Read Time: 4 minutes
Your client grew up in New Zealand, but never got citizenship.
They’ve held permanent residency for years—but then moved to Amsterdam for a decade.
Now they’re back, with a partner and three kids, ready to buy a home.
But when it comes time to go house-hunting, you hit a snag:
Can they actually buy property in New Zealand right now?
Turns out: Not quite yet.
But the fix is simple — if you know what to do.
To legally buy property in New Zealand as a permanent resident, your client needs to meet all three of these criteria:
In our case, the client had only just returned at the start of April.
They didn’t meet the 183-day requirement... yet.
So, we needed a workaround.
When a client doesn’t meet the physical presence test but holds NZ residency, they can still buy property — with approval from the Overseas Investment Office (OIO).
Here’s what the process looks like:
Go to the OIO website and apply for consent to purchase residential land: Application form - One Home to Live In | oio.linz.govt.nz
You’ll need to complete a statutory declaration in front of a lawyer and upload supporting documents.
Pay the $2,000 application fee.
Wait for approval (it’s quicker than you’d think).
In our client’s case, they applied in the morning and got approved that same afternoon.
If their partner isn’t a NZ citizen or NZ resident?
No worries — they’re covered under the same approval and via the de facto partner exemption. Once you’ve got this ticked off, the client is free to move ahead with pre-approvals and start making offers.
Don’t assume residency = ready to buy.
Always ask:
It’s a simple fix, but you don’t want this popping up as a surprise condition.
