Country guide
Buying property in New Zealand as a foreigner
Rules last checked 29 October 2026 · 15 official sources · Education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice.
New Zealand treats residential land as sensitive land, so overseas persons generally need consent to buy it, while New Zealand citizens, ordinarily resident residence class visa holders, and Australian and Singaporean citizens buying residential or lifestyle land that is not sensitive for another reason need none. People on temporary visas or with no visa cannot buy a home to live in.
What are you doing with New Zealand?
Returns after tax, what is withheld, and the way out.
In New Zealand an overseas buyer who needs consent pays a fee of NZD 2,040, or NZD 16,900 for residential land that is also sensitive land; investor visa holders buying a home above NZD 5 million pay NZD 2,040 or NZD 3,500. Details
New Zealand councils charge yearly rates calculated from their valuation of the property. Rates differ by council, and there is no single national rate. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- Can I borrow locally?Not confirmed yet
Lending to a buyer living abroad is limited in many countries and the loan to value limit can be lower.
- Can I move the money out of my own country?Depends on your country
Some countries cap or review money sent abroad to buy a home, and banks ask where the money came from.
- What do I report at home?Depends on your country
Foreign property, foreign accounts and foreign rent can each carry a form in the owner's own country.
- What is changing soon?Answered below
From 6 March 2026 the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Act applies to consent applications received on or after that date, and Active Investor Plus, Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa holders can seek consent for a home above NZD 5 million.
Whether a purchase gives a right to live there, and what living there costs in tax.
New Zealand's Active Investor Plus visa is open, with a Growth category of at least NZD 5 million over 36 months and a Balanced category of at least NZD 10 million over 60 months; a home bought under the NZD 5 million home pathway does not count towards the requirement. Details
New Zealand treats residential land as sensitive land, so overseas persons generally need consent to buy it, while New Zealand citizens, ordinarily resident residence class visa holders, and Australian and Singaporean citizens buying residential or lifestyle land that is not sensitive for another reason need none. Details
In New Zealand an overseas buyer who needs consent pays a fee of NZD 2,040, or NZD 16,900 for residential land that is also sensitive land; investor visa holders buying a home above NZD 5 million pay NZD 2,040 or NZD 3,500. Details
New Zealand councils charge yearly rates calculated from their valuation of the property. Rates differ by council, and there is no single national rate. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- Does buying give me the right to live there?Answered below
New Zealand's Active Investor Plus visa is open, with a Growth category of at least NZD 5 million over 36 months and a Balanced category of at least NZD 10 million over 60 months; a home bought under the NZD 5 million home pathway does not count towards the requirement.
- What happens if I die, or the family inherits?Answered below
New Zealand has no inheritance or estate duty (estate duty was abolished in 1992) and gift duty was abolished for gifts made on or after 1 October 2011.
- Can I move the money out of my own country?Depends on your country
Some countries cap or review money sent abroad to buy a home, and banks ask where the money came from.
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- What is changing soon?Answered below
From 6 March 2026 the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Act applies to consent applications received on or after that date, and Active Investor Plus, Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa holders can seek consent for a home above NZD 5 million.
Part year stays, the yearly bill, and what the family inherits.
New Zealand treats residential land as sensitive land, so overseas persons generally need consent to buy it, while New Zealand citizens, ordinarily resident residence class visa holders, and Australian and Singaporean citizens buying residential or lifestyle land that is not sensitive for another reason need none. Details
New Zealand councils charge yearly rates calculated from their valuation of the property. Rates differ by council, and there is no single national rate. Details
New Zealand's Active Investor Plus visa is open, with a Growth category of at least NZD 5 million over 36 months and a Balanced category of at least NZD 10 million over 60 months; a home bought under the NZD 5 million home pathway does not count towards the requirement. Details
In New Zealand an overseas buyer who needs consent pays a fee of NZD 2,040, or NZD 16,900 for residential land that is also sensitive land; investor visa holders buying a home above NZD 5 million pay NZD 2,040 or NZD 3,500. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- Does buying give me the right to live there?Answered below
New Zealand's Active Investor Plus visa is open, with a Growth category of at least NZD 5 million over 36 months and a Balanced category of at least NZD 10 million over 60 months; a home bought under the NZD 5 million home pathway does not count towards the requirement.
- What happens if I die, or the family inherits?Answered below
New Zealand has no inheritance or estate duty (estate duty was abolished in 1992) and gift duty was abolished for gifts made on or after 1 October 2011.
- What is owed every year, even if the home sits empty?Answered below
New Zealand councils charge yearly rates calculated from their valuation of the property. Rates differ by council, and there is no single national rate.
