New Zealand citizens buying a home in Australia

Eligible NZ citizens can generally buy new or established houses, townhouses and units without foreign investment approval. Ask your conveyancer to confirm the Treasury exemption applies. Being an NZ permanent resident is different from being an NZ citizen.

Our 444 visa guide covers visa evidence. If your partner has a different visa, including subclass 461, read our mixed-visa couples guide. I'd get legal and tax advice before deciding whose name goes on the title.

You'll need the $37,500 plus buying costs and money left over after settlement. This example assumes the lender values the home at the purchase price. An eligible 5% Deposit Scheme loan can avoid lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), subject to lender and property approval. Use our deposit calculator to compare the numbers.

Check when the money will arrive. NZ sale proceeds or released equity need to be available for the contract deposit. A grant paid at settlement won't cover a payment due weeks earlier.

At exactly $750,000, the home misses Queensland's cash grant limit. You can't deduct $30,000 and say you only need $7,500. Our Queensland grant guide covers eligible homes below $750,000 and payment timing.

Being a New Zealander doesn't automatically mean a higher rate. Eligible Special Category Visa (SCV) holders living and working here may access resident products. The lender, deposit, loan amount and purpose still affect the offer. NZD income or living overseas can narrow the options.

I'd compare the actual rate and fees for your circumstances. Our Westpac review and CommBank review explain the features worth checking.

Tell us if you've owned a home in NZ, even if you sold it years ago. You might still qualify for one type of help and miss out on another. I'd check this before including a grant or duty saving in your budget.

You still need to meet each program's other conditions, and cash grants have their own rules. Check QRO's first-home requirements, the 5% Deposit Scheme FAQs and the ATO's First Home Super Saver rules.

I wouldn't put your full KiwiSaver balance into the deposit budget. Some money can count towards First Home Super Saver (FHSS) after transfer to an Australian fund that accepts KiwiSaver. Australian-sourced and returning NZ-sourced amounts are excluded. Ask the fund and ATO which part can count before moving it.

FHSS allows up to $15,000 of eligible contributions per financial year and $50,000 overall. Your transfer counts in the year received; you can't split it across later years. Tax can affect what you receive.

I'd get an ATO determination before making an offer so you know the amount you're working with. You can request one after signing under the current rules, but you must do it before ownership transfers. Release and notification deadlines still apply. Our First Home Super Saver guide explains the steps.

Use the estimator to convert your balance to Australian dollars. The fund and ATO still need to confirm what you can use for a home. The tool can't identify every exclusion, approve a release or confirm a fund accepts transfers.

If you're keeping a home in NZ, start with your NZ lender. Ask how much equity it would let you release and what the repayments would be. Equity is the property's value less what you owe. Don't assume an Australian lender will take the NZ property itself as security.

The Australian lender assesses the released cash and your remaining debts. Allow for exchange rates and transfer costs, and show where the money came from. Check its genuine-savings rules too. Our using equity guide explains how the extra borrowing affects your budget.

Keeping the NZ place as a rental? I'd include rates, insurance, repairs, management fees and time without a tenant before deciding you can afford both homes. Moneysmart explains the investment costs and risks. Get tax advice for your cross-border position.

Before you spend weekends looking at homes, I'd check your income and existing loans. Lenders can treat a recent move, new job or NZD income differently.

These documents help us work through it. Your NZ credit history or banking relationship doesn't automatically carry across as Australian loan approval.

One lender may want more savings or income evidence than another. Your visa doesn't guarantee a 95% loan. Read the new-job guide for employment changes and genuine savings guide for deposit evidence.

We cannot assist with your home loan if you are still living and working in New Zealand. You'll need to contact lenders directly about their non-resident lending options.

Ask whether they accept your NZ residence, income and proposed property. Branches in both countries don't guarantee that loan is available. Your right to buy, finance and state duty need checking separately.

Planning to move later doesn't confirm grant eligibility now; the relevant dates and occupation rules still apply. Once you're living and working in Australia, we can look at your loan options.

I'd ask your conveyancer to confirm the duty before you settle on a budget. Queensland's additional foreign acquirer duty (AFAD) is 8% where it applies. QRO says a New Zealand citizen who holds an SCV when entering the transaction is not liable, subject to its anti-avoidance rules. Queensland doesn't use NSW's 200-day test. Ordinary transfer duty may still be payable.

