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NEW ZEALAND is relaxing its visit visa rules to attract more digital nomads in an effort to boost tourism and the economy.
According to The Guardian, Tuesday (01/28), the 2025 Visit Visa now allows those who want to work remotely for overseas workers to visit New Zealand for up to 90 days. The visa can be extended for up to 9 months, but they will have to pay taxes during that time.
Economic Development Minister Nicola Willis said the rules will make it easier for digital nomads to work in New Zealand because it will increase the country’s attractiveness as a tourist destination. The visa will later be extended to influencers, as long as they are paid by overseas companies.
“We are not going to get rich by selling ourselves,” he said in a statement to the media.
He also wants to give the global community a good reason to shop and invest in New Zealand. The advertising campaign will target highly skilled IT workers from the US and East Asia. “We want more wealth and talent to come through the arrival gates,” Willis said.
Willis explained that digital nomads work for foreign companies, so they don’t compete with New Zealanders for local jobs. He also acknowledged there was a risk they would break the law, but the benefits outweighed the risks.
“We’re not going to check how many emails they send or how many days they work. We just want them to be here and spend the money they’ve earned,” he said.
New Zealand’s economy has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. HSBC told local media that New Zealand faces the largest GDP contraction of any developed country by 2024 due to high interest rates and unemployment.
More than 50 countries offer digital nomad visas, though their presence is not always welcome. Residents in Spain, Portugal, and South Africa have criticized the influx of tourists and digital nomads for adding to the crowds and straining the housing market.
New Zealand’s policy has drawn criticism from opposition finance minister Barbara Edmonds, who said the policy lacked information about how much it would affect economic growth. She said there was a double standard.
Last year, the government warned public servants that working remotely was not a right. The government is also cutting nearly 10,000 public service jobs to save money.
“With one hand he is begging foreigners to come here and work from home, but he is implementing strict policies for civil servants to prevent them from doing the same,” Edmons said.
“We need long-term solutions for economic growth. Not short-term fixes,” he concluded. [sources/photo special]
