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.
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:
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
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
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
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.
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.
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:
American and Chinese investors lead the surge in New Zealand’s revamped program as “US applicants pursue multi-generational planning,” says Mischa Mannix-Opie.
New legislation allows Active Investor Plus visa holders to purchase homes worth NZ$5 million or more, effective early 2026.
Wellington delays the NZ$5 million real estate carve-out until 2026; experts split on whether it’s “mostly noise.”
See more statistics on this program and others in the IMI Data Center.