Providing evidence of funds and assets for investor visas

When you apply for an investor visa you must nominate investment funds or assets.

The funds or assets that you nominate must:

• have been acquired legally, and
• be owned by you as the principal applicant.

You must provide evidence to show that your nominated funds or assets meet these requirements.

Visas for investing and doing business in New Zealand

Transferring investment funds: Active Investor Plus Visa

Borrowed funds or assets for a Business Investor Work Visa

Your nominated funds or assets must not be borrowed if you are applying for a Business Investor Work Visa.

After your visa has been approved, you may be able to use borrowed funds to purchase your nominated business, but only if:

• it is not economically viable or practical to liquidate your nominated assets, and
• the borrowed funds are secured against the assets you nominated in your Business Investor Work Visa application, and
• the funds have been borrowed from an acceptable bank or commercial lending institution.

For example, you nominated a house in your Business Investor Work Visa application that you intended to sell to purchase the nominated business. However, after your visa was approved, the value of the house drops significantly, and it is not economically viable to sell it. Instead, you borrow against the house from a registered bank and use those funds to purchase the nominated business.

Gifted funds

Active Investor Plus Visa

You cannot include gifted funds that are already in New Zealand, or that were in New Zealand at any time as part of your nominated investment funds.

For example, if a relative who lives in New Zealand has gifted you money from a New Zealand bank account or distributed funds held in trust to you that have recently been invested in New Zealand.

Business Investor Work Visa

You cannot use gifted funds for Business Investor Work Visa applications — except for funds gifted permanently through a will.

Income from employment

You can provide:

• bank statements showing the receipt of funds
• income tax returns or tax declarations
• evidence of employment.

Income from rental properties

You can provide:

• bank statements showing the receipt of funds
• property lease contracts
• income tax returns or tax declarations.

Proceeds from company activities (dividends)

You can provide:

• bank statements showing the receipt of funds
• shareholder distribution certificates
• board resolution declarations
• income tax returns or tax declarations.

Inherited funds

You can provide:

• bank statements showing the receipt of funds
• a copy of the will (if applicable)
• evidence from lawyer confirming you are entitled to the inherited funds (if there is no will)
• evidence of the execution of the will so that we can see that the estate has been distributed
• evidence of how the Testator of the will (the person who wrote the will) acquired the funds
• probate and evidence of inheritance from your solicitor.

Gifted funds

You can provide:

• evidence of gifting such as gifting certificates
• bank statements showing the receipt of funds
• evidence showing how your donor earned or acquired the funds legally.

Property

You can provide:

• title deeds
• recent valuation reports
• sales and purchase agreements
• mortgage documents if applicable
• income tax returns or tax declarations
• evidence of accumulation of funds to purchase property, such as employment salary confirmations and income tax returns.

Investment portfolio

You can provide:

• portfolio valuations
• an investment account summary
• evidence of the investment portfolio’s funding
• bank statement showing the funds transferred to the investment company.

Company shares

You can provide:

• financial reports
• shareholder certificates or stockholder certificates
• valuation of shares (if not included in the financial report)
• source of funds for acquiring company shares.