What you have to sort out once you arrive

There are two routes, and the new-arrival one is much faster. As a new arrival you apply through myIR using your passport details plus, for resident, student and work visa holders, your INZ application number and your most recent overseas tax number. Australian passport holders need passport details only.

The new-arrival route has a deadline. Australians have 4 to 6 weeks after arrival; visa holders must apply by their final arrival date. Miss it and you fall back to the standard route, which is slower and needs in-person identity checks.

The standard route — for anybody already here who is not a new arrival — uses form IR595. You apply in myIR and then visit an AA Driver Licensing Agent within 20 days, or lodge the paper form there. You need one Category A primary ID (a New Zealand passport, or an overseas passport with your New Zealand visa, a New Zealand birth or citizenship certificate, a firearms licence, or a DIA or MBIE certificate of identity) plus one Category B document (a New Zealand or overseas driver licence, a Kiwi Access Card, a HANZ 18+ card, a New Zealand student photo ID or an international driving permit). Processing is 10 working days online or 12 working days on paper, after verification.

The 45% figure is the one to act on. Inland Revenue: "If you do not have an IRD number when you start earning income, you'll pay a higher tax rate of 45%." The same non-declaration rate applies to resident withholding tax on bank interest if your bank does not hold your IRD number — which is a good reason to get the number before you open the account, not after.

The rules come from the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 and the Identity Verification Code of Practice 2026, which commenced on 1 July 2026 and replaced the 2013 code.

Face to face, the code gives banks three acceptable combinations: one primary photographic ID (a New Zealand or overseas passport, a foreign national identity card, a New Zealand firearms licence, or a certificate of identity or refugee travel document); or a primary non-photographic ID such as a birth or citizenship certificate together with a secondary photo ID; or a New Zealand driver licence plus one corroborating source such as a bank statement under 12 months old or a government document.

Every document must be valid, anything not in English needs an English translation, and the bank must visually compare the photo to you.

Opening from overseas before you arrive is possible and is covered by the same code, through a Digital Identity Services Trust Framework credential at Strong Plus level or an approved electronic verification route — a verified RealMe identity, the DIA Confirmation Service, an overseas government electronic source, an e-passport microchip, or the NZTA Driver Check — plus a linking step, typically a first payment from a New Zealand account in your own name or a later in-person sighting.

Immigration New Zealand's own practical note: "Some banks allow you to open a bank account from your home country, although this may depend on your visa and when you will arrive", "You may need an Inland Revenue (IRD) number to open an account", and if the bank does not have your tax number "they will deduct tax at the highest rate".

Bond is not held by the landlord. It goes to Tenancy Services through the Bond Hub, and failing to lodge it within 23 working days is an unlawful act under section 19 of the Act.

A pet bond of up to 2 weeks' rent has been allowed since 1 December 2025, and only one pet bond can be held at a time. Charging more than the cap carries a penalty of up to $3,000.

To end a periodic tenancy, the notice periods were replaced on 30 January 2025. A tenant gives 21 days and needs no reason. A landlord gives 90 days without a reason, or 42 days on one of the specified grounds — the owner or a family member moving in as their main residence within 90 days and staying at least 90 days; a property customarily used for or acquired for employees or contractors where the tenancy agreement said so; or an unconditional sale requiring vacant possession. If a landlord gives less than 90 days, the reason must be in the notice.

Two shorter periods worth knowing: a tenant withdrawing from a tenancy because of family violence gives 2 days' notice, and a landlord terminating after a physical assault gives 14 days.

A tenant given 90 days who wants to leave sooner still only has to give 21 days.

Section 74(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020 puts it in statutory terms: "A person who lives in the home zone of a State school that has an enrolment scheme is entitled to enrol at that school."

Check the zone before you sign the lease, not after. The Ministry is explicit that you cannot game it: "You cannot temporarily move into a zone in order to get your child into a school." The good news runs the other way — moving out of zone after your child is enrolled does not end the entitlement.

Out-of-zone places are balloted, and the priority order is set in Schedule 20 of the Act: first, students accepted into an approved special programme; second, siblings of current students; third, siblings of former students; fourth, children of former students; fifth, children of board employees or board members; and last, everybody else. Where a group is oversubscribed, places are drawn by ballot. The Ministry notes out-of-zone places are normally advertised in September.

On ages: compulsory enrolment runs from the 6th birthday to the 16th; free enrolment and education at a State or charter school runs from the 5th birthday until 1 January after the 19th birthday; and a child under 5 cannot be enrolled at a primary school. Immigration New Zealand's restatement: "All children aged 6 to 16 years in New Zealand must either attend school or be educated at home. Most children start school when they turn 5."

Whether your child counts as a domestic student matters to what you pay. INZ says a child can enrol as a domestic student if they are a New Zealand resident or permanent resident, a New Zealand citizen including Tokelau, the Cook Islands and Niue, or "have a student visa based on your temporary work visa". State schools are free for domestic students up to 19, though uniforms, stationery and exam fees are normally charged.

• The zone lookup both education.govt.nz and immigration.govt.nz link to is educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school. We could not load it on the day we checked — the whole domain refused our requests — so treat that URL as the official link rather than one we have verified.
• Read the individual school's own enrolment scheme as well as the map. Schemes describe the zone boundary in words, and the words govern.

