Policy Changes
Effective March 6, 2026, amendments to the Overseas Investment Act will allow holders of the Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa, as well as holders of the older Investor 1 and Investor 2 residency visas, to purchase one high-value residential property in New Zealand. The property must be valued at over NZ$5 million.
Previously, most investment visa holders were still classified as "overseas persons" for real estate purposes, meaning they were prohibited from purchasing residential property.
Who Is Eligible?
Active Investor Plus requires either NZ$5 million invested over three years in higher-risk investments, or NZ$10 million invested over five years in more passive investment categories.
Important: You may only purchase one residential property. This is not an opportunity to build a real estate investment portfolio.
Why This Change?
The foreign buyer ban was implemented to address housing affordability concerns, but it created an unintended barrier for wealthy families seeking to relocate and invest in New Zealand through the Golden Visa program.
In other words: New Zealand wants to attract wealthy investors, but banning them from buying property drives them elsewhere. The government therefore decided to open a narrow window for those with sufficient capital.
Important Caveats
This is one property only, not a broad reopening of residential real estate to foreign investment. It would be misleading to say "the residential property market has reopened to foreign buyers." The Active Investor Plus program only reopens a very limited portion of residential real estate to foreign capital. It does not reopen the entire residential real estate market to overseas purchasers.
Furthermore, eligible visa holders may apply for permission to purchase or construct one residential property valued at NZ$5 million or above, subject to approval under the Overseas Investment Act. In other words, approval is required—it is not automatic.
Other Benefits of New Zealand's Golden Visa
Once you obtain permanent residency, you never need to reapply—you have it for life—and this is quite unique among global golden visa programs.
The government has relaxed the foreign buyer ban, eliminated English language requirements, and reduced the time you must spend in the country. Under the Growth tier, you need only stay three weeks over three years to secure permanent residency.
