New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa

Who the Active Investor Plus Visa is for

The AIP is aimed at genuinely high-net-worth individuals who want New Zealand residence and can commit multi-million-dollar sums to active investments for several years. Since the April 2025 relaunch there is no English-language test and only a light physical-presence requirement, which makes it attractive to globally mobile investors and families who want a Pacific base without relocating full time.

• High-net-worth individuals seeking New Zealand residence by investment
• Investors comfortable with higher-risk direct/managed-fund investing (Growth) or a larger, broader portfolio (Balanced)
• Globally mobile families who cannot commit to long continuous residence
• Those who want a route with no English test and minimal required time in New Zealand

Investment options and thresholds

The Growth category requires at least NZD 5 million held for a minimum of 36 months, directed to higher-growth assets: direct investments into New Zealand businesses and approved managed growth funds. The Balanced category requires at least NZD 10 million held for a minimum of 60 months across a wider, generally lower-risk range - direct investments, managed funds, listed equities (shares), bonds, philanthropy and qualifying property developments.

Weighting rules let investors tilt their mix. Philanthropic giving can count towards a Growth investment but is capped at 20% of the total. In the Balanced category, choosing higher-impact Growth-style assets can reduce the number of days you must spend in New Zealand. Investment must be maintained (held "at risk") throughout the relevant term, with Immigration New Zealand verifying the funds are transferred, invested and sustained.

• Growth - NZD 5m+ for 36 months in direct investments and approved managed growth funds
• Balanced - NZD 10m+ for 60 months across direct investments, managed funds, listed equities, bonds, philanthropy and new property developments
• Philanthropy accepted but capped at 20% of a Growth investment
• Adding Growth-weighted assets can cut the Balanced in-country day requirement
• Funds must be transferred through the banking system and kept invested for the whole term

The property angle - why this is NOT a property visa

New Zealand deliberately excludes passive residential property from this visa. The Overseas Investment Act 2005 broadly bars overseas persons from buying existing residential homes, and simply owning a house does not count towards the AIP. The only property that can qualify is NEW development - building new residential, commercial or industrial property, or investing in existing commercial and industrial property - and only within the Balanced category.

There is a narrow, luxury-end exception outside the investment test: changes to the Overseas Investment Act allow AIP visa holders to buy or build a single home valued above NZD 5 million (a threshold that covers well under 1% of New Zealand houses). That is a residence-holder privilege, not a qualifying investment. The clear message for anyone researching "New Zealand investor visa property": treat AIP as an active-investment visa, not a way to buy New Zealand real estate.

• Existing residential homes: generally off-limits to overseas buyers (Overseas Investment Act 2005)
• Passive residential property does NOT count as an AIP investment
• Only NEW property developments (and existing commercial/industrial property) can qualify - Balanced category only
• A separate rule lets AIP visa holders buy/build one home worth over NZD 5m - a privilege, not a qualifying investment

Application process and timeline

Applications are made online to Immigration New Zealand. You submit an expression of interest and application, evidence your funds are lawfully earned or acquired, and are assessed on health, character and the investment plan. Once approved in principle you have a set window to transfer the money into New Zealand and place it in acceptable investments, after which Immigration New Zealand grades your compliance. You must keep the capital invested for the full term (36 months for Growth, 60 months for Balanced) and meet the minimum days in New Zealand, at which point residence is confirmed.

There is no English-language test and no points table since the April 2025 relaunch, which streamlined the process compared with the previous weighted regime.

• Apply online to Immigration New Zealand with a lawful source-of-funds package
• Pass health and character checks; no English test and no points table
• Transfer and place funds in acceptable investments within the allowed window
• Hold the investment for the full term and meet the minimum days in NZ
• Residence confirmed once investment and presence requirements are satisfied

What it gives you - residence, family and path to permanence

A successful AIP application grants New Zealand residence to the investor and, where included, their partner and dependent children - with the right to live, work and study in New Zealand. Meeting the modest in-country time (21 or 105 days across the term) and maintaining the investment is what secures and sustains that residence.

Over time, resident visa holders who continue to meet New Zealand's residence rules can progress towards a permanent resident visa and, ultimately, may become eligible to apply for New Zealand citizenship under the general naturalisation criteria (which include substantial physical presence) - though citizenship is a separate process, not an automatic outcome of the investment.

• New Zealand residence for the investor, partner and dependent children
• Right to live, work and study in New Zealand
• Low physical-presence requirement (21 days Growth / 105 days Balanced over the term)
• Pathway towards permanent residence and, eventually, citizenship under the general rules

Costs and fees

The dominant cost is the qualifying investment itself - NZD 5 million (Growth) or NZD 10 million (Balanced) - which is at risk in market investments, not a fee paid to the government. On top of that sit Immigration New Zealand application and immigration-levy fees, plus professional costs: legal and immigration advisers, a source-of-funds report, fund-manager or investment fees, and cross-border tax advice. Budget for the investment to be genuinely exposed to investment risk over the three- or five-year term.

• Qualifying investment: NZD 5m (Growth) or NZD 10m (Balanced), held at risk
• Immigration New Zealand application fees and immigration levy
• Legal/immigration adviser fees and a source-of-funds report
• Fund-manager and investment costs
• Cross-border tax advice on New Zealand and UK/home-country positions

Recent changes (April 2025 relaunch)

The Active Investor Plus Visa was overhauled on 1 April 2025. The reform replaced the old weighted, points-style system with the two simple Growth and Balanced categories, lowered the entry thresholds, broadened acceptable investments (adding bonds and property development to the Balanced mix while keeping equities and philanthropy), removed the English-language requirement and cut the minimum time investors must spend in New Zealand. The changes made the visa markedly more attractive and drove a large jump in applications.

A further, related development is the narrow Overseas Investment Act change letting AIP visa holders buy or build a single home worth over NZD 5 million - a targeted luxury exemption that does not alter the general ban on overseas residential purchases or make property a qualifying investment.

• 1 April 2025 relaunch: two categories (Growth and Balanced) replace the old weighted system
• Lower thresholds, broader acceptable investments (bonds and property development added to Balanced)
• English-language requirement removed; in-country time reduced
• Applications rose sharply after the changes
• Separate Overseas Investment Act change allows AIP holders to buy/build one home over NZD 5m