New Zealand if their application is approved in principle. Those with English-speaking backgrounds may still be asked to take an IELTS test.
Points are awarded for English language proficiency as follows:
| IELTS Test Score | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 5+ | 10 |