New Zealand Now Has a Visa for Digital Nomads—Here's How to Apply
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From skiing and surfing to hiking and stargazing, there’s no limit of things to do in the adventurer’s paradise that is New Zealand. And if we needed another reason to break free from the chains of our desks, New Zealand has just loosened its visa restrictions for remote workers.
Starting on January 27, 2025, the New Zealand Visitor Visa will allow employees who work remotely for a foreign company to live and work in New Zealand for up to 90 days. Self-employed remote workers with clients outside New Zealand can also apply. Unlike other digital nomad visas, there appears to be no minimum income requirement.
“The change will enable many visitors to extend their stays which will lead to more money being spent in the country,” New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said in a statement accompanying Monday’s announcement. “Delivering economic growth is critical to improving our quality of life, strengthening local businesses, lifting incomes, and creating opportunities for Kiwis.”
New Zealand is the latest country to use relaxed travel restrictions as a way of courting digital nomads, whose long-term stays and spending habits can provide a sustainable and lucrative tourism stream. At least 66 countries currently offer some form of a digital nomad visa, with South Korea, Italy, Japan, and Kenya launching programs within the past year.
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“Many countries offer digital nomad visas and the list is growing, so we need to keep pace to ensure New Zealand is an attractive destination for people who want to ‘workcation’ abroad,” Tourism Minister Louise Upston said. “Compared to other kinds of visitors, international remote workers have the potential to spend more time and money in New Zealand, including during the shoulder season.”
The recent changes to New Zealand's visa program doesn't actually involve the launch of a separate “digital nomad visa," but instead creates an option within the Visitor Visa category for remote work. The Visitor Visa currently permits students to study in New Zealand for up to 90 days. It also allows tourists to stay in New Zealand for up to six months (multiple entry) or nine months (single entry)—out of which 90 days can be spent engaged in remote work, per the new rule.
The new digital nomad option is only available to foreign workers with remote work based outside of New Zealand. Visitors coming to work for New Zealand employers must obtain a separate Work Visa, while those conducting business in New Zealand for foreign companies should apply for a Business Visitor Visa.
Digital nomads can apply for the new Visitor Visa online via New Zealand’s digital immigration portal. The visa fee is NZD $341 (approximately $193) and 80% of applications are processed within 3.5 weeks. Recipients may also be required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL), a $100 fee that funds various infrastructure and conservation projects.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
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