Your moving checklist
Enter your dates and mark each task to do, waiting, done or not needed. The traveller declaration has an official submission window, explained below; other dates depend on your bookings, providers and circumstances. Print the filled checklist or print it blank to write on. Keep identity documents and account details in your own secure files. If you need to test whether the payments fit, compare your first eight weeks of moving costs.
Before committing money
| Action and what it depends on | Your plan |
|---|---|
| Travel and work permission Check the visa requirements and conditions on Immigration New Zealand, including travel dates and work conditions. Resolve the permission you need before making commitments that depend on it. | |
| Cash before income Price flights, temporary stays and setup costs; enter the first pay date in the eight-week cash comparison. Check which funds you can spend now and when other money will be available. | |
| Housing and arrival stay Choose search areas, compare local rents, and record your temporary booking’s checkout and cancellation dates. Compare the commute and household needs with the cash available for tenancy payments. |
Before departure — start these in parallel
| Action and what it depends on | Your plan |
|---|---|
| Documents and records Use the inventory below to request missing records, translations and references. If required, prepare your NZQA assessment. Ask the organisation requesting a document which evidence and format it accepts. | |
| Banking and payments Confirm the bank application, appointment and activation steps; retain a way to pay on arrival. Have the requested documents ready. Confirm when the account will work before transferring money for an early bill. | |
| Family and practical bookings Confirm each person’s travel, airport transfer, essential care and any school or childcare arrangements. Use the family prompts below. Match the dates to housing, work and the providers’ confirmed availability. |
Travel and the first days
| Action and what it depends on | Your plan |
|---|---|
| Traveller declaration and bags Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration for each traveller; check what to declare before packing. Submit within the official travel window below and keep your travel details accessible. | |
| Arrival access Reach your booked accommodation, get a working phone connection and complete your bank’s arrangements. Check how you will enter your accommodation, get there and pay before the account is ready. | |
| IRD and payroll Check the IRD new-arrival application window and ask your employer for payroll steps and the actual first payday. Choose the IRD route for your arrival and visa circumstances, then check the employer’s pay cutoff. |
As your housing is confirmed
| Action and what it depends on | Your plan |
|---|---|
| Rental agreement and keys Finish your application, viewing and signed handover checklist; confirm amounts, recipients and payment dates. Match the agreement and handover dates to usable funds and accommodation. | |
| Utilities, transport and care Arrange services for your address, check driving or transport needs, find a doctor and finalise education arrangements using the official links below. Check what rent includes and what each provider needs before ordering a service. | |
| Ordinary household budget Build your recurring household budget and replace estimates with bills and quotes. Separate regular costs from arrival purchases, and update the cash plan when dates change. |
For help choosing a visa or applying immigration rules to your circumstances, use a licensed or exempt immigration adviser.
Write down your next three actions
Write an action such as “ask the bank whether this address document is accepted”, rather than “sort banking”. Record the answer you need before the next commitment.
| Next action | Date and dependency |
|---|---|
For each booking or payment, also keep: NZD amount, due date, quote date, cancellation deadline and refund terms. Put the amount and payment date into the cash comparison.
Complete the declaration in its travel window
The New Zealand Traveller Declaration is free, and each traveller needs one, including babies and children. For air travel, you can submit it from 24 hours before your trip to New Zealand starts, and must submit it by passport control in New Zealand. Use the trip’s starting time and time zone when setting your reminder. The official site explains long journeys, stopovers and sea travel.
Before packing, read what to declare. Check food, outdoor equipment and other items you plan to carry against the official guidance; organise any medicine or ongoing-care questions before departure.
Get the right records while they are easy to obtain
These are prompts for a household inventory. The organisation asking for a document decides its required format. Use household labels here and keep the actual documents securely elsewhere.
| Records to check | Who may request them | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Passport and travel permission for each traveller | Airline, border agencies and other identity checks | Check validity and the relevant official checklist |
| Birth, marriage or name-change records | An organisation verifying identity or family details | Ask which record and translation it accepts |
| Employment offer and references | Employer, bank or rental agent, depending on its process | Confirm the requested evidence and referee availability |
| Rental history and references | Rental agent or landlord | Ask about overseas references and time zones |
| Address and tax-residency evidence | Bank | Check the bank’s accepted documents before an appointment |
| Certificates and transcripts | Employer, registration body, institution or NZQA | Confirm whether assessment or verification is needed |
| Medical and vaccination records | Doctor, school or childcare provider | Ask what will help with continuity of care or enrolment |
| Driving licence and any translation | Transport authority or other relevant provider | Check the official licence and translation requirements |
Add the arrangements your household needs
- Children: contact the school or childcare provider about a place, start date, enrolment evidence and any fees. Recheck the housing area and daily journey before committing to it.
- Different travel dates: make an arrival plan for each person, including who can attend appointments or collect keys.
- Pets or shipping: check the official import requirements and obtain provider quotes before booking; add arrival, delivery and any storage dates to the plan.
- Regulated work or continuing treatment: contact the relevant registration body or care provider early, with the documents it asks for.
A changed date can affect both housing and cash
Consider this fictional November 2026 plan: arrival on 15 November, bank appointment on 16 November, tenancy payment on 18 November, keys on 22 November, temporary accommodation checkout on 23 November, and first pay on 27 November.
Confirm when funds will be usable as well as the appointment date on the 16th. If access begins on the 20th, the payment on the 18th needs another funded method or an agreed new date. Keep the 18th payment in your budget until that change is confirmed.
A stay from check-in on 15 November to checkout on 23 November contains eight nights. Keys on the 22nd create one overlapping night. If the handover moves to the 24th, ask about extending through checkout on the 24th: that adds one night and removes the original overlap. Update both the tenancy start and temporary stay in the cash comparison, together with any changed payment date.
Official information for tax, utilities, driving, health and education
- Tax: IRD’s new-arrival process explains the application window and evidence for your circumstances. Check it promptly; there is no single window for every newcomer.
- Utilities and phone: INZ’s arrival guide connects to electricity, water, phone and internet information. Ask what is included in your accommodation before ordering services.
- Driving: follow the NZTA link in the official arrival guide to check your licence, vehicle class and translation requirements before driving.
- Health: use getting health care and finding a doctor to check access, costs and a local practice.
- Education: use childcare, schools and higher education and confirm the particular institution’s enrolment and fee arrangements.
Official arrival and declaration information checked 12 October 2026. Recheck it when a booking, provider requirement or household date changes.