Auckland

Auckland is an amazing city and if you want to retire over there you can enjoy – gorgeous scenery, neighbourhoods packed with cafes and galleries and a relaxed, safe lifestyle. Unfortunately, New Zealand does not have a specific “Retiree” immigration category and does not encourage immigrants to come to the country and want to retire. This is because New Zealand is far more interested in immigrants who will add to the country’s work force than those who may take resources from the country.

If you are aged 66 and over then you have a few options; the Parent Retirement Category, the Temporary Retirement Category or the Investor Plus Category. If you are aged 65 or under, then you may be able to retire to New Zealand via the Investor Category or the Investor Plus Category.

Parent Retirement Category

• Requirements: Must meet standard health and character requirements.
• Must have an adult child living in NZ who is either a permanent resident or citizen.
• Your family centre of gravity must be in NZ.
• You must transfer funds/assets of at least NZ$1 million for investment funds, NZ$0.5 million for settlement funds and when you apply must be earning an annual income of at least NZ$60,000.
• If approved for a visa, you must keep your investment funds in an approved investment in NZ for a minimum of 4 years after moving here.

If you meet the requirements above and want to apply so that you can join your children in New Zealand, you need to complete the form Parent Retirement Category Residence Application (INZ 1170) PDF.

For every person included in the application you must provide:

• two passport-size photographs
• photocopies of the identity pages of their passport
• a full birth certificate
• a completed medical and chest X-ray certificate
• a completed police certificate
• if coming with a partner – partnership evidence is required proving a stable relationship for at least 12 months
• evidence of adult child’s NZ immigration status, which can be original or certified copies of their valid NZ passport, their Certificate of NZ Citizenship, a recent official statement confirming their citizenship from the Department of Internal Affairs, their NZ birth certificate, a current New Zealand residence permit or residence class visa or New Zealand returning resident’s visa in their passport, or a valid Australian passport
• evidence your adult child is actually residing in NZ – original or certified copies of correspondence (including post-marked envelopes) addressed to you from NZ, employment references, rates demands, income tax returns, mortgage documents, or documents showing household effects have been moved to NZ
• evidence of your family’s NZ ‘centre of gravity’
• evidence of the relationship between you and your children – original or certified copies of birth certificates, household registration documents, evidence of adoption
• evidence of where all your other children are lawfully and permanently living – original or certified copies of their passport or passport pages showing their identity and residence status, letters or other documents showing that permanent residence in another country has been granted, a passport or passport pages showing identity and citizenship, naturalisation or citizenship certificates, employment references, rates demands, income tax returns, mortgage documents, documents showing that household effects have been moved to that country, any other documents or evidence that prove they are actually living in that country
• evidence of your funds and/or assets – original or certified copies of bank books/statements, property title deeds, property valuation reports from independent registered adviser, mortgage documents showing any liability incurred on the property, share certificates, share printout reports, share trading cards, a recent statement by a registered share broker or chartered accountant that certifies the current market value of your shares and/or bonds, documents of business ownership, or financial interest in a company/business and an independent valuation of the company/business by a chartered accountant (or appropriate person), including details of any mortgages, loans, or other financial obligations, Other assets eg gold bullion need evidence of ownership, and a recent independent market valuation
• evidence of earning or acquiring funds and/or assets – you need to provide a summary of the evidence you are providing showing how it demonstrates that you earned or acquired your funds and/or assets legally. Generally acceptable evidence may include (but is not limited to) original or certified copies of personal tax returns or tax certificates, pay slips, letters of appointment, employer certificates, bank statements showing receipt of earnings, business financial statements, evidence of ownership or shareholding in the business, bank statements showing receipt of dividends, evidence of capital appreciation of property, measured as the current value (or sale price if property has been sold) less purchase price, eg solicitor’s settlement documents, bank statements showing your receipt of sale proceeds, valuation report for property currently owned, investments, bank certificates, evidence of share trading profits, probate and evidence of inheritance from a solicitor, evidence of gifting, and evidence to show that your donor earned or acquired those funds and/or assets legally.
• the suitable application fee

Temporary Retirement Category

The Temporary Retirement Category is a special type of Visitor’s Visa that is available to those aged 66 or over. The Temporary Retirement Categoryis designed for those who wish to invest in New Zealand and stay here longer than a normal visitor visa will allow and if granted the visa holder receives a 2 year multiple entry visitor visa.

