Temporary Retirement Visitor 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 passport or

Visa and NZeTA photos

You may provide your original passport, or a certified copy when you submit your application. If you provide a certified copy we may request your original passport to complete your application.

Citizens of China applying from China

Also provide your:

• Hukou (household registration book)
• Chinese identity card.

If you submit a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.

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

Also provide a copy of your identity card.

If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.

Health

You must be in good health.

We may ask you to have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.

If you are staying less than:

• 6 months you do not normally need a chest X-ray
• 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate. 

How to get an X-ray or medical examination

When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination.

Why you may need to provide evidence you are in good health

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

You must provide a chest X-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you have provided one to us previously, if:

• you have spent 6 months in a row in China since the last X-ray certificate was issued, and
• you are now coming to New Zealand for more than 6 months.

Character

You must be of good character.

If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.

Character requirements for New Zealand visas

You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.

You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.

Police certificates

How to get a police certificate

If you have already sent us police certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa.

When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:

• you provide to support your application
• we have about your personal circumstances
• you provided in any previous applications.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in New Zealand

Age

You must be 66 years or over.

Evidence can include original or certified copies of:

• your
• your passport or
• an identity card that confirms your birth details.

Investment funds

You must have NZD $750,000 or more to invest in New Zealand for 2 years.

You must nominate the type, location and value of the funds and/or assets you intend to invest. Evidence 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, you can claim the full value of the investment, as long as you and your partner are in a recognised partnership
• someone who is not your partner, you can only claim for 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 came by your funds and 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.

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 3 months from that date to transfer and invest your funds.
 
Transferring investment funds: Investor 1 and 2, and Parent Retirement 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.

Maintenance funds

You must have NZD $500,000 or more to live on.

You must provide evidence you have the funds and/or assets to cover the required maintenance funds, which may include:

• bank statements — you must be able to access the funds from New Zealand
• title deeds
• property valuations
• share certificates
• business ownership documents
• asset valuations.

The value you can claim for your maintenance funds, depends if they are owned by you, or jointly by you and another person.  If you own your settlement funds jointly with:

• your partner, you can claim the full value of the investment, as long as you and your partner are in a recognised partnership
• someone who is not your partner, you can only claim for the part of the investment that you own.

Partnership and how to prove it

Annual income

You must have an annual income of NZD $60,000 or more.

You must provide evidence of your income. This may include documents that show you have:

• a pension
• earnings from rental properties
• dividends from share portfolios
• interest from investments
• profits from owning a company
• sharemarket trading profits.

Bring partner

Your partner must meet the requirements for this visa.

To bring your partner:

• you must provide evidence of your relationship with them, like marriage and birth certificates
• you must provide proof of their identity
• they must be of good character
• they must be in good health.

Partnership and how to prove it

Citizens of China applying from China

You should provide copies of the Hukou (household registration book) for family members included in your application.

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

You should provide copies of identity cards for family members included in your application.

Acceptable investments

You must invest NZD $750,000 in acceptable investments in New Zealand for a minimum of 2 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.

English translations

You must provide full English translations of any documents that are not in English.

Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.

Providing English translations of supporting documents

Entry permission

You must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. You do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.

You can start your digital declaration any time, but the earliest you can submit it is 24 hours before starting your travel to New Zealand.

A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.

New Zealand Traveller Declaration

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

Arriving in New Zealand

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa. Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.

Travel

After your first arrival, you can travel in and out of New Zealand for 2 years.

Invest in New Zealand

You must keep at least NZD $750,000 invested in acceptable investments in New Zealand for 2 years.

Acceptable investments: Investor visas

Insurance

You must maintain acceptable travel and/or health insurance while in New Zealand.

Contact details

You must provide us with your address and other contact details and let us know if these change while you are in New Zealand.

Study

You can study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.

Work

You cannot in New Zealand on this visa, however, you may be able to or work remotely for an employer or client based outside New Zealand.

Working remotely in New Zealand on a visitor visa

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.