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- Can I move the money out of my own country?Depends on your country
Some countries cap or review money sent abroad to buy a home, and banks ask where the money came from.
What is owed each year, on rent and on a sale, and what the heirs face.
New Zealand councils charge yearly rates calculated from their valuation of the property. Rates differ by council, and there is no single national rate. Details
In New Zealand an overseas buyer who needs consent pays a fee of NZD 2,040, or NZD 16,900 for residential land that is also sensitive land; investor visa holders buying a home above NZD 5 million pay NZD 2,040 or NZD 3,500. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- What do I report at home?Depends on your country
Foreign property, foreign accounts and foreign rent can each carry a form in the owner's own country.
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- What happens if I die, or the family inherits?Answered below
New Zealand has no inheritance or estate duty (estate duty was abolished in 1992) and gift duty was abolished for gifts made on or after 1 October 2011.
- What happens when I sell?Answered below
New Zealand has no general capital gains tax, but profit on residential property sold within the 2 year bright line period (sales on or after 1 July 2024) is taxable, and an offshore seller has residential land withholding tax deducted at settlement of at most 10% of the sale price.
- What is changing soon?Answered below
From 6 March 2026 the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Act applies to consent applications received on or after that date, and Active Investor Plus, Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa holders can seek consent for a home above NZD 5 million.
Who may buy
Choose a nationality to see the rules that apply to it.
Every rule, for every buyer
| Buyer | Property | Reading | Conditions | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens of New Zealand | residential | Open | New Zealand citizens can buy residential land without consent, whether or not they live in New Zealand. | |
| Everyone else, living there | residential | Open | Residence class visa holders who are ordinarily resident can buy without consent. Ordinarily resident means a residence class visa, at least 12 months of residence in New Zealand counted back from signing, and more than 183 days of physical presence in the last 12 months. | |
| Citizens of Australia and Singapore | residential | Open |
| |
| Everyone else (not New Zealand, Australia and Singapore), living elsewhere | residential | Approval needed |
| |
| Everyone else (not New Zealand), living elsewhere | residential | Conditions apply |
| from 6 March 2026 |
| Everyone else (not New Zealand), living elsewhere | residential | Not allowed |
| from 22 October 2018 |
| Citizens of Australia, living elsewhere | business assets | Conditions apply |
| from 1 January 2026 until 31 December 2026 |
| Nationals of NZ FTA TYPE1 ENTITIES and EU member states (not Australia), living elsewhere | business assets | Conditions apply | Type 1 investors under New Zealand's trade agreements (CPTPP members Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, plus Korea, the European Union, Taiwan as a separate customs territory and PACER Plus members) face a NZD 200 million threshold for significant business assets. Hong Kong, China and the United Arab Emirates investors get the same threshold only in listed service sectors. | |
| Everyone else (not New Zealand, Australia, NZ FTA TYPE1 ENTITIES and EU member states), living elsewhere | business assets | Conditions apply | The default threshold for significant business assets is NZD 100 million when no alternative threshold applies. | |
| Everyone else | Any property | Restricted |
|
What it costs to buy
Overseas Investment Office consent fee (residential land, non sensitive)
- Rate
NZD 2,040 standard consent; NZD 16,900 for residential and otherwise sensitive land
- Extra for a foreign buyer
Payable only by overseas persons needing consent
Consent fee, investor visa pathway for homes over NZD 5 million
- Rate
NZD 2,040 where an existing dwelling is bought above NZD 5 million; NZD 3,500 in all other cases
- Extra for a foreign buyer
Payable only by qualifying investor visa holders
Retrospective consent penalty
- Rate
NZD 5,000 for property under NZD 2 million; NZD 10,000 at NZD 2 million or more
- Extra for a foreign buyer
Overseas persons only
Time and process limits for consent
- Rate
- Standard consent for residential land that is not otherwise sensitive: up to 10 working days; for residential and otherwise sensitive land: up to 30 working days.
- For the investor visa home pathway LINZ aims to decide within 5 working days, with a statutory timeframe of 15 working days.
- Pre approval for auction purchases lasts up to a year.
- Extra for a foreign buyer
Overseas persons needing consent only
What an owner pays each year
Council rates
- Rate
- Local councils charge rates on a property.
- The council calculates them from its valuation of the property (rateable, government or council valuation), and they differ by council.
- There is no single national rate.
Rent from the property
Tax on rent
- Owner living elsewhere
- Rental income earned in New Zealand is taxable and is included in a New Zealand return, with records kept for claimed expenses.
