New Zealand Active Investor Plus

Eligibility & suitability

Two different investment profiles

Growth requires at least NZ$5 million in acceptable investments for 36 months. Balanced requires at least NZ$10 million for 60 months. Growth focuses on qualifying direct investment and managed funds, with limited philanthropy; Balanced allows a broader set. Immigration acceptance does not guarantee performance. Some qualifying investments may remain illiquid beyond the minimum holding period.

Eligibility and source of funds

Applicants must meet health, character and fit-and-proper requirements and demonstrate that the nominated funds were lawfully acquired. Prepare tax returns, business accounts, ownership records, sale evidence, gift or inheritance documents as relevant. Transfers must follow the permitted banking and ownership channels. A complete trail matters more than showing a current account balance.

Application to investment

Apply with the documented funds and family evidence. After approval in principle there is ordinarily six months to transfer and invest; an extension is conditional. The official page currently reports 80% of approval-in-principle decisions within 11 weeks, not a guaranteed final residence timeline. Medical checks, police certificates, additional questions and investment execution can lengthen the full project.

Presence and maintenance

Growth requires at least 21 days in New Zealand during the 36-month investment period. Balanced ordinarily requires 105 days across 60 months; additional qualifying Growth investment can reduce this within prescribed limits. Evidence is due at specified milestones, and family members have entry conditions. Permanent Resident Visa eligibility follows satisfaction and removal of the investment conditions.

Costs and tax

The official page currently lists government fees from NZ$27,470, separate from investments, fund costs, examinations and advisers. Transitional-resident tax relief is a separate eligibility question and does not automatically follow from investor approval. Citizenship needs substantially more physical presence than this visa minimum. Model the eventual post-exemption tax position before choosing investments.

Current processing and investment rules

At the check date, INZ displayed a government application cost from NZ$27,470 and an approval-in-principle statistic of 80% within eleven weeks. These are the current published fee indication and processing statistic, not a promise for your application or a total implementation fee. Investment transfer and completion follow approval in principle, normally within six months; an extension requires a timely request and evidence.

Changes effective 28 September 2026 introduced stronger managed-fund deployment-plan requirements and oversight of acceptable investments. Check current acceptance of the actual fund or direct investment before subscribing. An older approved-list screenshot is not sufficient evidence that a new commitment is acceptable today.

Trace the money and manage the commitment

INZ requires lawful acquisition and a transparent transfer trail, including the movement from the country where funds were originally earned if they have passed through another jurisdiction. Gifted funds require their own evidence. Company profits, trust distributions and personal sale proceeds are different legal sources and should not be merged into an unexplained balance.

The investment period is generally 36 months for Growth or 60 for Balanced. INZ requires evidence at intermediate and final checkpoints. Growth ordinarily requires twenty-one days in New Zealand; Balanced ordinarily requires 105 days, with stated reductions for additional qualifying Growth investment. These modest immigration-presence conditions are not citizenship-presence rules or a determination that the holder is outside New Zealand tax residence.

Investment risk and tax planning

An accepted Growth investment can be illiquid beyond the minimum immigration holding period. Government acceptance tests immigration eligibility, not investment quality. Ask who controls valuations, how capital calls work, what fees reduce returns and whether a transfer or replacement can be made without interrupting compliance.

Separately determine the tax-residence start date and possible transitional exemption before moving assets or receiving distributions. A family can qualify for the investor visa yet have very different tax outcomes depending on its homes, actual days, company control and earlier New Zealand residence. The immigration and tax clocks should appear together on the implementation calendar.

How Offshore Capitalist can help

Share your current residence, nationality, business activities and intended changes through the inquiry form or WhatsApp. We can assess the cross-border issues, explain the work required and coordinate the agreed implementation. For this jurisdiction, local regulated work and government decisions remain with the relevant qualified providers and authorities. We confirm scope and fees before starting.