New Zealand Investor Visa: Requirements & Pathways

New Zealand's main residence-by-investment route is the Active Investor Plus Visa, which replaced the older Investor 1 and Investor 2 categories. As of the 1 April 2025 update, it runs on two categories:

• Growth category: minimum investment NZD $5 million, held for at least 3 years, in higher-risk investments such as managed funds and direct investment into New Zealand businesses.
• Balanced category: minimum investment NZD $10 million, held for at least 5 years, in a mixed portfolio that can include listed equities, bonds, managed funds and property developments.

Alongside Active Investor Plus, New Zealand also offers the Entrepreneur Work Visa and Entrepreneur Residence Visa for people actively starting or buying a business, and Parent and Temporary Retirement categories for applicants supporting family already resident in New Zealand.

Cosmos works with named CICC-registered and MARA-affiliated professionals on eligibility assessment and documentation for these routes. Initial assessments are free and confidential.

Documents typically required include:

• Evidence of source and legitimacy of investment funds
• Health report
• Biometrics
• Police clearance certificate
• Character verification
• Business or investment financial records (e.g. bank statements)

Investment thresholds and category rules are set by Immigration New Zealand and change over time — confirm current figures at immigration.govt.nz before relying on a specific number.