A new visa program is making it easier than ever for remote workers to swap their home office for a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, rolling vineyards, subtropical forests, and electric-blue glacial lakes.
New Zealand, long a dream destination for adventure seekers and nature lovers, is now rolling out the welcome mat for digital nomads. As of January 27, 2025, the South Pacific nation allows those who work for an overseas business to live and work remotely in the country for up to 90 days, with the option to extend to up to nine months.
“The government’s ambition is that new visa rules will put New Zealand boldly on the map as a welcoming haven for the world’s talent,” Nicola Willis, New Zealand’s finance minister, said in a press conference announcing the new visa program.
Because the United States is one of the countries to which New Zealand grants a visa waiver (meaning Americans can stay in New Zealand for up to six months with a Visitor Visa), remote workers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs won’t technically apply for a separate digital nomad visa. Instead, they will select a remote-work subcategory when filling out the Visitor Visa. Before this visa program, working for an overseas employer while on holiday in New Zealand was forbidden.
Unlike remote work visas issued by many other countries, like Iceland, there is no minimum income requirement. However, while residents from any country can extend their visas for up to nine months, some will have to pay taxes after 90 days; however, Americans, Australians, and other citizens from countries that have a tax treaty with New Zealand won’t be required to pay taxes.
In a statement, New Zealand’s tourism minister, Louise Upston, noted that the program will bring in more revenue, saying, “Compared to other kinds of visitors, international remote workers have the potential to spend more time and money in New Zealand, including during the shoulder season.”
Tourism has long been New Zealand’s biggest export sector. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry contributed more than US$22.5 billion (NZD$40 billion) annually to the economy and employed roughly 8 percent of all New Zealanders, according to Tourism New Zealand, the government’s travel marketing arm. However, strict border closures from 2020 to 2022 brought the sector to a near standstill, devastating businesses that relied on international travelers. While domestic tourism provided some relief, it couldn’t fully compensate for the loss of high-spending visitors from overseas. Since reopening, New Zealand has seen a strong rebound, driven by pent-up demand and a renewed global appetite for nature-based travel. However, international arrivals in 2024 were about 17 percent lower than in 2019. Similarly, tourism spending last year was still only about 86 percent of what it was the year before the pandemic.
Once a niche offering, digital-nomad visas exploded in popularity after the pandemic made remote work more common, and governments recognized the economic potential of allowing long-term visitors to bring in foreign income without taking local jobs. More than 65 countries, ranging from Italy and Türkiye to Canada and Japan, now offer some form of remote-work visa.
For some, New Zealand’s sudden enthusiasm for long-term international travelers may seem like mixed messaging. The news comes a little more than three months after New Zealand increased its tourist tax on October 1, 2024, from NZ$35 (about US$20, based on current conversion rates) to NZ$100 (approximately US$57). That fee hike was coupled with an increase in the price of the Visitor Visa, from US$131 to US$211.
