Can a foreigner buy property in New Zealand?

Purchase by foreigners is closed or allowed only in narrow cases

New Zealand has banned most overseas people from buying existing homes since 2018. Citizens of Australia and Singapore are treated as exempt under trade agreements.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Rules change. This page describes the structure of the rule, not prices, taxes or quotas. Confirm the current position with the official source listed below, and with a lawyer in the country, before you pay anything. This is general information, not legal advice.

Land

Overseas persons need consent from the Overseas Investment Office to buy sensitive land, which includes farmland, shoreline and conservation areas.

Houses and flats

Most overseas people cannot buy existing houses. New apartments in large developments can sometimes be bought.

Buying through a company

A company that is more than one quarter overseas-owned can be classed as an overseas person.

Limits and closed zones

Residents and citizens, and citizens of Australia and Singapore under trade agreements, are not caught by the ban in the same way.

What to watch for

Do not sign without checking whether you are an overseas person under the Act, because the legal definition is broad.

Understand the legal system first

New Zealand belongs to the Common law family. Property is registered and transferred differently in different traditions, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the New Zealand legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Compare New Zealand with another country →

Official sources

Land Information New Zealand: Overseas Investment Office

TheLawToKnow Tools’s guide to foreign property ownership is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.