From 1 August 2026, Queensland's first-home concessions also have a specified-resident condition. Section 90A and Schedule 6 of the Duties Act include an NZ citizen holding an SCV in the relevant permanent-resident definition. You still need to meet the property, previous-ownership, occupation and timing conditions. Your conveyancer should check your position on the transaction date.

Use our Queensland duty calculator and guide to budget for the costs. Don't travel to Australia just to obtain a visa to avoid duty; QRO explains the anti-avoidance rules.

To see why the surcharge matters, take a hypothetical $500,000 Queensland residential purchase. Assume the buyer is a foreign investor buying the whole property and gets no duty concession or surcharge exemption. The calculation is:

• Standard transfer duty: $15,925.
• AFAD at 8%: $40,000.
• Total duty: $55,925, before registration, legal costs or any FIRB fee.

That's a tax example, not confirmation that the person can buy the property. An NZ buyer with a qualifying visa may have a different result. Have your conveyancer check QRO's foreign-person rules before using a surcharge figure in your budget.

If you're buying in NSW, don't use the Queensland answer. An SCV holder may qualify for a surcharge exemption under the prior 200-day residence test, or the separate requirement to live continuously in the purchased home for 200 days within 12 months of the contract. Revenue NSW explains the conditions.

For Victorian settlements from 26 November 2025, the NZ-citizen foreign-purchaser exemption requires six consecutive months of ordinary Australian residence within the 12 months before or after settlement. Holding an SCV alone doesn't settle it. Check SRO Victoria's residence requirement.

ACT has no general foreign purchaser duty surcharge. Its Home Buyer Concession Scheme removed the income and property-value caps from 1 July 2026, but the other conditions still apply. Check ACT Revenue's current rules. Our first-home duty guide covers other states.

Tell us about property you or your spouse or partner has owned, and any previous grants. Our first-home grants guide covers the state rules and payment timing.

Have your ID, citizenship or visa evidence, purchase or building contract, and both partners' ownership and grant history ready. The exact documents depend on the state and property. Check QRO's supporting-document list for Queensland.

If saving 20% is holding you back, we'd check the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. The scheme is open to Australian citizens and permanent residents. It uses the Australian Citizenship Act meaning of permanent resident, which includes NZ citizens who hold an SCV, and the participating lender confirms your eligibility. Previously called the Home Guarantee Scheme, it has no income cap and no limit on places. Regional buyers now use the same first-home and single-parent pathways.

The first-home pathway generally needs at least a 5% deposit and no ownership of a home or land in Australia in the previous 10 years. Eligible single parents or single legal guardians may qualify for the separate 2% pathway. Property-price caps, the requirement to live in the home and lender approval still apply.

I'd check the property-price cap and your visa evidence before building your plan around it. Read the official scheme guidance and our 5% Deposit Scheme guide for the deposit and costs you still need to cover.

I'd get the finance and legal checks moving before you commit to a property. The order matters when some of your deposit is still in NZ or tied up in KiwiSaver.

1. Confirm your visa and borrowing options. Once you're living and working in Australia, we can look at your income, savings and NZ debts.
2. Confirm the cash you can actually use. Allow for exchange costs, buying costs and when sale proceeds, released equity or a grant will arrive.
3. Have your conveyancer check buying rights, duty and any assistance. Don't include a concession in the budget until you know it applies.
4. Check the property before signing. Look at recent comparable sales, flood exposure, insurance, body corporate costs and maintenance. Get the contract reviewed and agree suitable finance dates.
5. Complete the lender's remaining checks and prepare for settlement. Confirm the money and documents are ready for the contract's settlement date.

Our making an offer guide covers setting a price limit and finance dates. Pre-approval is still conditional on the property and any outstanding checks. Settlement happens on the agreed contract date; there isn't one standard timeframe for every purchase.

Use the written guide and current official sources for the eligibility rules and costs discussed in the video.

If you're living and working in Australia, tell us what you'd like to buy and when. Send your visa details, income, savings and any NZ debts or property you're keeping. We can work through the loan and repayments before you commit.

If part of the deposit is coming from KiwiSaver, we'll need the amount and timing confirmed by the fund and ATO. You can book a free assessment or call 1300 088 065.