- Individual income tax rates from 1 April 2025 are 10.5% to NZD 15,600, 17.5% to NZD 53,500, 30% to NZD 78,100, 33% to NZD 180,000 and 39% above.
- Non resident withholding tax may need to be deducted where the property was financed with certain overseas debt.
- Filing
A non resident individual return (IR3NR) reports ongoing New Zealand income; residential property rental income and expenses are reported in the residential property section of that return.
Key numbers (5)
| Individual income tax rate, band starting NZD 0from 1 April 2025 | 10.5% |
|---|---|
| Individual income tax rate, band starting NZD 15601from 1 April 2025 | 17.5% |
| Individual income tax rate, band starting NZD 53501from 1 April 2025 | 30% |
| Individual income tax rate, band starting NZD 78101from 1 April 2025 | 33% |
| Individual income tax rate, band starting NZD 180001from 1 April 2025 | 39% |
Selling
Tax on a sale
- Owner living elsewhere
New Zealand has no general capital gains tax. Profit from residential property is taxable if sold within the bright line period (2 years for sales on or after 1 July 2024; 5 years for sales before that date of property acquired on or after 29 March 2018), if bought with a purpose of resale, or under the other land sale rules (pattern of dealing, business of property dealing).
- Withholding on the sale
- Residential land withholding tax (RLWT) is deducted by the conveyancer when an offshore RLWT person sells residential land within the bright line period and the purchase amount is paid or payable (deposits totalling less than 50% do not trigger it).
- Offshore RLWT persons are: individuals who are not New Zealand citizens and have no New Zealand residence class visa; New Zealand citizens continuously overseas for 3 or more years; resident visa holders continuously overseas for 12 or more months; and entities incorporated or registered outside New Zealand.
- The amount deducted is the lowest of 10% of the sale price, the gain (sale price less original purchase price) times the RLWT rate, and a third figure (sale price less rates, and for the seller's conveyancer less New Zealand registered mortgages).
- The RLWT rate is 28% for companies and incorporated clubs and societies and 39% for individuals, other non individuals and companies acting as trustees, from 1 April 2021 (33% before that date).
- Amounts exclude GST.
- No RLWT is deducted on inherited property sales by a beneficiary, transfers to an executor, or with a valid certificate of exemption.
- The seller completes an IR1101 declaration even where nothing is deducted.
- RLWT is credited against the tax on the profit.
- Exemptions
- Main home exclusion for sales on or after 1 July 2024: more than 50% of the land area used as the main home, and the person lived there as the main home for more than 50% of the bright line period (periods need not be continuous).
- It does not apply with a regular pattern of buying and selling or building and selling a main home, or when the exclusion has already been used twice in the 2 years before the sale.
- Business premises, farmland, inherited property and executors are also outside the bright line test, and rollover relief exists for some transfers.
Key numbers (4)
| RLWT rate, companies and incorporated clubs and societiesfrom 1 April 2021 | 28% |
|---|---|
| RLWT rate, individuals, other non individuals and trustee companiesfrom 1 April 2021 | 39% |
| RLWT cap as a share of the sale price | 10% |
| Share of the price paid that triggers RLWT deduction | 50% |
Inheritance and gifts
Inheritance and gift tax
- Summary
New Zealand has no inheritance or estate duty (estate duty was abolished in 1992) and gift duty was abolished for gifts made on or after 1 October 2011.
From your country
The country of the property is only half of it. The country where you live can limit the money you send, tax the same rent and gain again, and ask for forms of its own.
Choose where you live to see what your own country does when you buy in New Zealand.
Residence through property
Active Investor Plus visa
- Threshold
- Growth category: at least NZD 5 million over 36 months (at least 21 days in New Zealand as a resident visa holder, reducible).
- Balanced category: at least NZD 10 million over 60 months (at least 105 days).
- Under the Balanced category new residential, commercial or industrial developments qualify; existing residential property is not listed.
- A home bought under the NZD 5 million home pathway does not count towards the requirement.
- Investor 1 and Investor 2 applications are no longer accepted.
- Immigration New Zealand states an average of 36 working days to approve an application (page updated 28 October 2026) and that 80% of approvals in principle issue within 11 weeks.
- Status
open
Key numbers (2)
| Active Investor Plus, Growth category minimum | NZD 5,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Active Investor Plus, Balanced category minimum | NZD 10,000,000 |
The usual steps, in order
- Check the buyer category: New Zealand citizen, ordinarily resident residence class visa holder, Australian or Singaporean citizen or permanent resident, investor visa holder, or other overseas person.
