Employees of Relocating Business Resident Visa

Visa details

Apply for this visa if you are a key employee of a business relocating to New Zealand and you are not eligible for any other resident visa.

Length of stay

Indefinitely

Cost
From
NZD $4350
Processing time
90% within
58 months
With this visa you can
  • Work in the business you’re relocating with.
  • Bring your partner and dependent with you.
  • Live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely, after you meet the conditions of your visa.
Things to note
  • We may grant you a work visa to allow you to relocate the business, before we grant you a resident visa.
  • If you include a partner and dependent children in your application, we may grant them visitor or student visas while you relocate the business.

What you need to apply

Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.

View All Evidence

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity

Acceptable photos

Tips

Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

Passports must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.

If your birth certificate isn’t available, we’ll accept your School Leaving Certificate or Class 10th or 12th Certificate.

If you cannot provide a copy of your birth certificate, we can accept your identity card as proof of your identity, as long as you did not provide your birth certificate because of the cost or how long it would take to get.

Character

You must be of good character

If you, or anyone else included in your application, are aged 17 or older you must provide a police certificate from:

  • all the countries you are a citizen of, and
  • any other country you have stayed in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years, even if it was not all in the same stay.

How to get a police certificate

Good character for residence visas

Tips

If you provide a police certificate that is not in English, you must provide an English translation.

This includes police certificates that record no convictions.

Fit and proper person

You must be a fit and proper person

You must confirm in the application form that you meet fit and proper person requirements.

To be a fit and proper person, all businesses you have influence over must have complied with all immigration, employment and taxation laws. You must also:

  • have never been investigated by the Serious Fraud Office or the New Zealand police for any offence resulting from business dealings
  • have no convictions for an offence involving dishonesty
  • have never been involved in business fraud or financial impropriety.
Tips

We’ll contact you if you need to provide further information.

Relationship with family

If you include your partner and children in your application, you must have a genuine relationship with them

You must provide evidence:

  • of your relationship with your partner and dependent children, like a marriage certificate and birth certificates
  • that your partner and dependent children meet the identity, character, health and English language requirements for this visa.

Partnership
Dependent children

The relocating business

You must provide a letter from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the business you’re relocating with

The CEO’s letter must include:

  • the name of the business
  • the business’ New Zealand location
  • the reason the business is relocating to New Zealand
  • confirmation that the business will comply with New Zealand employment and immigration laws
  • your current role in the business
  • your role in the business after its relocation
  • the reasons you’re integral to the business
  • the ways in which the relocation will benefit New Zealand.

We’ll consider the relocated benefits to New Zealand if the business is trading profitably (or has the potential to do so in the next 12 months) and contributing to our economic growth, for example:

  • introducing new technology, management or technical skills
  • enhancing existing technology, management or technical skills
  • introducing new products or services
  • enhancing existing products or services
  • creating new export markets
  • expanding existing export markets
  • creating at least 1 full-time job for a New Zealander.
Tips

You can only apply for an ‘Employee of a Relocating Business Resident Visa’ if you’re not eligible for any other resident visa.

Your role in the business

Your role must be integral to the business

You must provide evidence of your role in the relocating business. This can include original or certified copies of any of the following:

  • letters of appointment
  • certificates of service
  • pay slips
  • job descriptions
  • tax records
  • performance reviews
  • references from your employer.

Employer references should:

  • be on company letterhead
  • describe your role in the business
  • include the date you started working for them
  • include your employer’s contact number and address.
Tips

We may ask for extra information to confirm your role in the business.

Employment and immigration law

The business must comply with New Zealand employment and immigration law.

We may ask you to provide evidence that the business:

  • pays workers no less than the minimum wage or other contracted industry standard
  • meets holiday and other leave requirements
  • provides a safe workplace
  • only employs people who are allowed to work in New Zealand.

If the business is included on the list of non-compliant employers maintained by the Labour Inspectorate then we can’t approve your application.

List of non-compliant employers

Business set up

The business must be operating in New Zealand

To be granted residence, the relocated business must be operating in New Zealand.  Evidence may include:

  • a certificate of incorporation
  • audited accounts
  • GST records
  • other tax records
  • documents showing a business site has been purchased or leased
  • invoices for business equipment and supplies
  • any other documents that show the business is operating, eg employment agreements, bank statements, power bills, sales agreements, contracts to provide products or services.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise support

The relocating business must have the support of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)

We’ll contact NZTE to check the relocating business has their support.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)

Process and costs

The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.

Notes

We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

We cannot display any receiving centre or payment method information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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Conditions

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Entry permission

You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing a paper arrival card or a digital traveller declaration. If you are completing a paper arrival card you will be given this on the way to New Zealand.

New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.

Arriving in New Zealand

Notes

You can be refused entry permission if:

  • you don’t meet our character requirements
  • your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
  • you refuse to let us to take your photo, or provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if we ask you for them.

Travel

You must come to New Zealand within 12 months of the date your visa is granted.

After you arrive in New Zealand, you can come and go from New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.

Notes

To travel after the 24-month period, you’ll need to apply for a variation of conditions or a permanent resident visa.

Work

You must work only for the business that you are relocating with for the 24 months following the relocation of the business.

Notes

Three months before the expiry of the 24-month employment period, we’ll ask you for evidence you have met this condition.

If we’re unable to confirm that you’ve met the conditions, you and your family may not be able to stay in New Zealand.

New Zealand law

If it’s your role to do so, you must make sure the relocated business complies with New Zealand immigration and employment law.

Notes

Three months before the expiry of the 24-month employment period, we’ll ask you for evidence you have met this condition.

If we’re unable to confirm that you’ve met the conditions, you and your family may not be able to stay in New Zealand.

Contact details

You must let us know if your address or other contact details change in the 24 months you’ll be working for the business you’re relocating with.

Keep your visa in a valid passport

If you want to travel, your visa must be in a valid passport.

If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel.

Transferring my visa to a new passport

Notes

To transfer your visa, you must:

  • send us your old and new passports
  • complete an ‘Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa’
  • pay a transfer fee.

Application for transfer or confirmation of a visa

Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa (INZ 1023) PDF 381KB

Fees, decision times and where to apply