The country, which sank into a recession last year, is trying to entice highly skilled “digital nomads” to work in the island nation for up to nine months.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand will introduce looser visa rules to allow holiday makers to work remotely while visiting the country, to boost its tourism sector and economy, it said on Monday.

Starting on January 27, 2025, the New Zealand Visitor Visa will allow employees who work remotely for a foreign company to live and work in New Zealand for up to 90 days. Self-employed remote workers with clients outside New Zealand can also apply. Unlike other digital nomad visas, there appears to be no minimum income requirement.

In a bid to boost its economy (which technically entered recession in the last quarter of 2024) and encourage tourism (visitor numbers are still only at 86 percent of 2019 figures), New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said that people on holiday in New Zealand will also be allowed to work remotely.

How about working from home in New Zealand? New Zealand’s government is relaxing the rules around visas to allow tourists to continue their work while visiting the country. Under the new rules, which came in on Monday 27 January,

New Zealand has relaxed its visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting the country in an effort to boost its tourism sector. Under the new rules, visitors can now carry out remote working for a foreign employer while holidaying in the country for up to 90 days, after which they could face possible tax implications.

New Zealand’s announces new visa rules to lure digital nomads - The push for remote workers to visit New Zealand is part of a wider push for tourism

While countries like the U.S., Canada, and several EU nations are tightening immigration rules, New Zealand is taking a different approach. The country has joined the digital nomad movement by allowing visitor visa holders to work remotely for an overseas employer or client.

While the United States, Canada and several European Union Member states are imposing stringent immigration restrictions, New Zealand has decided to join the Digital Nomad bandwagon by allowing visitor visa holders to work remotely for an overseas employer or client.