Transferring investment funds: Active investor plus

When you transfer your investment funds to New Zealand for the Active Investor Plus Visa, you must do so in a legal and transparent way.

What you need to do to transfer investment funds

If we approve your application in principle for the Active Investor Plus Visa, you have 6 months from that date to transfer and invest your nominated funds in New Zealand.

The funds you transfer must be:

• the funds you named in your visa application
• funds you received from selling the assets named in your application.

If the funds or assets you named in your application are worth more than the minimum you must invest in New Zealand, you do not need to sell all the funds and assets you nominated.

Funds already invested in New Zealand

You can use funds already invested in New Zealand to support your visa application. You must nominate them when you apply for your visa.

You must provide evidence of where the funds came from and how they were transferred and invested in New Zealand.

Transfer methods

Funds must be transferred through the banking system, a foreign exchange company or a money transfer business. The funds can come from your personal bank account, or from one of the following third parties:

• a solicitor trust account (where the solicitor is acting on your behalf)
• a pension scheme in your name, or
• an investment portfolio account in your name.

You must provide evidence that your nominated funds have been invested in acceptable investments and holding investments.

This evidence must include the following information:

• The full name of the principal applicant
• The amount invested in New Zealand dollars
• The date the investment was made
• The type of investment, including the name the company or bond issuer if applicable as well as the amount of shares or bonds
• Documentary evidence of the investment
• A letter from an external and reputable professional such as a solicitor, chartered accountant or investment broker confirming that the funds have been invested
• A letter of confirmation from NZTE if the investment is a direct investment

Nominating additional funds

You can nominate additional funds if:

• you have received an approval in principle letter,
• the funds nominated in your application have been transferred to New Zealand,
• you provide evidence that the funds have lost value in NZ dollar terms through currency exchange or due to unforeseen circumstances, and
• you provide evidence of the additional funds and/or assets within the first 6 months after receiving your approval in principle letter.

If you borrow funds

You may be able to transfer and invest funds from the sale of nominated assets you have borrowed if:

• it is not economically viable or practical to liquidate the assets you named in your visa application, and
• you borrow funds from an acceptable bank or commercial lending institution and secure them against the nominated assets you named in your visa application.

Taking more time to transfer funds

If you think it will take longer than 6 months to transfer your funds, you need to apply for an extension.

You must provide evidence that you have tried to transfer the approved nominated funds to New Zealand. This can include:

• a letter providing the reasons why you have not transferred the funds to New Zealand yet,
• evidence of partial fund transfers to New Zealand, for example telegraphic transfers and bank credit advice, or
• evidence you are trying to sell your assets, for example, if you are trying to sell a property you could provide advertisements or contracts with a real estate agency.

Foreign exchange companies

You can use a foreign exchange company to transfer your funds to New Zealand if the:

• foreign exchange company uses the banking system to transfer the funds
• investment funds named in your visa application were transferred to the foreign exchange company directly from one or more bank accounts in your name
• transfer is legal, both in New Zealand and the country the funds were transferred from
• transfer can be traced — it cannot come from cash deposits
• foreign exchange company operates lawfully — you cannot use a company that is suspected of, or proven to have committed fraudulent activity or financial impropriety to transfer your funds.

You must provide evidence of all the steps you took to transfer your funds. We cannot accept your application if we cannot identify your funds’ physical transfer any at point.