New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus Visa is the country’s main residence-by-investment route. It’s not a short-stay option or a backdoor visitor visa, it’s built for high-net-worth investors who want to live, work and invest in New Zealand while backing approved local opportunities.

The visa was reworked in April 2025 and now runs on two settings: Growth and Balanced. Growth requires a minimum investment of NZD 5 million over 3 years and Balanced requires NZD 10 million over 5 years. The tradeoff is simple, Growth is aimed at higher-risk, higher-weighted investments, while Balanced gives you a broader mix of acceptable assets.

It’s meant for experienced investors, not casual applicants. Immigration New Zealand says the program is designed to bring in capital, business experience and international networks that can help local companies grow. There’s no English-language test under the revised settings, but you still need to clear health and character checks and prove the lawful source of your funds.

Physical presence matters too. Under the current settings, Growth applicants need to spend 21 days in New Zealand during the 3-year investment period. Balanced applicants need 105 days over 5 years, although that can ease depending on how much of the money goes into growth-type investments.

This visa is very different from a visitor visa. A visitor visa is for tourism or short business trips and doesn’t give you a residence pathway. Active Investor Plus does, provided you keep the investment in place and meet the residence rules. Family members can usually be included on the same application, including a partner and dependent children.

The investment menu isn’t loose or vague. Immigration New Zealand’s acceptable-investments rules give the highest weight to direct investments into private New Zealand businesses. Some managed funds, listed equities, bonds and certain property-related investments can also qualify, but the rules are specific and the property exposure limits matter.

• Best for: High-net-worth investors who want a resident pathway
• Minimum investment: NZD 5 million for Growth, NZD 10 million for Balanced
• Stay requirement: 21 days for Growth, 105 days for Balanced
• Pathway: Can lead to a Permanent Resident Visa if you meet the conditions

One thing the program doesn’t do is make the paperwork light. You’ll need to show you meet the investment rules and source-of-funds requirements and the official guidance is very picky about what counts. For investors who want a clean, long-term route into New Zealand, though, this is the country’s most direct option.

The Active Investor Plus Visa is New Zealand’s main investor residence route and it’s open to a pretty broad set of applicants. Immigration New Zealand doesn’t publish a nationality blacklist, so people from the United States, China, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and plenty of other countries have all been approved. You still have to pass the usual character and security checks, so a clean application matters.

The main applicant is expected to be an adult and you can bring your partner and dependent children aged 24 and under if they meet Immigration New Zealand’s definition of a dependent child. That part is stricter than it sounds. For a partner, you need to show a genuine, stable relationship and at least 12 months of living together. For children, the paperwork gets more specific, especially if they’re 21 to 24 and still financially dependent on you.

Eligibility starts with the money. There are two paths:

• Growth category: invest at least NZ$5 million in acceptable investments for 36 months.
• Balanced category: invest at least NZ$10 million in acceptable investments for 60 months.

These are investment commitments, not income thresholds. There’s no fixed salary floor, but you do need to show where the money came from and that it was earned or acquired lawfully. Immigration New Zealand will want proof of source of funds, plus evidence of the actual investment once it’s made.

The acceptable investment rules differ by category. Growth allows direct business investments and certain managed funds. Balanced is wider, with direct investments, managed funds, listed equities, bonds, philanthropy and some property development options. The exact test sits in the visa rules and it’s worth checking the latest detail before you move money around.

• Fee: NZ$27,470, which includes the immigration levy.
• Processing: Immigration New Zealand says 80% get approval in principle within 3.5 months, while its investor statistics page shows faster averages for the newer settings.
• Health and character: medicals, chest X-rays where required and police certificates for applicants aged 17 and over.
• Fit and proper person test: no serious fraud investigations, dishonesty convictions or business-related financial impropriety.

If you’re using gifted funds, the gift has to be unconditional and lawful and the original money still has to pass the source-of-funds test. That’s the kind of detail that can trip people up, so the cleaner the paper trail, the better.

The Active Investor Plus Visa isn’t a paperwork-light option. New Zealand wants to see exactly where your money came from, that your funds are lawful and that you and any family members meet its health and character tests. There’s no separate minimum income requirement in the official rules and no stated need to buy private health insurance just to qualify.

