In 2025, foreign businessmen who want to invest in New Zealand can apply for the Active Investor Plus Visa. Under this program, investors can obtain permanent residency in a period of minimum 3 years, if they maintain the conditions of their Investor visa in New Zealand (a given investment threshold, based on the selected program).
Foreign investors interested in developing a business activity in New Zealand can apply for a New Zealand investment visa under this program, which replaced previous investor visas, Investor 1 and Investor 2. This visa program is also known as the golden visa in New Zealand, a program through which investors can benefit from permanent residency rights.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Nationalities accepted (EU/Non-EU) |
all third country nationals (EU and non-EU included) |
|
Business investment option (YES/NO) |
yes, depending on the selected visa program (Investor 1 or Investor 2) |
|
Real estate investment option (YES/NO) |
yes |
| Other investment options (if available) |
yes (foreign businessmen can invest in bonds, private/public companies’ equity, philantropic investments, investment funds)
|
| Living requirement in New Zealand (YES/NO) | For Investor 1 visa the visa holder must spend at least 44 days in the last 2 years in New Zealand or 88 days in the 3 years for which the visa is valid; for the Investor 2 program, the visa holder must spend 438 days in the 4 year period or 146 days for each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years |
| Residence or direct citizenship option |
citizenship can be obtained after 5 years of residency in |
| Direct immigration with family members (YES/NO) |
yes |
| Family members allowed to join the program | available for the spouse of the applicant and the children with an age below 24 years old |
| Residence visa/citizenship processing time (approx.) | permanent residence visas are processed in a period of minimum 76 days to 6 months / for citizenship, approximately 12 months |
| Additional financial requirements for family members (YES/NO) | not specified |
| Timeframe for obtaining citizenship/residency by investment | the same as presented above |
| Dual citizenship permitted (YES/NO) | yes (certain limitations can appear based on the law where the foreigner has his or her citizenship) |
| Reasons to choose New Zealand | developed economy, stable political system, openess for foreign investments, 1st country for doing business, 1st for the ease of starting a business, 1st on corruption transparency, 5th on business friendliness, 6th on innovation |
| Personal income tax rate | varies from 10,5% to 39% (progressive rates based on the income of the person) |
| Visa free travel to other countries (approx. number of countries) | 180 countries |
The new investor visa (Active Investor Plus visa) allows foreign investors to relocate here with close family members, including children with a maximum age of 24. For those who want to apply in 2025, it is worth knowing that if the New Zealand authorities approve the application, the transfer of funds should be made in maximum 6 months from the approval.
You can watch the video below on how to obtain an investor visa in New Zealand:
Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can present the basic requirements that are imposed to the current investor visa and can provide in-depth information on the investment legislation applicable here. If you need legal assistance on how to invest in this country, you can easily receive the advice of our lawyer.
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2025 legislative update for the Active Investor Plus visa
Starting with 1st of April 2025, the Active Investor Plus visa program (or the Golden visa in New Zealand) has been restructured, by replacing the 4 previous investment pillars with only 2, which are considered to be more flexible and which take into consideration the needs of a variety of high net worth businessmen.
Thus, under the new law, investors can immigrate to New Zealand under the Growth Category and the Balanced Category, each one of them having different outlooks and basic requirements.
What are the main conditions to obtain the Active Investor Plus visa in New Zealand?
Just like in the case of any other visa issued here, investors have to comply with the minimum requirements imposed by this visa type in order to have the right to migrate to New Zealand.
Considering the complexity of this visa type, our immigration lawyer in New Zealand is ready to provide the necessary legal assistance, and, in the list below, our attorney has prepared a few highlights of this new investment program:
- investors must pay a processing fee for the Golden visa in New Zealand which starts from NZD 27,470 (the fee has been increased in 2025);
- the application can be processed in a period of around 5 months (80% of the applications are processed within this timeframe);
- there are 2 investment thresholds, NZD 5 million for those who apply under the Growth Category and NZD 10 million for investors who choose the Balanced Category;
- permanent residency in New Zealand is available after 3 years of maintaining the investment under the 1st program and after 5 years for the 2nd;
- foreign businessmen are not obliged to reside in New Zealand throughout the duration of the investment, as, for the 1st program, investors must stay at least 21 days here and, for the 2nd, 105 days of residency are necessary.
The costs and the timeframe for the processing of the visa are similar regardless of the nationality of the applicant, therefore if you want to immigrate from USA to New Zealand under this program or you are the national of another state, similar processing conditions will apply.
The advantage of the program is that investors can obtain residency in New Zealand on an indefinite basis – this can be achieved once the foreigner becomes a permanent resident. Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can offer further information on residency matters and citizenship, for those who plan to become New Zealanders.
What are the acceptable investments for an investor visa in New Zealand?
The legislation on immigration in New Zealand prescribes several categories of investments that are accepted when applying for an investor visa. The foreigner is eligible for applying for a Golden visa in New Zealand provided that he or she will be interested in holding equity in a locally founded company. It is also worth knowing that the investment can be direct or made through various funds.
Another type of investment that is available for businessmen who migrate to New Zealand through an investment visa is the investment in property development projects, as long as they are not for the investors’ personal use.
Philanthropic investments are also of importance for the New Zealand society and the local authorities encourage foreign businessmen in applying for a visa issued for this purpose.
According to the law on immigration to New Zealand, an acceptable investment (a comprehensive definition of the term is established by the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) is one that meets the following characteristics:
- it is not for personal usage;
- the investment is made in the local currency, namely the New Zealand dollar;
- it is one listed under the permissible investments prescribed by the 2 programs.
Businessmen who will choose the Growth program are eligible through the following:
- direct investments;
- managed funds.
The Balanced Category prescribes a wider range of acceptable investments, which are presented below:
- the 2 types of investments prescribed under the Growth program;
- listed equities;
- philanthropy;
- property development;
- bonds.
Important residency rule under the Balanced Category
As we have mentioned earlier in this article, the Balanced Category imposes a total of 105 days of residency in New Zealand, over the duration of the investment. However, the legislation stipulates that the number of days can be reduced, provided that the value of the investment is higher than the required threshold.
Regarding this rule, there are 3 categories or residency obligations based on the value of the investment, as follows:
- for an investment of NZD 11 million, investors must live here a period of minimum 91 days;
- an investment of NZD 12 million equates with at least 77 days of residency;
- those who can invest NZD 13 million must spend at least 63 days in New Zealand.
We invite you to read our infographic, presenting the basic details on the visa for investors in New Zealand:
What types of legal entities can investors register in New Zealand in 2025?
The legislation on foreign investments in New Zealand provides very flexible and attractive policies. Foreign investors are allowed to establish any of the legal entities prescribed by the commercial law.
Those who want to immigrate to New Zealand may register a trust, a limited company or a limited partnership. When registering any of these company types, specific conditions have to be respected. For instance, when registering a trust, the investor has to be the sole trustee and has to be a natural person.
In the case in which the investor is a corporate entity, then the right of establishing a trust will not be granted. When opening a limited company or a limited partnership, the investor will be able to benefit from the same rights as it is in the case of local businessmen.
One can immigrate in New Zealand through business visas, which have different requirements (with much lower investment thresholds and which are generally addressed to persons who want to relocate here and have their own businesses).
You can contact our immigration lawyer for additional details on the process of applying for an investor visa in New Zealand. Our lawyer can also present the types of investments that can be accepted in the case of the Active Investor Plus visa and the types of companies the investor can set up here.
