You know that feeling at the end of your holiday when you think ‘god, I really could do with staying here a little longer?’. Well, if you’re vacaying in New Zealand, that is now a possibility.
In a bid to boost its economy (which technically entered recession in the last quarter of 2024) and encourage tourism (visitor numbers are still only at 86 percent of 2019 figures), New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said that people on holiday in New Zealand will also be allowed to work remotely.
‘This is a brand-new market of tourists New Zealand can tap into. We want people to see our country as the ideal place to visit and work while they do it,’ she said, according to Reuters.
Visitors will be able to work remotely in New Zealand as of today, January 27 – though it’s worth noting that this is a little different to a digital nomad visa. The new rules mean that tourists will be eligible to stay in New Zealand and work for clients or businesses outside of New Zealand as digital nomads, without breaching visa conditions, for up to 90 days.
Here’s what’s not allowed: working for an employer in New Zealand; providing goods or services to people or businesses in New Zealand; and engaging in work that requires physical presence at a workplace in New Zealand. In short, you’ve got to work remotely for an overseas company.
It’s also worth noting that if you intend to stay for 92 days or more within a 12-month period, you need to be aware of tax implications.
‘We hope that in some cases, it will encourage those people and the firms they represent to consider doing more business with New Zealand in the future,’ said New Zealand’s minister of economic growth, Nicola Willis, according to VisaGuide.World.
So, this is exciting news for anyone keen to linger in the country for a little while longer. Have a look at the best things to do in New Zealand here.
Check out our full list of all the countries offering digital nomad visas right now, and find out what it’s really like to work from anywhere.
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