The money side is the big hurdle. You need at least NZD 5 million in acceptable investments for the Growth category, held for 36 months or NZD 10 million for the Balanced category, held for 60 months. Immigration New Zealand lists the application fee at from NZD 27,470 and it says 80% of applications get approval in principle within 3.5 months.

What you need to provide

• Identity documents: Two acceptable photos of your head and shoulders, plus a valid passport for each person included in the application.
• Health documents: A chest X-ray certificate and a medical examination from an approved panel physician or through eMedical.
• Character documents: Police certificates for everyone aged 17 or older from every country of citizenship and any country where they’ve lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.
• Family documents: Evidence of a genuine, stable partnership if you’re including a partner and birth certificates, custody papers or financial support evidence for dependent children.
• Investment evidence: Proof that your nominated funds are available and can be transferred into acceptable New Zealand investments.
• Source-of-funds records: Tax returns, tax certificates, pay slips, business financial statements, shareholding records, dividend statements or property sale records, depending on how you earned the money.

New Zealand is picky about the source of your capital. You have to show that you earned or acquired the investment funds lawfully and the visa team may ask for more detail if your file doesn’t make that clear. If you’ve had businesses, they can also look at whether those businesses have stayed clean on immigration, employment and tax matters.

If you’re including family members, each one needs to be properly documented. Partners must complete the resident visa declaration and dependent children aged 21 to 24 usually need proof that they still rely on you financially. If your passport expires later, you don’t lose the visa, but you do have to transfer it to the new passport with the right form and a fee.

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The Active Investor Plus Visa isn’t cheap and the government fee alone starts at NZD 27,470. Immigration New Zealand lists that figure on the main visa page, but it doesn’t break out a separate application fee and immigration levy in the text I could verify, so don’t assume a cleaner split than the official portal gives you.

There are also the usual side costs and they can add up fast. The visa requires medical checks where applicable, plus chest X-rays for some applicants, but Immigration New Zealand doesn’t publish a standard price because those costs depend on the provider and country. If any of your documents aren’t in English, you’ll need certified translations. If you use an adviser, they must be licensed or exempt and their fees are separate from the visa charge.

What to budget for

• Visa application fee: from NZD 27,470.
• Medical checks: no fixed government price, since clinic fees vary.
• Translations: no fixed fee, but non-English documents need English translations.
• Adviser or legal help: optional, but any immigration advice has to come from a licensed or exempt adviser.
• Dependent applicants: your partner and dependent children aged 24 and younger can be included, though the official page doesn’t publish a separate mandatory fee in the text I could verify.

Processing isn’t instant either. Immigration New Zealand says 80% of approvals in principle are issued within 3.5 months and once that’s granted, you’ve got 6 months to transfer and invest your funds in New Zealand. If you need more time, the agency says it may allow a further 6 months, but you have to contact it before the transfer window expires and show that you’ve taken reasonable steps.

One more cost-related headache, the paperwork is heavy. You’ll need photos, passports, evidence of nominated funds and assets, medical and chest X-ray certificates if applicable, police certificates if applicable, relationship evidence for a partner or children, proof of custody and dependence for dependent children, English translations where needed and, in some cases, the Resident Visa Declaration form. That’s a lot to gather before you even get to the money transfer.

This visa is a resident visa, so if it’s approved, you can live, work and study in New Zealand. Travel conditions are limited to 4 years under Growth or 6 years under Balanced and the path to a Permanent Resident Visa opens after 36 months under Growth or 60 months under Balanced, once the visa conditions are met.

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How to apply

The Active Investor Plus Visa is lodged directly with Immigration New Zealand and the process is more structured than most people expect. You start online, but this isn’t a quick form-and-go application. The government wants a clear paper trail for your money, your background and your family members if they’re coming with you.

Application fee: from NZD $27,470, paid online when you lodge. INZ doesn’t publish one flat worldwide price, so the exact amount depends on your country details and where you apply from.

The core steps are fairly predictable. First, submit the visa application with identity, health, character and fit and proper person declarations. Then wait for approval in principle, which means INZ has accepted the application in theory but still wants the money moved and invested before the resident visa is issued.