Requirements:

• aged 66 years or over
• Must meet standard health and character requirements
• nominate funds and/or assets equivalent in value to at least NZ$750,000 and undertake to invest them in New Zealand for a period of two years
• demonstrate ownership of these funds and/or assets and that they have been legally earned or acquired
• transfer and place the funds and/or assets in an acceptable investment
• nominate NZ$500,000 of maintenance funds and demonstrate ownership of these funds and/or assets
• demonstrate an annual income of at least NZ$60,000
• principal applicant and any partner included in the application must meet health and character requirements
• demonstrate that they hold acceptable travel and/or health insurance
• applicants must NOT be accompanied by dependent children

If you meet the requirements and are ready to apply you will need to complete the form Temporary Retirement Category Visitor Visa Application (INZ 1172) PDF. When submitting your form you will also need to provide the following evidence:

• two passport-size photographs
• photocopies of the identity pages of the passport
• a full birth certificate
• a completed medical and chest X-ray certificate
• a completed police certificate
• if coming with a partner – partnership evidence is required proving a sable relationship for at least 12 months
• evidence of your funds and/or assets
• evidence of how you earned/acquired your funds and/or assets
• provide a summary of the evidence that you are providing, showing how this demonstrates your capability to have earned or acquired your funds and/or assets legally
• the suitable application fee

Investor Category

• Requirements: age 65 years or younger
• must meet standard health and character requirements
• minimum of three years business experience
• must invest NZ$1.5 million in approved NZ scheme for minimum of 4 years
• must have additional NZ$1 million in settlement funds
• must have an English speaking background, or an IELTS certificate, or be a competent user of English
• partner must have same level of English as principal applicant, or pre-purchase ESOL tuition
• must spend 146 days in NZ in each of the last three years of the four-year investment period

If you meet the requirements above then you can submit an Investor (Investor 2 Category) Expression of Interest (INZ 1165) PDF to start the application process. This form must be completed before you can apply for residency in New Zealand and you must provide evidence to prove that you meet the requirements stipulated:

• two passport-size photographs
• photocopies of the identity pages of the passport
• a full birth certificate
• a completed medical and chest X-ray certificate
• a completed police certificate
• evidence that you and everyone else applying to move to NZ have an English speaking background, or an IELTS Certificate which shows at least an overall band score of 5 in the IELTS General or Academic Module, or other evidence that you are competent users of English
• if coming with a partner – partnership evidence is required proving a stable relationship for at least 12 months
• evidence of your business experience
• evidence of your funds and/or assets
• evidence of earning or acquiring funds and/or assets in a legal manner
• provide a summary of the evidence that you are providing, showing how this demonstrates your capability to have earned or acquired your funds and/or assets legally
• the suitable application fee

If you’ve already submitted an EOI and you are subsequently invited to apply for residence, you will be sent an application form which you must complete and return to the Business Migration Branch within four months of the date of the letter inviting you to apply.

Investor Plus Category

A client manager is available to anyone wishing to apply under the Investor Plus category. They can help you with any questions you may have and you can contact them via email at investors@dol.govt.nz.

Requirements:

• no age requirement
• must meet standard health and character requirements
• no business experience requirement
• must invest NZ$10 million in approved NZ scheme for minimum of 3 years
• no requirement for settlement funds
• no requirement for English language skills
• no requirement for accompanying family members to have English language skills
• must spend 73 days in NZ in each of the last two years of the three-year investment period

You do not need to submit an Expression of Interest if applying via the Investor Plus category. If you meet the requirements listed above and wish to apply for residency in NZ, you will need to complete and submit an Investor Plus (Investor 1 Category) Application for Residence (INZ 1163) PDF and you must provide verifiable documentary evidence at the same time as you submit your form.

• two passport-size photographs
• photocopies of the identity pages of the passport
• a full birth certificate
• a completed medical and chest X-ray certificate
• a completed police certificate
• evidence of your funds and/or assets
• evidence of earning or acquiring funds and/or assets in a legal manner
• provide a summary of the evidence that you are providing, showing how this demonstrates your capability to have earned or acquired your funds and/or assets legally
• the suitable application fee

You may submit your application through your local Immigration New Zealand branch and it will be transferred to the Business Migration Branch, or you can send the application directly to the Business Migration Branch at:

Business Migration Branch
PO Box 3705
Wellington
New Zealand