Yes, Americans can work in New Zealand, but you need a work visa first — there is no special US-New Zealand agreement that lets you show up and take a job. Which visa you apply for depends on your age and, more than anything else, whether a New Zealand employer has already offered you a role.
Which Work Visa Fits Your Situation
Three routes cover almost every American moving to New Zealand for work. The dividing line is whether you have a job offer in hand.
Accredited Employer Work Visa
If you have (or expect to get) a job offer, the Accredited Employer Work Visa is the standard pathway. Your employer does most of the early work: they must be accredited by Immigration New Zealand, then pass a “job check” showing no suitable New Zealander is available, and only then invite you to submit your visa application.1Immigration New Zealand. Overview of AEWV Employer Accreditation and Job Check For lower-skilled roles, the employer may also need to engage Work and Income (New Zealand’s employment agency) before advertising to confirm no local candidates are available.
Once the job check is approved, it stays valid for six months. The practical takeaway: if a New Zealand employer is not already accredited, expect delays while they get set up. Ask early.
Working Holiday Visa
If you are between 18 and 30, the Working Holiday Visa lets you go first and find work after you arrive. It is valid for up to 12 months and does not require a job offer.2Immigration New Zealand. USA Working Holiday Visa The trade-off is that the work is meant to be temporary or casual, not a permanent job, and you can only use up to six months of the stay for study or training.
You must show at least NZD $4,200 in available funds when you apply and carry full medical insurance for the entire stay.3Immigration New Zealand. Sufficient Funds
Specific Purpose Work Visa
The Specific Purpose Work Visa covers narrower situations: an intra-company transfer, a professional athlete or coach, or a specialist attached to a defined project or event.4Immigration New Zealand. Specific Purpose Work Visa The stay is tied to the length of the purpose, with a maximum of three years for intra-company transfers.5Immigration New Zealand. How Long You Can Stay on a Specific Purpose Work Visa
If You Want to Stay Permanently
Both residency tracks assume you are already working in New Zealand or hold an offer, so they usually follow a temporary work visa rather than replace one.
Skilled Migrant Category
The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa runs on a points system. You need at least six “skilled resident points” drawn from qualifications, occupational registration, income, and New Zealand work experience.6Immigration New Zealand. Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa A doctorate earns six points on its own; a bachelor’s degree earns three, so you would need experience points to reach the threshold.
You must be 55 or younger, working full-time for an accredited employer, and holding a skilled role. Pay thresholds apply: ANZSCO Level 1–3 roles must pay at least NZD $35.00 per hour (the current immigration median wage), and Level 4–5 roles at least NZD $52.50 per hour. The process opens with a free Expression of Interest, and if invited, you have four months to submit the full application.
Green List
The Green List is the fast track for occupations with severe shortages. Tier 1 roles qualify for residency immediately on taking the job; Tier 2 roles require two years of New Zealand work first.7Immigration New Zealand. Green List Occupations, Qualifications and Skills Tier 1 alone covers civil engineers, registered nurses, general practitioners, midwives, dentists, quantity surveyors, and dozens of other medical and engineering specialties. If your profession appears on the list, the residency timeline shortens dramatically.
Requirements Every Applicant Meets
Whichever visa you apply for, three checks apply.
Health
You must demonstrate an acceptable standard of health, which usually means a medical exam, a chest X-ray, or both.8Immigration New Zealand. Who Needs an X-ray or Medical Examination Your regular US doctor cannot do these. Only physicians on Immigration New Zealand’s approved panel list can complete the assessments.9Immigration New Zealand. Doctors Who Can Do X-rays and Medical Examinations Certain pre-existing conditions can affect the outcome because INZ weighs both public health risk and potential demand on the country’s health system.
Character and Police Certificates
For temporary work visas, you need police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months or longer, from any country you are a citizen of and any country where you have lived more than five years since turning 17.10Immigration New Zealand. Police Certificates For resident visas, the duration threshold is lower but the reach is wider: any country of citizenship, and any country you have spent 12 months or more in during the past 10 years.
For Americans that means an FBI Identity History Summary Check. You will also need a valid passport, and depending on the visa, evidence of qualifications, registrations, or funds.
Getting Your American Credentials Recognized
A US degree or license does not automatically let you practice in New Zealand. Regulated professions — healthcare, teaching, engineering, law — require registration with the relevant New Zealand body, and that process runs alongside your visa application rather than after it. Start early.
