The legislation on immigration in New Zealand prescribes several ways of becoming a citizen of this country. One of the options available for foreigners is the New Zealand citizenship by investment, which is addressed solely to foreign businessmen willing to respect certain investment criteria, but it must be noted that citizenship can be obtained as an indirect route. You can find out more below.
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Is there a direct route to New Zealand citizenship by investment in 2025?
From the beginning, investors should be aware that New Zealand does not have an immigration program which grants a fast and simple access to citizenship, even though, generally, high net-worth investors can benefit from simpler rules compared to other categories of foreigners.
The only matters that have to be respected is to comply with the minimum requirements imposed under the New Zealand legislation, concerning the visa selected and the residency criteria.
Foreign investors must first receive a New Zealand residence permit. This is why citizenship by investment is referred to as an indirect route (the visa program grants the right to permanent residency and after that, citizenship can be possible if the investor wants to become a citizen; otherwise, the visa program does not automatically grant citizenship).
The application conditions are presented by the New Zealand Immigration Office, but you can obtain in-depth information on such steps from our immigration lawyer as well.
FIRST STEP: Apply for the Active Investor Plus Visa
Investors who want to apply for the Active Investor Plus visa in 2025 must pay a processing fee of NZD 27,470 and they can qualify for permanent residency after 4 years of stay. They can relocate with close family members and they need to invest at least NZD 15 million.
Those who want to start the procedure for immigration in New Zealand by applying for the Active Investor Plus visa must know that they should also comply with the following:
- since the moment the visa has been approved, the foreigner must transfer an initial capital in New Zealand in period of maximum 6 months;
- the initial capital can be NZD $100,000 (direct investments), NZD $500,000 (managed funds) or NZD $1 million (equities/philanthropy);
- it is necessary to maintain the investment for which the visa was approved for a period of 48 months;
- concerning residency in New Zealand under this investment program, the visa holder is legally required to spend a minimum of 117 days per year in New Zealand;
- the requirement to spend 117 days per year in this country must be met for 4 years;
- provided that the investor relocates with his/her family, the family members must arrive here in a period of maximum 12 months since the visa was issued.
Types of investments available for the Active Investor Plus visa
Those moving to New Zealand, who want to participate in this program, must be aware that the visa program provides several categories of investments, as presented in this list below:
- listed equities;
- philanthropy;
- managed funds;
- direct investments.
Please know that the program does not allow the right to make investments in property (for commercial or personal purposes). There is an exemption concerning this rule, and it applies to those who invest in managed funds that can hold interest in various real estate companies.
The real estate activities of such companies can refer to leasing, management of property, development, purchase, etc. However, it must be noted that the managed fund can only hold a maximum of 20% of its assets in real estate activities. Outside this option, there aren’t any other ways to invest in real estate through the Active Investor Plus visa.
There are other rules concerning the investments accepted under the program, therefore, our immigration lawyer in New Zealand remains at your service with up-to-date advice.
For instance, investors must provide evidence on the ways in which they have acquired their finances that will be invested in New Zealand. For this, a variety of tax documents must be added to the application file.
Therefore, when starting the process of immigration to New Zealand, investors can be required to present pay slips, tax returns, bank certificates, information about their shareholding (if they are shareholders of foreign companies), dividends, receipts obtained from property sales, etc.
Weighting system – Active Investor Plus visa
It must be noted that the visa program provides a weighting system, whereby the value of 1 dollar of investment can maintained at the same value, or it can be doubled or tripled, based on the type of investment selected by the foreign businessman.
1 dollar will be maintained as 1 dollar if the investments are made in listed equities or in philanthropic projects. If the businessman opts to invest in managed funds, then it is necessary to know that the value of 1 dollar will be doubled.
There is the possibility to triple the value of 1 dollar if the investments are made as direct investments (such as influx of foreign capital in New Zealand businesses). We mention that those who want to invest in the first category of investments – meaning listed equities and philanthropic projects, can invest a maximum of NZD $7,5million in each category.
Therefore, in order to reach the investment threshold of NZD 15 million, required for this visa, investors must combine 2 types of investments. However, there is the possibility to invest only NZD 5 million when opting the direct investment route (NZD 5 million, multiplied by 3 – which is the established value of 1 dollar, results in NZD 15 million).
Does the Entrepreneur Work Visa grant the right to New Zealand citizenship?
The Entrepreneur Work Visa is another type of visa program that is addressed for those interested in investments in New Zealand. However, this visa stream is much different than the Active Investor Plus, as the minimum investment threshold is of only NZ $100,000, therefore making it easier to apply for New Zealand citizenship by investment as an indirect route.
Investors who want to apply for this visa type in 2025 have to pay a processing fee of NZD 12,380. Please mind that the fee system has been modified starting with 1 October 2024, therefore new fees will be charged to several categories of applicants in 2025.
Are there other methods to obtain residency (indirect citizenship) by investment in New Zealand?
Outside the residency by investment program, residency in New Zealand can be obtained following other immigration pathways. Foreigners can become permanent residents under these circumstances:
- arriving here for employment;
- relocating as the partner of a New Zealander or another family member;
- as a refugee or as a person who has arrived here under the protected status.
STEP 2: Obtain Citizenship in New Zealand – 2025 Regulations
In 2025 the requirements for obtaining citizenship have been maintained. The basic requirement is to be a permanent resident (after 5 years of continuous stay in New Zealand) and comply with minimum requirements, knowing the local culture and values, participate in the New Zealand citizenship interview and so on. The requirement to participate in a citizenship interview applies to all foreigners, including those arriving here for New Zealand citizenship by investment (indirect route).
By definition, a permanent resident must make the proof of staying in this country for at least 1350 days in the 5 years period. If you want to apply in 2025, you must make the proof of staying at least 240 days per year.
If you want to start the citizenship application in 2025, you will be required to pay a processing fee. According to the New Zealand Government, there are 2 types of fees, based on the age of the applicant.
Thus, persons who will apply for citizenship in 2025 and who have an age below 15 years old will be required to pay a fee of $235,10. Applicants with an age of minimum 16 years old have to pay a fee of $470,20. All applicants have the possibility to apply online for citizenship. There are 3 different types of forms, which vary based on age and on the nationality.
Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can present the full list of documents the applicant must prepare in this case, and can provide information on the fees the applicant has to pay with the local institutions.
It is also important to know that once a person becomes a New Zealand citizen, he or she is entitled to a New Zealand passport. Provided that the individual needs this document, its issuance is a separate procedure than the citizenship application (the passport can only be obtained after the citizenship issuance and it is an elective procedure). In 2025, persons who apply for a passport are required to pay a processing fee of NZD 215. The document is valid for a period of 10 years.
All documents, photographs, identity papers and other required information will be submitted with the standard application form required for New Zealand citizenship by investment. For additional information, we invite you to contact our lawyer. American investors interested in this program can receive legal assistance from our lawyers, who can provide all the necessary legal support in the process of moving from USA to New Zealand.
