Application forms and information sheets

Use these forms and information sheets to prepare and submit your application.

Apply for consent

Sensitive land: Benefit to New Zealand test

This pathway is for people who want to invest in non-residential sensitive land who can show that their investment will, or is likely to, benefit New Zealand.

Pre-application checklist:

Apply - sensitive land

Sensitive land: Benefit to New Zealand, including a significant business asset

This pathway is for people 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:

Apply - sensitive land and significant business asset

Sensitive land: 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:

Apply - intention to reside

Significant business asset

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:

Apply - significant business assets

Sensitive land: Special forestry test – one-off consent

Use this pathway to purchase land to plant a forest on or to buy forestry land and continue to operate it with existing arrangements remaining in place.

Pre-application checklist:

Apply - special forestry test, one off consent

Sensitive land: Special forestry test – standing consent

Use this pathway to purchase land to plant a forest on or to buy forestry land and continue to operate it with existing arrangements remaining in place.

Note:

Before applying for a standing consent, you must have a pre-application meeting with us.

Pre-application meetings

Pre-application checklist:

Apply special forestry test, standing consent

Sensitive land: Residential land development – one-off consent

This pathway is for investors 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:

Apply - residential land development, one-off

Sensitive land: Residential land development – standing consent

This pathway is for investors 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:

Apply - residential land development, standing consent

Sensitive land: 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:

Apply - one home to live in

Sensitive land: Apartments off the plans

This pathway is for people who want to buy apartments off the plans as investments and not live in them.

Pre-application checklist:

Apply - apartments off the plans

Fishing quota

This pathway is for investors 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.

Contact the Overseas Investment Office

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:

Apply - variation

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:

Apply - discretionary exemption

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:

Apply - farm land advertising exemption

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:

Apply - exemption certificate

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:

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:

Apply – standalone investor test

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