- Check the land category on the District Valuation Roll (residential, lifestyle) and whether the land is sensitive for another reason, such as being next to a beach, lake, reserve or on an island.
- Gather the documents consent uses: identity and visa details, the agreement or offer, the price, a statutory declaration, and for companies or trusts the ownership and control chain.
- Where consent is needed, obtain it before signing, tendering or bidding, or make the agreement conditional on consent; auction purchases need pre approval, which lasts one year.
- Pay the consent fee and meet conditions such as moving in within about 3 months or completing a build within 3 years.
- Settle the purchase and notify LINZ as the consent requires.
- Report rental income in a New Zealand return each year and keep expense records for 7 years.
- On a sale within the bright line period by an offshore RLWT person, complete the IR1101 declaration; the conveyancer deducts RLWT at settlement and the amount is claimed against the tax on the profit.
What is changing
- From 6 March 2026 the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Act applies to consent applications received on or after that date, and Active Investor Plus, Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa holders can seek consent for a home above NZD 5 million.
- As read on 29 October 2026, Inland Revenue lists replacement double tax agreements with Australia and the Netherlands as under negotiation, with no date given.
- From 1 January each year the consent threshold for significant business assets held by non government Australian investors is adjusted, and it is NZD 676 million from 1 January 2026.
Questions people ask
What if I am a foreign citizen with no New Zealand visa and want to buy a house?
People with no visa or only temporary visas cannot buy a home to live in. Residential land is sensitive land and consent is needed for most other routes.
What if I am an Australian citizen?
Australian citizens can buy land categorised as residential or lifestyle without consent, provided it is not sensitive for another reason. Consent is needed in some cases, such as land that is residential and otherwise sensitive when the citizen is not yet ordinarily resident.
What if I am a Singaporean national?
Singaporean citizens are treated the same way as Australian citizens for residential and lifestyle land. Singaporean permanent residents need to be ordinarily resident.
What if I hold an Active Investor Plus visa and want a home?
Since 6 March 2026 holders of Active Investor Plus, Investor 1 and Investor 2 visas can seek consent for a home over NZD 5 million, for a fee of NZD 2,040 or NZD 3,500, generally decided in about 5 working days. The home does not count towards the visa investment requirement.
What if I buy without the required consent?
Retrospective consent carries a penalty of NZD 5,000 or NZD 10,000, depending on the price, and false statements can be fined up to NZD 300,000. Consent can also be refused.
What if I sell a property within two years while living overseas?
For sales on or after 1 July 2024 the bright line period is 2 years. Residential land withholding tax is deducted at settlement from an offshore seller: the lowest of 10% of the price, the gain times 39% for individuals (28% for companies) and a third figure based on the price less rates and mortgages. It is credited when the profit is reported.
What if I leave property to a child in New Zealand?
New Zealand has no inheritance tax or gift duty. Selling inherited property does not trigger residential land withholding tax for a beneficiary.
What if I become a resident later?
Residence class visa holders who have lived in New Zealand at least 12 months and been present over 183 days in the last 12 months count as ordinarily resident and can buy without consent.
What if the main home is sold within two years?
The bright line test does not apply to a main home when more than 50% of the land was used as the main home and the owner lived there for more than 50% of the bright line period, unless there is a regular pattern of such sales or the exclusion was already used twice in the previous 2 years.
What if a business buys New Zealand assets from abroad?
Significant business assets need consent above NZD 100 million by default, NZD 200 million for trade agreement partner investors and NZD 676 million for non government Australian investors in 2026, when the investor is an overseas registered entity.
What is still open
These points could not be confirmed from an official source yet, so they are not stated as rules.
- The council rates and any land taxes a non resident owner pays could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
- Stamp duty, GST on new homes, and legal and registration costs could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
- Whether an overseas beneficiary needs consent to take ownership of residential land by inheritance could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
- The reported Active Investor Plus changes from 28 September 2026 are not stated as a rule because only secondary sources describe them.
- Whether the same individual income tax scale applies to every non resident on New Zealand rent could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
- The consent thresholds for non residential sensitive land, such as large rural blocks, foreshore and islands, could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
- The borrowing terms for non resident buyers, including any Reserve Bank loan to value treatment by residency, could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
- Bank account opening, exchange controls and anti money laundering requirements for overseas buyers could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
Sources
See what this does to your own numbers
Add a property in New Zealand next to everything else you own, and see the income and net worth that follow after tax, year by year.
Free to start. No card. Rules checked 29 October 2026.
This is education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules change and depend on the buyer's own facts. Advice from a licensed professional in the country concerned is what settles a particular purchase.