New Zealand has relaxed its visa conditions in a bid to attract so-called ‘digital nomads’ to work remotely from the country.
New Zealand’s immigration office announced on Monday that the rules for visitors will be changing to try to attract more people who are able to work online from anywhere in the world.
The new visa conditions will allow visitors to work from New Zealand for an employer or client that is in another country.
The change will apply to applications received from 27 January 2025, including tourists and people visiting family or partners and guardians on longer-term visitor visas.
This visa is aimed at digital nomads – people who travel freely while working online because they are not required to be in a certain place. It means they will be able to keep in touch with work back home without breaching visa conditions.
Those who have a visitor visa and people who enter the country with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) will be under these conditions.
However, the new relaxed rules will not extend to those who have a work connection in New Zealand. Visitor visa holders must not work for a New Zealand employer, have to be physically present at a workplace in New Zealand or provide goods or services to people or businesses in New Zealand.
When it comes to being taxed, New Zealand authorities said that if the person’s income is taxed elsewhere, New Zealand will exempt it from tax if the person does not spend more than 92 days in New Zealand in a 12-month period. The days do not need to be consecutive.
However, this can be extended to 183 days if the person is a tax resident of one of the 40-plus countries New Zealand has a tax treaty with, such as Australia, the UK and the US, as well as many in Europe and Asia.
If the digital nomad spends longer in the country than the limit for exemption, New Zealand will tax their income at the same rates as its residents. The digital nomad will be responsible for understanding their own tax circumstances.
The government said that the push for digital nomads to spend time in the country is to try and drive up the country’s appeal to other tourists as well as bring in more visitor spending, especially during the shoulder season.
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