Going overseas to live
Living overseas usually means moving to another country permanently or spending more time overseas than in New Zealand.
What happens to your benefits if you go overseas to live?
Sometimes a short time away can be counted as ‘living overseas’. Before you leave New Zealand, make sure you discuss your plans with us, even if you’re only going for a short time.
New Zealand has Social Security Agreements with a number of countries. If you go overseas to live and you’re on certain types of income support, you may be able to take some or all of your payments with you – or receive payments from the country you move to.
Other types of income support
If you live overseas, we can’t pay you family tax credit or any of the other forms of extra help like a Disability Allowance or Accommodation Supplement. But you may be able to get other help from the country you move to. You need to ask about this when you get there.
Decisions about payments from other countries
If you move to another country, any decisions about that country's income support are made by the social security organisation of the country you are living in. If you disagree with a decision they make, you need to contact them, not us. Please note that your rights in other countries may be different than what they are in New Zealand.