Visas for investing and doing business in New Zealand
There are 2 visa options for migrants wanting to invest and do business in New Zealand — the Active Investor Plus Visa and the Business Investor Visa.
Active Investor Plus Visa
The Active Investor Plus Visa is for migrants who can invest funds of at least:
- NZD $5 million in the Growth category for a minimum of 3 years, or
- NZD $10 million in the Balanced category for a minimum of 5 years.
The investments must meet the criteria for acceptable investments in the category you apply under.
The Growth category is for higher-risk investments in New Zealand businesses, including:
- managed funds
- direct investments.
The Balanced category is for mixed investments, with the ability to choose ones that are lower risk. These can include:
- direct investments
- managed funds
- listed equities
- philanthropy
- bonds
- property developments (new residential, commercial or industrial developments or existing commercial and industrial developments).
You can include your partner and dependent children in your application.
Business Investor Visa
Note
The Business Investor Work Visa will be open for applications in November 2025.
More information will be shared when available.
Business Investor Visa offers new immigration options for investors
Business Investor Work Visa
The Business Investor Work Visa lets you stay in New Zealand for up to 4 years. It offers a pathway to residence for experienced businesspeople who want to invest in and run an existing business in New Zealand.
You can include your partner and dependent children in your application and will need to demonstrate you have enough money to support yourself (and your family, if applicable) in New Zealand while you are establishing your business.
There are also additional requirements to demonstrate you will be able to effectively run the business you invest in and comply with regulatory requirements. For example, around business experience and English language.
Business Investor Resident Visa
After you have spent time in New Zealand running your business, you can apply for a Business Investor Resident Visa. The length of time you must run your business in New Zealand for, before you can apply for a Business Investor Resident Visa, depends on how much you invest.
If you invest at least:
- NZD $1 million in an existing business, you can apply for a resident visa after 3 years (standard pathway)
- NZD $2 million in an existing business, you can apply for a resident visa after 12 months (fast-track pathway).
Active Investor Plus Visa and Business Investor Work Visa comparison
The table below outlines the main differences between the Active Investor Plus Visa and the Business Investor Work Visa.
| Active Investor Plus Visa | Business Investor Work Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for |
Skilled and experienced investors with capital to help grow New Zealand businesses |
Hands-on business owners who want to actively run the business they invest in |
| Investment type and amount | The Active Investor Plus Visa requires investment in one of the following categories:
|
The Business Investor Work Visa requires an investment in an existing New Zealand business of:
Some business types or activities are excluded (for example, gambling, tobacco, fast food or franchises). The business property value is not counted in the investment total. |
| Job creation requirement | No requirement |
Must maintain 5 full-time jobs and create at least 1 new job for a New Zealand citizen or resident |
| Time in New Zealand |
For the Growth category, at least 21 days over the minimum 3-year investment period For the Balanced category, at least 105 days over the minimum 5-year investment period (which can be reduced by investing more in direct and managed fund investments) |
Must spend at least 184 days a year in New Zealand from the first day of running the business |
| Age limit | No age limit |
55 years or younger at the time of applying |
| Business experience | No requirement |
Must meet business experience requirements — more details will be available soon |
| Settlement funds | No requirement |
Must provide evidence of at least NZD $500,000 to support yourself (and your family, if applicable) in New Zealand |
| English language requirement | No requirement |
IELTS 5.0 or equivalent |
| Length of stay | Indefinitely |
Up to 4 years |
| Cost | NZD $27,470 |
NZD $12,380 |
| Requirements to qualify for residence |
The Active Investor Plus Visa is a resident visa. You can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after keeping your funds in New Zealand for:
You must have met all the conditions of your Active Investor Plus Visa (such as time in New Zealand requirements). |
You can apply for the Business Investor Resident Visa after:
You must also:
A Business Investor Resident Visa costs NZD $14,890. |
Explore visa options
Visa filter tool
Use the visa filter tool to help you choose a visa that fits your situation.
Visa lookup
You can find a visa directly from the ‘Visa lookup’ search field found in the footer on each page.
Simply start to type a visa name or key word such as 'work' and a list of visas that match your search will appear. You can then select the visa you would like to view.