Moving to New Zealand in 2026: Visas, Costs and Steps

Moving to New Zealand comes down to four decisions: which visa fits you, whether your job needs New Zealand registration, what you can bring through the border, and what life will cost once you arrive. This guide covers each one using Immigration New Zealand (INZ), the New Zealand Customs Service, Health New Zealand, Inland Revenue, Stats NZ and Tenancy Services, as read on 14 October 2026. It has separate sections for Americans, for nurses, doctors and teachers, and for people moving with a dog or cat.

Choose your visa route

Costs are the amounts INZ's fee finder returned on 14 October 2026 for citizens of India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and Canada living in their own country. The figures for US citizens are in the next section.

The AEWV ties you to the employer who offered you the job. INZ says that if you want to change your employer, job or location, you must apply to vary the conditions of your visa, apply for a Job Change, or apply for a new visa. More detail is in our New Zealand work visa guide and visa fees guide.

Moving to New Zealand as an American

INZ's fee finder returns a note for US citizens on several temporary visas: citizens of the USA do not have to pay a fee or immigration levy for the application. On 14 October 2026 it returned these costs for a US citizen living in the USA:

The waiver did not extend to the resident visas in our check. For younger Americans there is also the USA Working Holiday Visa:

• You must be a citizen of the USA, aged 18 to 30, and living in the USA.
• You need at least NZD $4,200 to pay your living expenses, and full medical insurance for the length of your stay.
• It lets you holiday and work in temporary jobs for up to 12 months, and study or train for up to 6 months in total.
• You cannot take a permanent job on this visa, and you do not need a job offer to apply.

Moving as a nurse, doctor or teacher

The Green List is INZ's list of jobs New Zealand needs people for. Tier 1 roles allow you to apply for a Straight to Residence Visa. Tier 2 roles allow you to apply for a Work to Residence Visa after 24 months of work in New Zealand in the role. We searched the list on 14 October 2026.

The table is a sample. The search returned 15 results for "nurse" and 11 for "teacher".

• Registration comes first. To work in some jobs you must be registered with a specific organisation, and INZ says you must get your registration before you can apply for a visa to work in one of these roles. Its example is nursing: a nurse must get registration from the Nursing Council of New Zealand.
• The job must meet the Green List requirements. These can include being paid a certain amount or having a specific registration, professional membership or qualification.
• Pay. For Straight to Residence you must be paid at least the rate specified for your Green List Tier 1 job, or NZD $35.00 an hour, the 2025 median wage, if no rate is specified.
• Teachers. INZ notes that Straight to Residence is designed for experienced teachers in roles paid at the median wage, and is not intended for newly graduated teachers, who should consider the Post Study Work Visa or the Accredited Employer Work Visa.

From resident to permanent resident

Resident visas let you stay indefinitely. After you have had a resident visa for 2 years in a row, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, which lets you travel in and out of New Zealand indefinitely. It costs NZD $315, and you must have met the conditions of your resident visa and shown a commitment to New Zealand in one of five ways INZ accepts.

Bringing your household goods

The New Zealand Customs Service offers a household effects concession. If you qualify, you do not pay GST and duties on most of your items.

• Who can qualify: people moving to New Zealand for the first time, or moving back after 21 months or more away.
• The document you need: one that authorises residence, such as a current New Zealand residence visa, or a current work visa issued for a minimum of 12 months. Student visa holders do not qualify.
• The goods: they must have been personally owned and used by you before you leave for New Zealand, and be for your own use.
• Not covered: new and unused items, cars, scooters, motorbikes, boats, aircraft and commercial items.
• A levy still applies: you pay a Goods Levy for each consignment of personal and household goods imported unaccompanied, for example by air or sea freight.

If you do not qualify, duty and GST apply, and Customs will consider depreciating the value of used goods: 10% for up to 3 months of ownership and use overseas, 20% for 3-6 months, 33% for 6-12 months and 50% for 12-21 months.

