Do you want to live in New Zealand during your retirement years?
Find out how you can retire to New Zealand.
New Zealand is famous for its beautiful natural landscapes, pleasant climate, relaxed lifestyle and overall quality of life.
There are many good reasons why New Zealand has traditionally been very popular with retirees from all over the world looking to move overseas.
"New Zealand is fantastic! Everything we hoped for: good weather, friendly people and a lot of opportunities!"
At New Zealand Immigration Concepts we are receiving increasing numbers of inquiries from all over the world from people who are seeking the unique lifestyle New Zealand has to offer and who have either reached their retirement age or are simply ready to retire from their professional careers.
If you want to live in New Zealand as a retiree, you will need a visa that will allow you to follow that dream.
While the age limit for the most popular immigration policy, the Skilled Migrant Category, is 56 years and will involve finding employment in New Zealand, there are several options for migrants of any age who choose not to work once they have moved to New Zealand.
Which visa option will work best for you depends on whether you intend to come to New Zealand temporarily or permanently, and whether you have children who reside in our country. It also depends on the level of investment funds you have available.
If you have a child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident living in New Zealand and who is going to support your visa application, you might be able to obtain a resident visa under the Parent Policy.
The Parent Retirement Category is a genuine residence policy. This visa will allow you to stay indefinitely.
An investment of NZ$1,000,000 is required under this policy.
You also need to demonstrate that you have an additional amount of NZ$ 500,000 in so-called Settlement Funds, an annual income of at least NZ$60,000 and comprehensive health or travel insurance.
Important news for parents: New Zealand has announced the Parent Boost Visa, a new long-term visitor visa, allowing parents to spend more time with their families in New Zealand.
The purpose of this visa is to help unite families and enhance New Zealand’s appeal to highly skilled migrants. This is a temporary visa.
It is also worth noting that more EOIs will be selected from the Parent Resident Visa ballot pool!
From 1 July 2025, significantly more expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Parent Resident Visa will be selected from the ballot, as the queue of EOIs received prior to October 2019 has almost been cleared.
Close to 2,500 people from the EOI ballot pool are expected to apply for residence in this financial year, up from 500 in previous years.
The next Parent Resident Visa category ballot draw takes place in August 2025.
To be included, people must submit their EOI by 31 July 2025.
This is a great opportunity for families who have been waiting for this announcement.
Read more about visas for parents of New Zealand residents and citizens.
If you do not have a child living in New Zealand, the Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa might be an option for you.
To be eligible for a Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa you must be 66 years or older and you have to invest NZ$750,000.
In addition to the initial investment, you must provide evidence that you have further funds equivalent to NZ$500,000 as Settlement Funds available to you.
Furthermore, you must demonstrate an annual income of at least NZ$60,000 and have comprehensive health or travel insurance.
The Temporary Retirement Category provides an extended visitor visa for two years.
If you hold a Temporary Retirement Visa, you need to apply for a further Temporary Retirement Visa after two years. The subsequent visa will be granted under the provision that you still meet policy provisions when the application is submitted.
The downside of this visa is, that it will not give you peace of mind in the long run, as the policy, your health or financial situation might change over the years and you might then no longer be eligible for a visa.
Our Senior Licensed Immigration Adviser Dr. Carsten Hallwass points out:
"There is no guarantee that you will be able to remain in New Zealand indefinitely on a Temporary Retirement Visa.
"An extended visitor visa under the Temporary Retirement Category can theoretically roll over in perpetuity: two years after two years after two years, but it is not future proof.
On a positive note: These settlement funds can remain where they are, they don’t have to be moved to New Zealand. For example: A house in your home country can be nominated as settlement funds, but does not have to be sold for this purpose."
If you are seeking the unique lifestyle New Zealand has to offer but do not qualify for one of the two above dedicated Retirement Categories, you might be able to retire to New Zealand as investor or entrepreneur.
Carsten says:
"The Active Investor Plus Category (AIPC) is a genuine investor category. It can be used as retirement vehicle, if you have funds between NZ$ 5 and 15 mio available.
Now the options are either a Residence Visa for between NZ$ 5 and 15 mio (AIPC), or an Extended Visitor Visa for two years for NZ$1.25 mio under Temporary Retirement Category. NZ$500,000 of those NZ$1.25 mio need to be settlement funds and don’t need to be invested.
An extended visitor visa under the Temporary Retirement Category is an opportunity for those whose net worth sits below the NZ$5 mio investment threshold for the AIPC.
The Entrepreneur Visa will require you to run a business in New Zealand for a number of years before you will then be able to formally retire.
Different levels of investments are required for different investor visa types. For more detailed information on the requirements of New Zealand's business and investor programs you can use our Investor and Business Category Self Assessment.
Our Senior Licensed Immigration Adviser Dr. Carsten Hallwass says:
"We have been working with our clients and their retirement migration scenarios ever since New Zealand introduced its first retirement programs.
Whether you want to retire to New Zealand to make the most of your retirement years, or join your family, New Zealand Immigration Concepts can help you to apply for the right visa.
When working with us on realising your retirement plans you can expect genuine up-front expert advice."
Do you want to find out if you can retire to New Zealand?
Please mention your wish to retire to New Zealand and give us a few more details about your plan for New Zealand in our Free Assessment form and we will contact you to arrange a time for a call with Carsten.
The great work done before has surely helped to achieve this quick positive result. NZIC are really professional and know what to do when to do it and how to do it. That is so convenient and efficient! I’m still working with them for the next steps and would like to thank them again for their help and support. Thank you. Kind Regards.
Anna was worth her weight in gold---she was fantastic at helping me format my CV and search for jobs that suited my skill set. In the end, I got a great job in a great city. Carsten and his team were very thorough and helpful when it came time to apply for and get our visas. They are now helping us with our resident visas, and I'm certain that the process will be the same. I'd recommend them highly.
NZIC guided me all the way through getting my first work visa to permanent residency. Their job seeking support was key when I first arrived in NZ, communication was always easy and clear. I'm very thankful for their help and definitely recommend their services.
Dear Jannie, just want to drop a note to thank for your everything. Your help is much appreciated! You are a wonderful and professional job search coach! I am so lucky to have you supporting me!
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