Moving from South Africa to New Zealand
Moving from South Africa to New Zealand: South Africa passport holders get visa required for short stays and need a residence permit to settle. New Zealand is about 85% pricier than South Africa, around $2,400/month for one person. Citizenship takes about 5 years of residence.
Last updated August 2026 · How we calculate this
Visa & entry
Visa required for short visits. To settle you'll need a residence route:
- Skilled Migrant Category — Pass the points threshold on skills, experience and a skilled job.
- Active Investor Plus — Invest from NZ$5M in qualifying assets for residence.
Documents & apostille
Single apostille each end. Both countries are in the Hague Apostille Convention — one apostille from South Africa makes your documents valid in New Zealand.
Where in South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for state/government documents; the High Court for notarised and private documents — official source
↳ New Zealand: Sole issuer is DIA's Authentication Unit (not MFAT); e-Apostille available and verifiable via DIA's online e-Register.
Check each document →Cost, tax & salary
New Zealand is 85% more expensive than South Africa — around $2,400/mo vs $1,300/mo for one person.
Citizenship & residency
Needs 1,350 days present over 5 yrs; English is assessed at interview, no formal standardized test.
Your path to a passport →Arrival checklist
- Get a tax number: IRD number
- Residence permit: Resident Visa (Residence visa)
- Healthcare: Publicly funded system via Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora); enrol with a GP/PHO once residence-eligible
No address registration. After residence visa, apply IRD online via myIR using Immigration NZ application number; IRD generally needs a functional NZ bank account first.
Your move, step by step →Driving
~20 exempt countries convert without tests: AU, UK, IE, CA, US, JP, KR, HK, CH + most Western EU (AT,BE,HR,DK,FI,FR,DE,GR,IT,LU,NL,NO,ES,SE). All others (incl. IN, CN, ZA, most Asia/Africa/S.America) = non-exempt, must retest
Exempt-country drivers skip the practical only if licence held 2+ years; miss the driving window (12/18 mo) and you drive unlicensed. Non-exempt origins face full theory+practical retest. Window figure conflicts between NZTA pages — verify current 12 vs 18 months.
Exchange your licence →Pets
- Microchip: Required; ISO 11784/11785 compliant (implanted before rabies vaccination; 999-prefix not accepted)
- Rabies: Required (except rabies-free origins like Australia). Inactivated vaccine, animal 3+ months old; primary dose given within set window before export
- Quarantine: Minimum 10 days at an MPI-approved quarantine facility on arrival (Auckland/Christchurch); none for direct imports from Australia if compliant
New Zealand — quick facts
Start your move from South Africa to New Zealand
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Full country guide →