New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

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Program Type:

Active Investor Visa

Processing Time:

1 month

Citizenship Timeline:

5 years

Permanent Residency Timeline:

3 years

Physical Presence Required:

21 days over 3 years

Citizenship Visa-Free Access:

186 countries

Minimum Contribution:

NZ$5 million (US$3 million)

Contribution Options:

Bond Investment, Business Investment, Fund Investment, Property Investment, Securities Investment

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New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa IMI

Program Overview

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus Visa provides a pathway to residency and eventually citizenship for high-net-worth individuals. The program requires investments of NZ$5 million (~US$2.96 million) in higher-risk assets or NZ$10 million (~US$5.92 million) in lower-risk options, such as commercial property or equities.

Annual residency requirements are 21 days for higher-risk investments and 105 days for lower-risk options.

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

How to Qualify

As of April 1, 2025, New Zealand has updated its Active Investor Plus visa program to attract more foreign investment. The revised program introduces two investment categories – Growth and Balanced – each with distinct requirements:

Growth Category

  • Minimum Investment: NZD $5 million

  • Investment Term: 3 years

  • Acceptable Investments: Direct investments in New Zealand businesses and managed funds

  • Residency Requirement: Spend at least 21 days in New Zealand over the 3-year investment period ​

Balanced Category

  • Minimum Investment: NZD $10 million

  • Investment Term: 5 years

  • Acceptable Investments: Includes all Growth category investments plus listed equities, bonds, philanthropy, and certain property developments (e.g., new residential projects that increase housing stock, or commercial/industrial developments that add value)

  • Residency Requirement: Spend at least 105 days in New Zealand over the 5-year investment period

Note: The residency requirement can be reduced if you invest additional funds:

  • NZD $11 million: 91 days

  • NZD $12 million: 77 days

  • NZD $13 million: 63 days

Additional Key Updates

  • English Language Requirement: Removed; applicants no longer need to demonstrate English proficiency

  • Investment Timeframe: All investments must be completed within 6 months of receiving approval in principle; a one-time 6-month extension may be granted upon request

  • Flexibility: Applicants can switch between Growth and Balanced categories once during the application process

  • Investment Caps: Removed; full investment must be made to be granted a resident visa

  • On-Call Investments: Funds committed to managed funds can be temporarily placed in acceptable interim investments (e.g., bonds, term deposits) for up to 6 months until they are called upon by the managed fund

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

Salient Benefits

  • Path to citizenship
  • Permits dual/multiple citizenship
  • Safety and security
  • Enhanced education opportunities
  • Enhanced business access to large economies
  • Short processing time
  • English as official language

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

Citizenship Timeline and Requirements

The Active Investor Plus Visa has a validity of four years. During this period, the investor must spend a cumulative 84 days in New Zealand if they invest NZD $5 million (US$2.96 million), or 336 days if they invest NZD $10 million (US$5.92 million).

Shortly before the expiry of this temporary residence permit, the investor can apply for permanent residency. Once permanent residency is granted, there is no longer any requirement to spend time in New Zealand.

After five years of continuous residency in New Zealand, the applicant becomes eligible to apply for citizenship. To qualify, stricter time constraints apply: The applicant must have spent at least 1,350 days in New Zealand over the preceding five years, with no more than 125 days of absence in any given year.

Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

Program Authority and Legal Basis

Applications for this program may be directed to New Zealand Immigration.

Legislation upon which this program is based on Immigration Act 2009 Part 3 Item 45.

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

IMI Pros Who Can Help You

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

Qualifying Real Estate

As noted in the program qualifications above, an investor can qualify for this program with a local property purchase above the minimum investment threshold. View eligible properties curated by IMI and our real estate partners:

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

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New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

Program Statistics

See more statistics on this program and others in the IMI Data Center.

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