The New Zealand government announced that it is now possible for travelers to work for a foreign employer while visiting the country, something that was previously banned. Additionally, there is no minimum income requirement for such Digital Nomad Visas, as there is in other countries.

It is a move to encourage influencers and Digital Nomads to visit the country and still be able to work, without breaking the conditions of a visitor’s visa. Travelers from countries like the U.S. have the right to stay for up to six months but previously couldn’t be earning money at the same time from work carried out in the country.

New Zealand’s Digital Nomad Visa Conditions

To apply for this Digital Nomad Visa for New Zealand, you would ask for a 90-day stay and then extend it for up to nine months.

For American travelers who could previously apply for a Visitor Visa—the right to stay for six months without a full visa application—the same process applies but you can tick the box that asks for remote work as part of the process of getting a Visitor Visa.

There are certain rules that cannot be breached when holding this new visa type. You cannot work for a New Zealand employer, or provide goods or services to people or businesses in New Zealand. Nor can you earn money doing something that requires you to be physically present in a New Zealand workplace.

Your earnings are exempt from tax in New Zealand if you are being taxed elsewhere and provided you don’t stay for more than 92 (non-consecutive) days in New Zealand in a 12-month period. That means some passport holders would need to start paying tax if they extended their stay. However, Americans and others have a tax treaty with New Zealand so tax payments might not be necessary.

A Digital Nomad Visa To Restore New Zealand Tourism

The move by the New Zealand government is a bid to restore travel to pre-2019 figures—in 2024, arrivals into the country stood at around 17% less than pre-2019 figures.

While tourism is increasing as more visitors head back to the country, the lack of a visa for skilled Digital Nomads was seen as a negative, particularly for reinvigorating an economy that saw its GDP shrink more than any other developed country in 2024, as reported by The Guardian.

The idea is that these newcomers would not be competing with New Zealanders for local jobs.

Many countries used Digital Nomad Visas as a means of recovery since the pandemic and over 65 countries around the world now offer one, in various forms.

If you’re planning to visit the country for an extended working stay, you could do worse than visiting Taranaki Maunga, a mountain that was recently given rights to be recognized as a legal person.

At 2,518 meters (8,261 feet) it is the North Island’s second-highest mountain and revered by the indigenous Māori population and considered an ancestor.

As a legal personality, the mountain is called Te Kāhui Tupua and it includes the peak and its surrounding land. It will be protected by members of the local Māori iwi, or tribes, as well as members appointed by the country’s Conservation Minister. Traditional uses of the land will be reinstated but the public will still be allowed to have open access.

The New Zealand government said that these new visa changes applied to all applications received after 27 January 2025 for any Digital Nomads. This includes tourists, as well as people visiting family, and partners and guardians on long-term visitor visas.