New Zealand
New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa
Also known as: AIP Visa, NZ Investor Visa, Active Investor Plus
- Min investment
- $2.9M
- Program tier
- Permanent Residency
- Program type
- Investor Visa
- Initial validity
- 99 yr
- Renewable
- Yes
- Path to PR
- Immediate
- Path to citizenship
- 5 yr
- Schengen access
- Yes
Investment options
Business Investment
$2.9MGrowth Category — NZD 5,000,000 minimum in direct investments in New Zealand businesses, managed funds focused on growth, OR equivalent qualifying investments. 3-year minimum holding period.
Business Investment
$5.8MBalanced Category — NZD 10,000,000 minimum with broader acceptable assets including bonds, listed equities, certain new residential property developments, and new/existing commercial/industrial developments. 5-year minimum holding period.
Physical presence
Path to citizenship
- Available: Yes
- Minimum years: 5
- Physical-presence years: 5
- Language test: Yes
Naturalization after 5 years of resident status, with 1,350 days of physical presence (including 240 days in last 12 months). English language, good character, intent to remain. Dual citizenship allowed.
Tax implications
- Becomes tax resident automatically: No
- Worldwide income taxed: Yes
- Territorial tax system: No
- Day-count for tax residency: 183 days
- Wealth tax: No
Tax residency at 183+ days OR permanent place of abode. Worldwide income taxed for tax residents. NZ offers a 4-year transitional resident exemption on most foreign income for new migrants. PIT progressive to 39%. No capital gains tax (except bright-line on property), no inheritance, no wealth tax. NZ does not tax foreign trusts established before residency.
Family inclusion
- Spouse: Yes
- Children under 18: Yes
- Dependent adult children: Yes
- Parents: No
Partner and dependent children under 24 included. Older dependents may apply separately. Parents not directly included on AIP — separate Parent Visa application required.
Additional fees
- Application fee: $17K
- Government fees: $17K
- Legal/agent (est.): $25K
Application fee NZD 27,470. Immigration levy applies. Legal/migration agent fees substantial (NZD 30K+). Investment advisory fees separate.
Eligibility requirements
- Age 18+
- Clean criminal record and good character (rigorous)
- Source-of-funds documentation
- Investment in accepted categories (Growth or Balanced)
- English language requirement REMOVED in April 2025 reform
Disqualifiers
- Failure to deploy investment within 6 months of visa approval
- Sanctioned nationality / adverse-character finding
- Insufficient/non-qualifying investment
Recent changes
- 2022-09
AIP replaced old Investor 1 and Investor 2 visas with stricter NZD 15M minimum and weighted categories.
- 2025-04-01
Major relaunch — minimum lowered to NZD 5M (Growth) and NZD 10M (Balanced); English language requirement removed; physical presence reduced; broader acceptable investment categories including property developments and bonds.
- 2025-12
491 applications received representing NZD 2.91B potential inflows — strong launch reception.
- 2026
AIP positioned as Anglosphere's flagship golden visa given Australia SIV closure; growing demand from US, China, South Africa.
Notes
New Zealand's April 2025 relaunch positions AIP as the Anglosphere's premier investor visa following Australia SIV closure. NZD 5M Growth tier with 21-day-per-year presence is competitively low for the asset class. NZ tax residency creates worldwide income exposure — the 4-year transitional resident exemption is the key planning vehicle. Citizenship pathway is genuine but requires real physical relocation. NZ has historically been a lifestyle/safe-haven destination for HNWIs (Peter Thiel famously); the AIP serves this segment.
EasyPassport is a document-organization tool focused on citizenship by descent. This page is reference research, not legal or financial advice. Always verify with the official program authority.