For general qualification recognition, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority evaluates overseas degrees through an International Qualification Assessment. A standard assessment costs NZD $445, one tied to a skill-shortage occupation costs NZD $610, and a teaching assessment costs NZD $746.11New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Qualification Evaluation Fees Processing currently averages about 10 weeks, though most files are completed within three weeks once NZQA confirms documents are complete.12New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Apply for an International Qualification Assessment
Two professions have their own gatekeepers worth flagging:
Nurses cannot apply directly to the Nursing Council of New Zealand. Documents first go through TruMerit for verification. The Council then requires proof of current overseas registration, at least 1,800 hours of post-registration experience, English language proficiency, and completion of two free online courses on culturally safe practice in New Zealand.13Nursing Council of New Zealand. Internationally Qualified Nurses Some nurses will also need a competence assessment. Registration and job hunting are separate tracks; the Council does not place people in roles.
American teachers need both registration and a practising certificate from the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. Registration confirms professional and ethical standards; the practising certificate is what actually lets you teach. Applications require verified qualifications and transcripts, overseas police clearance, professional standing certificates from previous employers, evidence of teaching practice, and English proficiency.14Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. Register to Teach as an Overseas Teacher Expect 6 to 12 weeks, longer if a panel review is triggered.
You Still File US Taxes
This is where most Americans get caught off guard. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income no matter where they live. Moving to New Zealand does not end your US filing obligation.15Internal Revenue Service. US Citizens and Residents Abroad Filing Requirements You will not necessarily owe US tax on top of what you pay in New Zealand, but you must file, and the paperwork goes beyond the 1040.
Two provisions do the heavy lifting. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion lets you exclude up to $132,900 of foreign wages from US taxation for the 2026 tax year if you meet either the bona fide residence test or the physical presence test (generally 330 full days outside the US in a 12-month period). A separate housing exclusion of up to $39,870 can cover certain foreign housing costs.16Internal Revenue Service. Figuring the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion Anything above the exclusion, and any investment income, stays subject to US tax.
The Foreign Tax Credit is the other lever. Filed on Form 1116, it reduces your US tax bill dollar-for-dollar for income taxes you paid to New Zealand, capped at the US tax attributable to that foreign income.17Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Tax Credit You cannot use the exclusion and the credit on the same dollar of income. Most expats above the exclusion threshold use the exclusion first and apply the credit to the remainder.
There is also a reporting requirement that is easy to miss. If your combined New Zealand bank and financial account balances exceed $10,000 at any point during the year, you must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FinCEN Form 114, the FBAR) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.18Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts The threshold is the combined maximum across accounts, not per account. The FBAR is filed separately from your tax return, due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15.
One boundary worth naming: KiwiSaver, the New Zealand workplace retirement scheme, is not available to temporary work visa holders — enrollment is limited to citizens, permanent residents, and Australian citizens.19Inland Revenue. Check Employee Eligibility for KiwiSaver If you later gain residency and consider enrolling, know that the IRS treats KiwiSaver as a foreign trust. That triggers annual Form 3520 reporting with penalties starting at $10,000 for non-compliance, and the US and New Zealand have no tax treaty provision that defers tax on the contributions or growth.20Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 3520 Talk to a cross-border tax specialist before signing up.
On the New Zealand side, get an IRD number (the local equivalent of a Social Security number) before you start earning. Without one, tax is withheld at a higher non-declaration rate.21New Zealand Government. How to Get an IRD Number
Bringing Your Family
Your partner and dependent children may be able to join you, but eligibility depends on your visa type and your income.
Children 19 or younger who are financially dependent on you can apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa, which lets them attend New Zealand schools without paying international tuition.22Immigration New Zealand. a href=”https://immigration.govt.nz/visas/dependent-child-student-visa” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Dependent Child Student Visa If you hold an AEWV, you must earn at least NZD $55,844 per year before tax to sponsor your child’s visa. Children of Working Holiday Visa holders are not eligible.
Partners of work visa holders can generally apply for their own visa to live and work in New Zealand, though the specifics depend on the primary holder’s occupation and income. The immigration median wage (NZD $35.00 per hour from 9 March 2026) is the benchmark for several of these thresholds.23Immigration New Zealand. New Occupations Recognised Under the National Occupation List and Annual Median Wage Increase