Moving with a dog or cat

Two agencies are involved. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) sets the biosecurity requirements, and Customs handles clearance. This section covers the Customs side, which we read in full. Customs refers people to MPI's website for the biosecurity requirements, and notes that your animal may be subject to quarantine requirements set out there.

• Arrival airports: international airlines only transport animals to New Zealand's two main airports, Auckland and Christchurch.
• Prohibited dog breeds and types: American Pit Bull Terriers, Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa and Perro de Presa Canario. Customs lists exceptions, including guide and hearing dogs.
• Other animals you cannot bring: live birds, ferrets, guinea pigs except from Australia, mice and rats except laboratory animals, and snakes and other reptiles except for zoos.
• Paperwork for Customs: form NZCS 231, a copy of your photo ID, proof of purchase or evidence of ownership if available, the Air Waybill from your transport company, and the veterinary certificates MPI requires.
• Dogs new to New Zealand: a dog that has not previously been registered in New Zealand needs an Exempting Statutory Declaration.
• GST: if you are moving here for the first time, or moving back after more than 21 months away, you may not have to pay the 15% GST. The Customs officer assesses this.

Customs suggests contacting a professional pet exporter in your pet's country to help arrange tests, treatments, flights, permits and shipping crates.

Healthcare eligibility

Health New Zealand lists who can use publicly funded health and disability services. The groups that apply to people who are moving include:

• Resident visa holders: eligible with a residence class visa, a resident visa or a permanent resident visa.
• Work visa holders: eligible if the work visa lets you stay for 2 years or more, or for a length of time that reaches 2 years when the time you have legally already been in the country is included.
• Australians: eligible if you are an Australian citizen staying for 2 or more years, or a permanent resident of Australia who lives or intends to live in New Zealand for 2 or more years.
• Children: eligible if aged 17 or younger and in the care of a parent or guardian who is eligible in one of the listed ways.

If your work visa is shorter than that, check your own position with Health New Zealand before you rely on public cover.

First steps after you arrive

1. Apply for an IRD number. It identifies you for tax, you keep it for life, and Inland Revenue does not charge for it. New arrivals can use a process that lets Inland Revenue check your identity with INZ, as long as you apply by the final date your visa says you must arrive by.
2. Give your employer a tax code. Salaries and wages are taxed before you are paid, and the amount depends on the tax code you provide.
3. Find a home. The median weekly rent on new private tenancies was $595 across New Zealand in August 2026, and $650 in the Auckland Region.
4. Sort out your driver licence. Govt.nz says an overseas licence has to be converted to a New Zealand licence to keep driving legally in the long term, that a licence not in English needs a translation from an approved translator, and that you might have to sit a theory or practical test. Check the current time limit with the NZ Transport Agency.
5. Check your health cover against the eligibility list above.

What it costs to live there

Consumer prices rose 4.1 percent in the 12 months to the June 2026 quarter. Median weekly earnings from wages and salaries were $1,419 before tax in that quarter, and the adult minimum wage is $23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026. Rents by region, tax rates and housing costs are in our cost of living in New Zealand guide.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Immigration New Zealand — Accredited Employer Work Visa
• Immigration New Zealand — Straight to Residence Visa
• Immigration New Zealand — Work to Residence Visa
• Immigration New Zealand — Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
• Immigration New Zealand — Permanent Resident Visa
• Immigration New Zealand — USA Working Holiday Visa
• Immigration New Zealand — Green List roles
• Immigration New Zealand — Check if you need occupational registration for your job
• New Zealand Customs Service — Household effects
• New Zealand Customs Service — Bringing pets and animals into New Zealand
• Health New Zealand — Eligibility for publicly funded health and disability services
• Inland Revenue — IRD numbers for individuals
• New Zealand Government — Convert your overseas driver licence
• Tenancy Services — Rental bond data
• Stats NZ — Consumers price index: June 2026 quarter

All rules and figures verified against the official sources above on 14 October 2026. Visa costs are for applicants living in their country of citizenship. Rent figures are provisional. Information, not legal or financial advice.