New Zealand Digital Nomad Visa: How To Work Remotely In New Zealand?

With digital nomadism transforming the corporate life, multiple countries are offering visa provisions. Opening doors for digital nomads to explore and earn side-by-side.

Now, popular digital nomad destinations— Spain, Colombia, Italy, and Germany —readily provide digital nomad visas.

Allowing remote employees the golden ticket to enjoy new cultures and earn through foreign work.

But then come countries like Australia and New Zealand. Although they do not have official digital nomad visas, they offer a Visitor Visa, which comes with similar provisions.

Now, the provisions and permit rules of New Zealand’s Visitor Visa have recently been updated. Encouraging more and more digital nomads to join its expat community.

So, if you, too, have been eyeing New Zealand as a dream place to become a digital nomad. I have brought you the perfect guide.

In this blog, I will explore the diverse aspects of the New Zealand Digital Nomad Visa by focusing on—

• Its basic provisions and benefits,
• Eligibility criteria and document requirements,
• Process to apply for the visa, some common tips, and more.

So, come dive right in!

What Is The New Zealand Digital Nomad Visa?

Before starting, let me clarify that New Zealand has no official digital nomad visas.

That is, it offers only Visitor Visas to remote workers, which come with provisions similar to any digital nomad visa.

So, under this Visitor Visa, digital nomads can legally work for foreign companies and overseas clients for either 6 months or 9 months while staying in New Zealand.

Moreover, the visa allows the worker to bring their immediate family members.

For instance, they can bring their spouse or legal partner, minor children, and any dependent adults with this Visitor Visa.

Additionally, this visa also provides tax relaxation. That is, New Zealand exempts the worker from any kind of taxation policies.

So, they can reside in the country without being part of the tax residents.

What New Zealand Visa Options Can Remote Workers Use?

Since there are no official digital nomad visas in New Zealand, remote workers can choose from its existing visa options. So, some of these visa options include—

1. Visitor Visa (NZeTA)

Firstly, the NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) or the Visitor Visa is the primary visa that is updated with consideration of bringing remote workers into the expat community.

So, it offers an initial stay permit of 90 days. But the tenure can be extended from 6 months to 9 months at most.

So, it allows remote employees to temporarily stay in New Zealand and work remotely for foreign companies and clients.

2. Working Holiday Visa

Apart from the Visitor Visa, New Zealand offers the Working Holiday Visa to remote workers to work for both local and remote companies during the holiday season.

That is, the workers can keep 20% of the work from local employment and the rest 80% from the foreign companies. So, they can combine the sources of their income.

Moreover, the workers need to be between 18 to 30/35 years of age to live and start working with this visa. So, it encourages young digital nomads to come to New Zealand.

3. Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

Finally, AEWV is not exactly a digital nomad visa. Rather, it is a migratory visa.

That is, it is provided under the sponsorship of any New Zealand company. Securing the pathway for citizenship, migration, and long-term residency in New Zealand.

What Are The Eligibility Criteria For The New Zealand Digital Nomad Visa?

Given that there is no official digital nomad visa in New Zealand, the eligibility criteria for the Visitor Visa are usually considered. So, here are the eligibility criteria—

1. Eligible Countries Or Nationalities

Firstly, the NZeTA allows most globally recognized countries and nationalities to avail the visa provisions.

That is, the remote worker needs to be from any globally recognized countries to be eligible for the Visitor Visa.

2. Remote Work Permissions

Moreover, the remote employees are only allowed to work for foreign companies and clients.

So, unless they have the Working Holiday Visa, they are forbidden to get employment under the local businesses or any NZ entity.

3. Minimum Monthly Income

Unlike most digital nomad visas, there is no dedicated amount mentioned as the minimum income requirement to apply for the Visitor Visa.

But the workers need to show sufficient funds and stable income streams to support their livelihood.

4. Health And Character Checks

Finally, the New Zealand government will provide authorities to conduct a thorough health and character check upon the arrival of the workers.

This is a standard condition for the Visitor Visa approval process.

What Are The Document Requirements For The Digital Nomad Visa Of New Zealand?

Now, before applying for the Visitor Visa or Working Holiday Visa, you need to keep some documents ready. So, some of these documents include—

• Valid Passport: Firstly, the workers need to provide a valid passport with at least 3 months of validity from the date of leaving New Zealand.
• Remote Work Documents: Moreover, they need to provide the foreign employment documents, client project deals, and overseas company contracts to prove their remote work.
• Health Insurance: Additionally, they need to have an international health insurance that covers most medical treatments and hospital facilities.
• Health Reports: Also, they should provide a stable and healthy check-up record to ensure they have no terminal illness or communicable diseases.
• Proof of Funds: Moreover, they need to provide bank statements, monthly payslips, and transaction history to prove they have sufficient funds.
• Return Ticket: Also, the return ticket from New Zealand with the specific mention of the date should be provided.
• Character Certificate: In addition to this, the remote workers need to provide a character certificate or a clean criminal record from their local police stations.
• Relationship Proof for Family Members: Finally, if they are bringing their family members, they need to provide the relationship proof with each member.

How To Apply For The New Zealand Digital Nomad Visa?

Now, the process of applying for the Visitor Visa of New Zealand is quite easy. So, here is the step-by-step guide on its application process—

• Firstly, you need to collect all the required documents, even the health records and character certificates.
• Then, you can either visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office or go to the New Zealand Immigration website.
• After that, click on the ‘Apply Online’ option and fill out the application form with your personal details.
• Then, attach all the essential documents to the application form and pay the fees to submit the form successfully.
• After that, you have to wait for around 2 to 4 weeks to get confirmation or approval of your visa.
• Finally, once you get the approval, you can collect your e-Visa from the website or the original one from the Ministry office.

Remember, applying for the visa requires more guts and less money. And, now that New Zealand has simplified its Visitor Visa provisions, what’s the wait for?

Take this chance to get your digital nomad visa and explore the cultural hub of New Zealand while earning from overseas clients!

FAQs

Here, I have brought you a complete list of all the common questions on the digital nomad visa of New Zealand that most remote workers look for.