Investor 2 Resident Visa

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

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity:

• 2 acceptable photos of your head and shoulders
• your original or a of your passport or
• your original or a certified copy of your .

Visa and NZeTA photos

Applicants from Hong Kong or Macao applying within Hong Kong or Macao

Also provide a copy of your identity card.

Applicants applying from French Polynesia or Wallis and Futuna

If you are not a French national, also provide a copy of your carte d’assuré.

Applicants applying from New Caledonia

Also provide a copy of your livret de famille.

If you are not a French national, also provide a copy of your carte d’assuré.

Citizens of India

If your birth certificate is not available, we will accept your School Leaving Certificate or Class 10th or 12th Certificate.

Citizens of Indonesia

If you are a citizen of Indonesia, also provide your .

Citizens of Taiwan

If you are a citizen of Taiwan, also provide your household registration transcript.

Citizens of Thailand

If you are a citizen of Thailand and unable to provide a copy of your birth certificate, we will accept your identity card as proof of your identity.

We do not accept delays or expense as reasons for not providing a birth certificate.

Health

You must be in good health.

You must have a chest X-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.

How to get an X-ray or medical examination

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

Character requirements for New Zealand visas

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 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.

English language

You must speak and understand English.

If you are invited to apply for residence, you must qualify for a minimum of 1 point for English language ability.

Check your points for an Investor 2 Resident Visa

If you claim 10 points for your English language ability instead of an English test result, you can provide evidence you have an English-speaking background or are a competent user of English for other reasons.

Meeting English language requirements

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 and how to prove it

Bringing children

English language for family

Your family must be able to speak English.

If you are invited to apply for residence, your partner and any dependent children 16 or over included in your invitation must meet a minimum standard of English. Evidence can include proof they:

• have an certificate with an overall band score of 4 or more
• have an English-speaking background
• are competent users of English for other reasons.

Meeting English language requirements

Age

You must be 65 or under.

We check your identity documents — for example, your passport — to confirm your age.

Recognised business experience

You must have at least 3 years' recognised business experience.

To show us you have recognised business experience, you must provide evidence to show us the roles and responsibilities you have. This can include original or of:

• certificates of business incorporation
• financial accounts for the business
• tax returns and tax records for the business
• shareholder certificates or other proof that you own the business
• job descriptions
• performance reviews
• personal tax returns
• letters of appointment
• certificates of service
• strategic planning documents
• references from your employer – these should be on company letterhead and include your occupation, dates of employment and employer's contact details

If you worked less than 30 hours a week, we will also need a schedule of your weekly working hours.

Transfer investment funds

You must transfer your investment funds to New Zealand.

You must transfer your investment funds directly from your bank account to New Zealand through the banking system.

If we approve your application in principle, you will have 12 months from that date to transfer and invest your funds.
 
Transferring investment funds: Investor 1 and 2, and Parent Retirement Resident Visa

Citizens of China

If you are a citizen of China, you must make sure your funds meet currency exchange and transfer requirements in place in China.

The following organisations have previously demonstrated they have acceptable QDII products:

• Bank of China
• China Construction Bank
• ICBC
• Guosen Securities Company Ltd.

Investment funds

You must have at least NZD $3 million to invest in New Zealand for 4 years.

You must nominate the type, location and value of the funds and/or assets you intend to invest in your expression of interest.

If you are invited to apply for residence, you must provide evidence you own the funds you nominate, which may include:

• bank statements
• title deeds
• property valuations
• share certificates
• business ownership documents
• asset valuations.

The value you can claim for your nominated funds depends if they are owned by you, or jointly by you and another person.

If you own an investment jointly with:

• your partner or dependent children, you can claim the full value of the investment as long as they are included in your application
• someone who is not your partner or dependent child, you can only claim the part of the investment that you own.

Partnership and how to prove it

Source of investment funds

You must have earned or acquired your funds lawfully.

You will need to explain how you earned your funds when you submit your expression of interest.

If you are invited to apply for residence, you will need to provide evidence to support your explanation, which may include:

• tax returns or certificates
• pay slips
• business financial statements
• business shareholdings
• dividends
• receipts for property sales
• bank certificates
• share trading profits
• evidence of gifted money
• probate and other evidence of inherited money.

Acceptable investments

You must invest your nominated investment funds in acceptable investments in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 years.

You must provide documents from a trusted professional like a chartered accountant or solicitor that confirm:

• your full name
• the amount invested in NZD
• the date you started your investment
• the investment type
• the names of any organisations you invested in
• the number of shares or bonds you bought in any organisations.

Acceptable investments for Investor 1 and 2 resident visas

Managing your acceptable investments

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 New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD).

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

Arriving in New Zealand

Invest in New Zealand

You must keep your nominated funds invested in an acceptable investment in New Zealand for 4 years.

Spend time in New Zealand

You must spend 146 days per year in New Zealand, or 438 days at any time over the four year investment period if you have invested a minimum of NZD $750,000 in growth investments.

Learn English

If your certificate shows an overall band score of 3 when you apply for residence, you must complete 20 hours' English language tuition at a New Zealand-registered school or tertiary education provider within the 4-year investment period.

Contact details

You must let us know if your address or other contact details change during the 4-year investment period.

Work

You can work in any occupation for any employer in New Zealand.

Study

You can study in New Zealand.

Travel

You can travel in and out of New Zealand for the first 2 years of your investment period.

If you meet all of the conditions that apply to the first 2 years of your investment period, you can apply for a variation of conditions to allow you to travel in and out of New Zealand for another 2 years.

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 a visa to a new passport