In good news for digital nomads and remote workers, Visitor Visa conditions have been changed to allow for workers to keep working remotely while visiting New Zealand. Previously doing work from New Zealand for an overseas employer while on a visitor visa amounted to a breach of visa conditions.
This will be good news for those who are visiting New Zealand for various reasons and who can now attend to emails, do work tasks and take care of business without the fear of breaching visa conditions.
As with all changes there is a catch. You must not work for a New Zealand employer, you must not be in a business providing goods and services to New Zealanders and so work that requires you to be physically present in a New Zealand workplace. If any of these are part of your work, you will need to apply for an appropriate class of work visa.
There are also tax implications for people working remotely in New Zealand. If you are considering working remotely in New Zealand you will need to check with your accountant or tax agent to understand the full tax implications.
While New Zealand has not gone as far as some other countries in introducing a Digital Nomads visa, it clarifies the rules around working remotely while visiting New Zealand.
If you need to discuss these changes and see if they apply to you, please contact Idesi Legal on 04 461 6018 or email admin@idesilegal.co.nz