The work visa rule, in Health New Zealand's own words: you are eligible if you hold a work visa that lets you stay "for 2 years or more (your work visa starts on your first day in Aotearoa)" or "for a length of time equal to, or more than, 2 years (including the time you have legally already been here before getting the visa)". Proof is a valid passport endorsed with the current work visa.

Also eligible: New Zealand citizens; residence, resident and permanent resident visa holders; interim visa holders who were eligible beforehand; Australian citizens staying 2 years or more and Australian permanent residents intending to live here 2 years or more; refugees, protected persons, claimants, appellants and victims of trafficking, for whom "the type or length of visa held is not relevant"; Manaaki New Zealand and Commonwealth scholarship students; foreign language teaching assistants; under-18s in the care of an eligible person; and UK citizens ordinarily resident in the UK for prompt treatment, under the reciprocal health agreement.

Some things are covered whatever your status: immunisations and Well Child Tamariki Ora, treatment of notifiable and infectious diseases, emergencies, compulsory treatment, ACC-covered injuries, people in prison, and pregnant people with HIV.

Enrolling is free and worth doing on arrival, because waiting lists are real. Health New Zealand: "It is free to enrol with a general practice", "General practices normally charge a higher fee if you are not enrolled with their practice. This is often called a casual rate", and "If you enrol with a general practice your care will be subsidised." Practices set their own fees, so no consultation price is published nationally and we do not publish one.

For children, doctor visits are free for tamariki aged 13 and under who are eligible for publicly funded services, at practices that have opted in — standard daytime visits, after-hours at participating clinics, and ACC injury visits. Extended consultations, procedures and certificates are still charged. Prescriptions have been $5 since 1 July 2024, free for under-14s, people 65 and over, and Community Services Card holders and their dependants.

NZTA's wording: "You can currently drive using an overseas car licence for up to 18 months from your last date of entry into New Zealand. From 1 November 2026, this will be reduced from 18 months to 12 months from the day you last arrived in New Zealand." The 18-month extension was a two-year measure that ends on 31 October 2026, and people already mid-conversion on 1 November keep their 18 months.

Leaving and returning restarts the clock — which is a trap, because it means a short trip home can quietly reset a deadline you thought you had already half spent.

To drive on the overseas licence at all, it must be current and valid, you must not be disqualified or suspended in New Zealand, and you must not have been issued a New Zealand licence since you last arrived. If the licence is not in English you also need an accurate English translation or an international driving permit. An IDP alone cannot be used to convert — the physical overseas licence has to be presented.

Exempt countries (25): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

From an exempt country, you complete form DL5 at a specialist overseas conversion site with evidence of identity, an eyesight check, a medical certificate if required, your overseas licence and a translation if needed. No theory test. A practical test only if you have held the licence for less than 2 years.

From a non-exempt country, the same process plus a theory test and a practical test, with a supervisor condition until the practical is passed. Licences from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Tonga also need evidence of validity.

Your overseas licence can be used to convert if it is current or expired within the last 12 months and has not been suspended, disqualified or revoked. Fraud in a licence application is an offence under section 44 of the Land Transport Act 1998, with fines up to $10,000 and revocation.

There is no one-year ownership rule for household effects — that applies to vehicles only. What matters is that you owned and used the items before departure, and that you meet the 21-month residence test, which also covers returning New Zealanders who have been away that long.

You must also hold one of: a New Zealand or Australian passport; a New Zealand residence or returning resident's visa; an Australian permanent residence visa; a work visa of 12 months or more; a Work to Residence or Long Term Business visa; or a visitor's visa of 3 years or more. Student visa holders do not qualify.

The form is NZCS 218, "Bring personal household items into New Zealand", co-branded with the Ministry for Primary Industries. Customs wants your passport bio-pages, a packing list, shipping documents (air waybill, bill of lading, arrival notice or consignment note) and an invoice where one applies. Goods arriving more than five years after you do can only be admitted with an officer's consent, and a goods levy applies per unaccompanied consignment.

Bringing a vehicle is a separate concession with its own test: you must have personally owned and used it overseas for at least 1 year before the earlier of your departure or its shipping, and selling it within two years triggers immediate repayment of duty and GST. Entry certification is NZTA's, not Customs'.

Everyone completes a New Zealand Traveller Declaration before reaching passport control. Carrying NZ$10,000 or more in cash, in or out, requires a Border Cash Report — and that includes travellers' cheques, money orders, bearer bonds, bills of exchange and promissory notes.

Duty-free allowances, for arrivals 17 and over: 4.5 litres of wine or beer, plus 3 containers of spirits or liqueur of no more than 1.125 litres each; 50 cigarettes, or 50 grams of cigars or tobacco, or 50 grams of a mixture; and a goods allowance of NZ$700.

This is the rule this whole site runs on, applied to ourselves: if the source will not load, the claim comes off the page. Pet import rules are exactly the kind of thing where a plausible-sounding wrong answer costs somebody months and thousands of dollars.

What we can source is New Zealand Customs, which says: "There are strict rules you must follow when bringing live animals into New Zealand", publishes form NZCS 231 for bringing a pet or other animal in, and points onward to MPI as the authority on approved countries, the import health standard, quarantine and fees.

Go to MPI's live animals pages for the country list, the applicable import health standard, the permit, the quarantine requirements and the current fees. Work backwards from your arrival date: the sequence of tests and treatments has minimum intervals that cannot be compressed, which is why people start this months ahead.

Dog ownership once you are here is governed by the Dog Control Act 1996, including registration with your local council.