New Zealand — founder
New Zealand — New Zealand Entrepreneur Work Visa
Guide last reviewed: . Check the linked official guidance for current rules and application availability.
Requirements we check
More requirements locked
1 more requirement for New Zealand Entrepreneur Work Visa
- ✓See every requirement this route actually checks
- ✓Find out which ones you already meet
- ✓Get your single highest-impact next action
The full guide
Important, checked directly before writing this: the Entrepreneur Work Visa closed to new applications on 27 August 2025. If you're reading this because you want to build a new business from scratch in New Zealand, this specific program is no longer accepting anyone new — Immigration New Zealand replaced it with the Business Investor Work Visa (opened 24 November 2025), which is a meaningfully different, larger-capital route built around acquiring an existing New Zealand business rather than starting one from nothing. Existing Entrepreneur Work Visa holders can still renew their visa or move on to the Entrepreneur Resident Visa, but nobody new can enter through this route's own namesake program any longer.
The full guide is locked
See exactly what New Zealand Entrepreneur Work Visa requires
- ✓Every document you'll need, with what assessors actually look for
- ✓The real stage-by-stage process, with fees and processing times
- ✓Common pitfalls that actually cause refusals for this route
- ✓See if YOU qualify — your real fit score, not a generic checklist
This is everything your application involves. Start a plan to get it done.
Check my own fitTurn your research into a relocation plan
Use these free resources alongside the official instructions for your chosen route.
- Relocation planning guide
Organise your destination research, preparation timeline and next steps.
- Visa document checklist and evidence tracker
Build a document list from your route's instructions and track what is still missing.
- Relocation budget calculator
Use your own cost estimates to calculate your budget, savings gap and monthly target.
Pasage provides immigration pathway information and preparation help based on official public criteria. We are not immigration lawyers, regulated advisers, or agents, and we do not guarantee any visa outcome. Rules and thresholds change — always confirm against the official source linked above before you apply.