Apply for consent
Pathways for migrants and visa holders
One home to live in
This pathway is for people who want to buy one home in New Zealand to live in.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Buying or building one home to live in.
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Complete the Commitment to Reside statutory declaration.
$5 million plus house
This pathway is for qualifying investor visa holders to buy or build a residential dwelling for more than $5 million
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Investing in residential land over $5 million
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Arrange payment of your application fee
Intention to reside
This pathway is for people who are intending to move to New Zealand indefinitely and want to invest in sensitive land.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Investing in land if you are planning to live in New Zealand.
- Complete the Application form and Intention to reside form
- Ask the vendor to complete the residency-based Vendor Information Form
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Arrange payment of your lodgement or application fee
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a consent application
Pathways for business
Primary consent for business and land
This pathway is for people and entities who want to invest in New Zealand securities, assets, or businesses valued at more than $100 million.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Primary consent for business and land
- Complete the application form: Application form
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Fill in the Tax information form if the investment includes significant business assets
- Arrange payment of your application fee
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a consent application
Production forestry
This pathway is for people and entities who wish to buy forestry land and continue to operate it with existing arrangements remaining in place.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Investing in forestry and forestry rights.
- Complete the application form: Application form
- Complete the one-off forestry investment plan: Production Forestry Investment plan
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Arrange payment of your application fee
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a consent application
Residential land development – one-off consent
This pathway is for people or entities wanting to increase the supply of housing, invest in a business that uses land for non-residential purposes or invest in business that uses land incidentally for residential purposes.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Investing in residential land to develop
- Complete the application form: Application form
- Complete the one-off residential land development investment plan: Investment plan: Residential land development (one-off consent)
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Arrange payment of your lodgement or application fee
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a consent application
Residential land development – standing consent
This pathway is for people or entities wanting to increase the supply of housing, invest in a business that uses land for non-residential purposes or invest in business that uses land incidentally for residential purposes.
Before applying for a standing consent, you must have a pre-application meeting with us. Pre-application meeting
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Investing in residential land to develop
- Complete the application form: Application form
- Complete the standing consent residential land development investment plan: Investment plan: Residential land development (standing consent)
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Arrange payment of your lodgement or application fee
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a standing consent application
Benefit to New Zealand test (general or farm land)
This pathway is for people and entities who want to invest in sensitive land who can show that their investment will, or is likely to, benefit New Zealand.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Investing in land to provide a benefit to New Zealand
- Complete the application form: Application form
- Complete the benefit to New Zealand investment plan: Investment plan: benefit to New Zealand test
- Ask the vendor to complete the sensitive land Vendor Information Form
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Arrange payment of your lodgement or application fee:
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a consent application
Benefit to New Zealand, including a significant business asset
This pathway is for people and entities wanting to invest in a significant business asset that will result in the investor having an interest in sensitive land, such as the land a factory is on.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: See Investing in land to provide a benefit to New Zealand and Investing in significant business assets
- Complete the application form: Application form
- Complete the benefit to New Zealand investment plan: Investment plan: benefit to New Zealand test
- Ask the vendor to complete the sensitive land Vendor Information form
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Fill in the Tax information form
- Arrange payment of your lodgement fee
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a consent application
Apartments off the plans
This pathway is for people or entities who want to buy apartments off the plans as investments and not live in them.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are applying for the correct consent: Investing in apartments
Complete the Apartment off the plan application form:
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
- Have all your other information ready: Information required for a consent application
Fishing quota
This pathway is for people or entities who want to acquire fishing quota or an interest in fishing quota. You can’t apply online for a fishing quota. If you want to apply under this pathway, contact us.
Consents and conditions
Examples of consents and guidance
Section 2 of the consent application form requires you to provide information which we will use to draft your consent. Your answers must accurately reflect the overseas investment transaction(s) that require consent.
Please review our consent examples and guidance to assist you in completing section 2 of your application.
Standard conditions of consent and special conditions for forestry
Your consent will be subject to either the standard conditions of consent or the primary consent standard conditions and may also be subject to further special conditions of consent. You must confirm in your application that you are able to comply with the relevant standard conditions of consent for the relevant pathway.
Standard conditions of consent apply to all applications which must meet the investor test, other than the one home to live in pathway. Primary consent standard conditions apply to all applications under the primary consent pathway.
If you are applying for consent to acquire sensitive land used for production forestry you must also confirm that you are able to comply with the production forestry standard and special conditions.
Apply for a variation
Variation
You can apply to change the wording of an existing consent, vary special conditions (including time extensions to comply with conditions) or revoke conditions of consent where consent would no longer be required. If you are seeking a variation to an exemption that was granted, contact us before you apply.
Contact the Overseas Investment Office
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are able to apply for a variation: Variations of consent or conditions
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
Have all your other information ready:
Apply for an exemption
Discretionary
In certain circumstances, you can seek exemption from the requirement for consent. Legislation limits the power to grant discretionary exemptions and in many cases a consent application will be more appropriate. If you are seeking an exemption, contact us about it before you apply online.
Contact the Overseas Investment Office
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are able to apply for an exemption: Discretionary exemptions
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
Prepare a signed Discretionary Exemption application form:
Farm land advertising
You may apply for an exemption from the farm land offer criterion under section 20.
Overseas Investment Act 2005 section 20
If you are seeking an exemption, contact us about it before you apply online.
Contact the Overseas Investment Office
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are eligible for an exemption: Exemption from farm land advertising requirements
Check you have the required documentation to submit an application:
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
Complete the signature for application for exemption form:
Large apartment
Developers constructing large apartment developments can apply for an exemption certificate, which allows them to sell up to 60% of the apartments in the development to overseas people as investment properties. The overseas people do not need to apply for consent to buy these apartments.
Pre-application checklist:
- Check the eligibility criteria: Exemption certificates for large residential developments
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
Complete the exemption certificate application form:
National interest – non-New Zealand government investor
You can seek an exemption from the definition of non-New Zealand government investor for the purposes of section 20A of the Act. The power to grant these exemptions is entirely discretionary. If you are seeking an exemption, contact us about it before you apply online.
Contact the Overseas Investment Office
Pre-application checklist:
- Check that you are able to apply for an exemption: Exemption from the definition of non-New Zealand government investor
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
Prepare a signed non-New Zealand government investor exemption application form:
Apply – exemption from definition of non-New Zealand government investor
Apply for standalone investor approval
Standalone investor test
The standalone investor test is used to assess your suitability as an investor before you make an investment application.
Pre-application checklist:
- Read about the standalone investor test: Standalone investor test
- Complete the required statutory declarations Prepare a statutory declaration
Complete the applicant signature form
Have all your other information ready: