How to transfer your company's incorporation to NZ
Applying to move your overseas company's incorporation
If your company is incorporated in another country and you want to carry on business in New Zealand, one of the ways you can do this is to transfer your incorporation to our Companies Register.
What it means to transfer your incorporation
When you transfer your company, you apply to incorporate your company on the New Zealand Companies Register. This means your company will then become a New Zealand company and you must give up the registration in the country where your company is incorporated.
Before you apply, the company must have at least one director who lives in:
- New Zealand, or
- Australia and is a director of a company incorporated in Australia.
How to apply
The application process involves several steps.
1. Reserve your company name
Before you start your application, you must have an online services account so you can reserve your company name.
There is a fee of $10 (plus GST) for this service.
2. Apply to register your company
Download and complete Form 20. It must be signed by a director of the company.
With your signed and completed form, you need to send us:
- Confirmation of your name reservation — this is emailed to you after you've reserved it online.
- Your 'Certificate of Incorporation', or an equivalent document, from the country where the company is currently incorporated.
- A certified copy of your company's constitution.
- A statutory declaration from a director or another authorised person confirming that there is nothing stopping your company from incorporating in New Zealand.
If your company is already on our Overseas Register
If your company is already registered — for example, if it's been operating as a branch in New Zealand — and you've already submitted your incorporation and constitutional documents to us, you don't need to provide them again.
Making a statutory declaration
Your declaration must comply with the Oaths and Declarations Act 1957. How you make the declaration depends on whether you make it in New Zealand or in another country.
3. Submit your application
Send your completed form and documents to:
New Zealand Companies Office
Private Bag 92061
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142
New Zealand
4. How we process your application
We review your documents and if they're in order we'll advise you to complete the transfer by registering your company using our online services. We'll attach your completed Form 20 and the accompanying documents to your online application.
It costs $118.74 (plus GST) to incorporate a company.
5. Remove your company from the other country's register
Contact the appropriate agency in the country where your company was incorporated to find out how to remove your company from their register.
Other guides in
Managing an overseas company in New Zealand
- Registering your company to do business in New Zealand
- How overseas companies set up as a NZ business
- Financial reporting for overseas companies
- Financial reporting for New Zealand companies registered in Australia
- Annual returns for overseas companies
- Updating directors' details on the Overseas Register
- Updating addresses of overseas companies
- Changing the name of an overseas company
- Updating the constitution of an overseas company
- How to remove a company from the Overseas Register