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Residency Partners
Residency Partners

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

Residence Through Growth or Balanced Investment

Discuss this program with our team

Request a case-specific assessment before making any investment or application decision.

Request a confidential consultation

Program overview

The Active Investor Plus Visa is a residence pathway for experienced investors who commit capital to acceptable New Zealand investments. The Growth category prioritises higher-risk growth assets over three years, while the Balanced category allows a broader mix over five years.

Additional managed-fund requirements take effect on 28 September 2026. Applications should be checked against the rules in force on the filing date.

Residence Through Growth or Balanced Investment

Residency Partners

Current routes and requirements

01

NZ$5,000,000+

Growth Category

Invest in acceptable growth investments for at least 36 months.

  • Spend at least 21 days in New Zealand during the investment period.
02

NZ$10,000,000+

Balanced Category

Invest in an approved balanced portfolio for at least 60 months.

  • Spend at least 105 days in New Zealand, with possible reductions for additional growth investment.

Key eligibility requirements

  • Commit the required funds to acceptable New Zealand investments.
  • Meet health, character and fit-and-proper requirements.
  • Complete the required investment and physical-presence periods.
  • Provide evidence of lawful ownership and transfer of investment funds.

Program due diligence

Key facts before you proceed

A concise review of the rules that materially affect eligibility, cost and long-term planning. Expand the detail you need before making a commitment.

Checked against official sources

Last reviewed 2026-09-20

Availability and review status

Open

Status checked 2026-09-20

The Active Investor Plus resident visa is open with Growth (NZ$5 million/3 years) and Balanced (NZ$10 million/5 years) categories. Managed-fund eligibility changes announced for 28 September 2026 must be applied to investments made from that date.

Physical presence

Standard minimum: 21 days in New Zealand during the Growth investment period and 105 days during Balanced; additional qualifying Growth allocation can reduce the Balanced presence requirement under current rules.

Planning range — editorial estimate

Plan for approximately 6–12+ months through approval in principle, transfer/investment and final resident processing.

Family inclusion

The application can include a partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger who meet dependency/relationship, health and character rules.
Government and application costs

Nomination, fund/manager, custody, legal, tax, valuation, translation, medical and police-certificate costs are additional.

Visa application

Application

From NZ$27,470

Conditional

The exact charge depends on where/how the application is made and is generally not refunded after processing begins.

Eligibility and admissibility

No general nationality list is published, but health, character, fit-and-proper, sanctions, lawful-funds and transferability requirements apply. Immigration New Zealand may investigate the source and ownership of funds.

Official timing indication

Immigration New Zealand reports 80% of applications decided within about four months for the approval-in-principle stage/service measure.

Fund tracing, nomination/acceptability and investment transfer can extend the published service measure.

Investment, holding and exit risk

Holding requirement: Growth: maintain NZ$5 million of acceptable growth investments for 36 months. Balanced: maintain NZ$10 million of acceptable investments for 60 months, subject to permitted rebalancing and evidence rules.

Refundability and exit: Investments are not guaranteed by Immigration New Zealand. Exit depends on market/fund terms after compliance; loss and illiquidity are possible.

  • Growth assets can be volatile and illiquid.
  • An investment can cease to be acceptable under immigration rules even if commercially sound.
  • FX, manager, concentration, valuation and evidence failures can affect both capital and visa compliance.
Residence and practical rights
  • Resident status with the ability to live, work and study in New Zealand.
  • Include qualifying partner and dependent children.
  • Travel conditions apply during the investment period.
  • Eligibility for a permanent resident visa after completing the applicable investment and presence conditions.
Long-term residence, citizenship and tax

Renewal or permanent residence: This is a resident visa. After satisfying the three- or five-year investment and presence requirements, the holder can seek a permanent resident visa with indefinite travel conditions; failures can lead to variation or loss of eligibility.

Citizenship path: No investor shortcut. Citizenship requires ordinary presence over the relevant five-year period, including statutory yearly/total days, character, English and intention requirements. Minimal investor-presence days are not enough.

Tax planning: Immigration status and tax residence are separate tests. Residence days, permanent-home, centre-of-interests, controlled-company, estate and source-income rules can create liabilities. Obtain cross-border tax advice before changing residence or investing.

Official sources and review method

Editorial source review

Editorially checked against the linked official sources. This is not a local-law opinion; case-specific eligibility, fees and transaction documents must be confirmed by regulated local counsel before engagement.

Reviewed 2026-09-20

Program at a glance

Growth Category

NZ$5 million

Balanced Category

NZ$10 million

Minimum Presence

21 or 105 days

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Growth and Balanced?
Growth requires NZ$5 million for three years in growth investments. Balanced requires NZ$10 million for five years and permits a broader investment mix.
Do I need to spend time in New Zealand?
Yes. The standard minimum is 21 days for Growth and 105 days for Balanced, although extra Growth investment can reduce the Balanced presence requirement.

Residency Partners

Discuss this program with our team

Request a case-specific assessment before making any investment or application decision.

Request a confidential consultation