New Zealand Entrepreneur Work Visa
Immigration New Zealand ended the Entrepreneur Work Visa in August 2025 and replaced it with the Business Investor Visa (BIV), which opened in November 2025. Parts of this page were written before that change and are kept for reference. To discuss the BIV or other New Zealand routes, please speak to one of our licensed advisers.
New Zealand Business Visa – Entrepreneur Work Visa Category
If you are an experienced business person and you want to be self-employed in your own business in New Zealand, applying for a work visa under the Entrepreneur Work Visa Category may be an option for you.
An Entrepreneur Work Visa will enable you to move to New Zealand and buy or establish your own business. It could be the first step on your pathway to applying for residence in New Zealand under the Entrepreneur Residence Category.
How does this visa work?
It is a three-year work visa divided into two stages:
- Start-up phase
- The remaining stages
Start-up phase :
If the applicant’s entrepreneur work visa is approved, the applicant will first be given a 12-month work visa, allowing the applicant to buy or establish the applicant’s business and become a New Zealand immigrant.
The remaining stages:
If you want to obtain an entrepreneur work visa, you must show your assets to the Business Immigration Department once within 24 months of obtaining a valid visa to prove that you have taken actions to establish your business.
Examples of steps are :
Transferring the applicant’s investment funds through the banking system to New Zealand to take actions to establish the applicant’s business, such as by:
- Documents showing establishment of the business (such as a certificate of incorporation)
- Property purchase or lease documents for business locations
- Invoices for business equipment and supplies
- Other documents such as employment agreements, bank statements, company utility invoices.
This proves that the applicant has started running their own business, such as operating:
- Documents evidencing the constitution of the business (such as a certificate of incorporation)
- Property purchase or lease documents for business locations
- Invoices for business equipment and supplies
What are the main requirements ?
In order for an Entrepreneur Work Visa to be approved, the applicant must:
- Minimum capital investment of NZD 100,000 (excluding liquid funds)
- Have a business plan for the applicant’s proposed business
- The applicant has not been bankrupt or had a business failure in the 5 years before the date of application
- Not engaged in any commercial fraud or financial misconduct
Applicants must be: self-employed
- Self-employment means actively participating in the management and operation of a business in which the principal applicant has established or purchased, or made a significant investment.
- A substantial investment is defined as the purchase of a 25% or greater equity interest in a business.
- It does not include passive or speculative participation
- Self-employment must be legal
- Self-employment must be full-time
Senior management
- Extensive experience at a senior level within a business, in planning, organization, control, change management and direction-setting, acquired through senior management experience in a lawful business enterprise that has at least five full-time employees or an annual turn-over of NZ$1 million.
- To demonstrate senior management experience, an applicant will need to be able to demonstrate previous experience in which they held the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a business or company or corporation, or function within a large company (with 5 or more full time employees, or a turnover in excess of $1,000,000 per annum), with specific executive powers conferred onto them by the board of directors and/or the shareholders.
Compare the basic criteria of the two Enterpreneur Residence Categories Options
| Criteria (minimum) | Entrepreneur Residence Category (2 years) | Entrepreneur Residence Category (6 months) |
|---|---|---|
| Hold an Entrepreneur Work Visa or LTBV | You do not have to hold an Entrepreneur Work Visa or LTBV. If you do not hold one of these visas, you must be on a work visa which allows self-employment. | You must hold an Entrepreneur Work Visa or LTBV to apply. |
| Investment Capital | No set amount. For applicants on an Entrepreneur Work Visa or LTBV, the investment capital must match what was stated in your business plan. | At least NZ$0.5 million must have been actively invested in your business, excluding working capital. |
| English Language | Principal applicants must either show an IELTS test report with an overall band score of 4 or more, or provide evidence that they meet this requirement. Other evidence can be considered. Secondary applicants can either show that they have an IELTS score of 4 or have an English speaking background, or can pre-purchase English language (ESOL) tuition. | |
| Maximum Age | None | None |
Why Choose John Hu Migration Consulting?
We have 2 senior Australian and New Zealand registered immigration consultants in Hong Kong . Their Hong Kong team will follow up with you from application to visa approval. We have many years of successful experience in handling New Zealand investment, entrepreneurship, skilled immigration and other visas. We have been recommended by our successful clients to their relatives and friends to assist in their immigration applications.