• Identity: two acceptable photos of your head and shoulders.
• Health: a chest X-ray and medical examination through an INZ-approved panel physician.
• Character: police certificates less than 6 months old for every country where you’re a citizen and any country where you’ve lived 12 months or more in the last 10 years.
• Funds evidence: proof that your investment funds were lawfully earned or acquired, such as tax returns, payslips, bank statements, business records, property sale receipts, share trading records or gift and inheritance documents.
• Family documents: if you include a partner or children, expect relationship evidence, birth certificates and the Resident Visa Declaration Form for each family member.

INZ also recommends a cover letter. Don’t skip it. A clean summary of where the money came from, how it was accumulated and how it will be transferred can save a lot of back-and-forth later.

Timing: INZ’s current guidance says 80% of applications reach approval in principle within 3.5 months, while newer investor settings show average approval in principle in 35 working days and approval after investment documents are provided in 36 working days. Some cases run longer if INZ asks for more evidence.

Once you have approval in principle, you move the nominated funds through an acceptable route and invest in acceptable investments. Growth applicants need to keep at least NZD $5 million invested for 36 months, while Balanced applicants need NZD $10 million for 60 months. After that, the visa can lead to permanent residence if you meet the residence requirements.

The Active Investor Plus Visa doesn’t work like a normal short-stay visa. It’s a resident visa, so once it’s granted, you can live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely. The catch is that your travel conditions don’t last forever.

Under the Growth category, you need to keep your NZD 5 million investment in place for 36 months. Under the Balanced category, the minimum is NZD 10 million for 60 months. The visa gives you resident travel rights for 4 years in Growth or 6 years in Balanced, so if you want to keep coming and going freely, you’ll need to move on to permanent residence before that travel window closes.

There isn’t a standard “renewal” step for the resident visa itself. Instead, Immigration New Zealand’s process is to meet the investment conditions, remove section 49 conditions and then apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. The official page says there’s no cost for removing section 49 conditions, which is unusually good news in a visa category that's otherwise very expensive.

If your application is approved in principle, you have 6 months to transfer and invest the funds. Immigration New Zealand may give you another 6 months if you ask and show you’ve taken reasonable steps. That part isn't automatic, so don’t leave it hanging until the last minute.

• Growth category: invest NZD 5 million for 36 months, resident travel conditions last 4 years.
• Balanced category: invest NZD 10 million for 60 months, resident travel conditions last 6 years.
• Permanent residence: available after 3 years under Growth or 5 years under Balanced, once the conditions are met and section 49 is removed.
• Family timing: included partners and dependent children must arrive in New Zealand within 12 months of the visa being granted or they’ll need to reapply for residence.

Once you hold a Permanent Resident Visa, travel in and out of New Zealand becomes open-ended, as long as the visa stays valid in your passport. The official material doesn’t set out a separate citizenship shortcut here, so treat that as a separate application path, not a built-in next step.

The Active Investor Plus Visa doesn’t get you any special tax treatment in New Zealand. If you become a New Zealand tax resident, Inland Revenue taxes you under the standard rules, the same as anyone else. The visa changes your immigration status, not your tax bill.

That means the real question is when you cross into tax residency. Under Inland Revenue’s general rules, you become a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in any 12-month period in New Zealand or if you set up a permanent place of abode here. The day count isn’t reset by your visa type and the permanent-place-of-abode test can make you resident even if you’re physically here for less than 183 days.

If you do become tax resident, you’re usually taxed on worldwide income. That includes foreign income, unless you qualify for New Zealand’s general transitional tax resident exemption. This isn’t linked to the Active Investor Plus Visa, it’s a separate rule that can apply to new migrants who haven’t been tax resident in New Zealand for the previous 10 years and haven’t used the exemption before.

The transitional exemption can cover most foreign-sourced income for four years. It’s handy, but it’s not a free pass. New Zealand-source income is still taxable and once the four-year window closes, your overseas income can fall into the New Zealand tax net too.

• Resident or non-resident status: determined by the 183-day rule and permanent place of abode test, not by the visa itself.
• Foreign income: generally taxable once you’re a New Zealand tax resident, unless the transitional exemption applies.
• Exit from tax residency: usually requires more than 325 days outside New Zealand in a 12-month period and no permanent place of abode here.

The practical takeaway is simple, even if the rules aren’t. If you’re planning to live in New Zealand for a while on an investor visa, get tax advice early and keep clean records of your days in and out of the country. A nice house in Auckland or regular time spent using one, can matter more than the visa label.