Moving to Auckland as a Brit: visas and residence

A British passport gets you through the door in New Zealand, but staying for good means picking the right visa from day one.

The short version

UK citizens can visit for up to six months with an NZeTA, the electronic travel authority, rather than a visa [2].
Aged 18 to 35? The UK working holiday visa lets you stay up to 36 months and work in almost any job [3].
For a career move, most Brits use the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), which ties you to an approved employer for up to five years [4], then the Skilled Migrant Category to settle [5].
Parents of Kiwi residents, retirees with serious savings and remote workers each have their own route [6][7][8].
New Zealand allows dual citizenship, so you don't have to give up your British passport [1].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = NZD 2.4016).

Start here: which route fits you?

New Zealand doesn't have a single "moving here" visa. It has a menu, and the right choice depends on your age, your job and your family. Here's the quick sorter.

You are…	Likely route	How long	Leads to residence?
18–35 and fancy a big adventure	UK working holiday visa	Up to 36 months [3]	Not directly
A professional or tradesperson with a job offer	Accredited Employer Work Visa	Up to 5 years, depending on the job [4]	Yes, often via Skilled Migrant
Already skilled, qualified or well paid	Skilled Migrant Category resident visa	Indefinite [5]	It is residence
A parent of a New Zealand citizen or resident	Parent Boost Visitor Visa	Up to 5 years [8]	No
66 or over with substantial funds	Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa	2 years, renewable [7]	No
Employed by a UK company, working remotely	Visitor status (NZeTA)	Up to 6 months a visit [2][6]	No

If you're married to or in a long-term relationship with a New Zealander, there are partner visas too. They're worth a separate conversation with Immigration New Zealand, because the evidence you need about your relationship is detailed.

The UK working holiday visa: the classic Brit route

This is the one most of us know someone has done, and the UK–New Zealand free trade agreement made it far more generous. You can apply if you're a UK citizen aged 18 to 35 [3].

Length: choose 12, 23 or 36 months. If you start with 12 or 23, you can later apply for the rest, up to 36 months in total [3].
Cost: NZD 770 (about £321), which includes the NZD 100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy [3].
Money: you need at least NZD 350 (about £146) for each month of your stay, so NZD 4,200 (about £1,749) for a year, and you may be asked to show it at the border [3].
Work: almost any job, no job offer needed, but no permanent roles [3].
Arrival: you must land within 12 months of the visa being granted [3].

A working holiday doesn't lead straight to residence. Plenty of Brits use it to get a foot in the door, find an employer who's accredited, and switch to an AEWV. If that's your plan, keep payslips and references from day one.

Working: the Accredited Employer Work Visa

The AEWV is the main work visa. The rules are built around the employer, not you, so the order of events matters.

The employer gets accredited with Immigration New Zealand.
The employer passes a job check for your specific role.
You get a job offer for at least 30 hours a week, paid at least the market rate for the job [4].
The employer sends you a link to the online application, and you apply [4].

The visa costs from NZD 1,540 (about £641), and Immigration New Zealand says 80% are processed within five weeks [4]. You can stay for up to five years for most jobs, or three years if your job is ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 [4]. English evidence is only needed for jobs at skill levels 3 to 5, and a UK passport holder rarely struggles with that.

Two warnings. First, the visa ties you to that employer, job and location; changing any of them means applying to vary your conditions or for a new visa [4]. Second, employers and agents can't charge you fees for a job [4]. If someone asks for money to "secure" an offer, walk away.

Settling: the Skilled Migrant Category

This is the main road to residence for working Brits. You submit an expression of interest (no fee for that step), and if you're invited, you have four months to apply [5]. The visa costs from NZD 6,450 (about £2,686), and you must be 55 or younger [5].

You need a skilled job, or a job offer, of at least 30 hours a week with an accredited employer, and then you qualify through one of three pathways [5]:

Points. You need 6 points from your qualification (a UK degree can score 4 to 6), New Zealand occupational registration (3 to 6), or your pay against the wage threshold (3 to 6). New Zealand work experience can top you up by up to 3 points [5].
Skilled work experience. At least five years of relevant experience, including two years of skilled work in New Zealand [5].
Trades and technicians. A relevant level 4 qualification or higher and about four years' post-qualification experience, including 18 months here [5].

The pay tests use the SMC wage threshold, which Immigration New Zealand updates. Its page gave three times the threshold as NZD 105 an hour (about £44) when we checked [5]. Doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers often get there through registration points, so check whether your UK qualification needs assessing early on.

Once you have a resident visa, the FCDO says you may be able to apply for permanent residence after two years [1]. Citizenship comes later, and New Zealand recognises dual citizenship [1].

Family, retirement and remote work

Parents of Kiwi residents

If your grown-up child is a New Zealand citizen or resident, the Parent Boost Visitor Visa lets you stay for up to five years with unlimited entries [8]. It costs from NZD 3,100 (about £1,291). Your child must sponsor you and earn at least NZD 72,800 a year (about £30,313) for one parent, unless you can show enough income or funds of your own. You'll need comprehensive health insurance, and you must leave in the third year for a health and insurance check. It doesn't lead to residence [8].

Retiring

New Zealand has no easy retirement visa. The Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa is for people aged 66 or over and asks for a lot [7]:

NZD 750,000 (about £312,300) invested in New Zealand for two years
at least NZD 60,000 a year (about £24,983) in income
a further NZD 500,000 (about £208,195) to live on
health insurance throughout

It lasts two years and can be renewed if you still qualify [7]. Remember that your UK State Pension is frozen in New Zealand. Our guide to the frozen UK State Pension in New Zealand explains what that means.

Remote workers

Since 27 January 2025, visitors can work remotely for an overseas employer or overseas clients while in New Zealand, with no limit on the amount of work [6]. You can't work for New Zealand employers or customers. Tax can still bite: the visitor rules mention a 92-day threshold, or up to 183 days for residents of a treaty country like the UK, before New Zealand tax may apply [6]. With a six-month visit allowance [2], that makes a long Auckland summer feasible, but it isn't a way to live here.

Your first steps

Check your passport. Many visas need validity well beyond your stay; the working holiday visa asks for at least three months after it ends [3].
Pick your route from the table above, and read the Immigration New Zealand page for it in full.
Tell HMRC you're going. Most people fill in form P85; if you file Self Assessment, you complete the SA109 residence pages instead [9]. Our guide to leaving the UK and telling HMRC walks through it.
Sort the paperwork that comes next: an IRD number, a bank account and somewhere to live. Our guide to your first month in New Zealand has the order.
Bring your UK driving licence. You can drive on it for 12 months if you arrive on or after 1 November 2026 (18 months for earlier arrivals) before converting; see our driving guide.

The British Consulate in Auckland can't help with visas or residence; the FCDO points you to Immigration New Zealand for that [1]. For first-hand tips on suburbs, jobs and the faff of it all, our community group for Brits in New Zealand is a good place to ask: join here.

Moving to Auckland as a Brit: the visa and residence routes that actually work