Last Updated: 25th January 2012
If you have any comments about the information provided here, you can reach us at hello@movetoaustralia.net. All the best for your big move!
Below you'll find questions we've identified as the most frequently asked by email or in our discussion forum.
Looking for the list of questions from readers that used to be listed on this page? They've all been moved to the discussion forum, where they are categorised and easier to find!
Well, we hope you will find all the answers on this site (including our discussion forum). You need to think about some or all of the following things:
If you are a New Zealand citizen in good health and with no criminal record, this is the easy part. You don't need to do anything special to legally live and work in Australia. Read the visa FAQ questions below and make sure you check out our page on visas for more information.
Refer to our page on finding a place to live in Australia for more information.
Read finding a job in Australia for more details.
Make sure you have access to health care at all times. Read health care for New Zealanders in Australia for more details.
Yes! Take a look at our discussion forum where you can ask questions that can be answered by us or by other readers. Asking questions helps to make this a useful resource for anyone planning a shift to Australia, so we encourage you to ask as many questions as you need help with.
You don't need to apply for a visa - a Special Category Visa (SCV) is electronically assigned when you enter Australia with your New Zealand passport. This special visa currently permits you to live and work in Australia for as long as you want. You don't need to do anything else to legally live and work in Australia :)
For more information, see our Australian visas for New Zealanders page.
You cannot receive the unemployment benefit and certain other social security payments without first becoming an Australian permanent resident. Even if you successfully apply to become a permanent resident, there is a two year stand down period before you can receive the benefit.
See our Australian visas for New Zealanders page to find out more.
See our page on becoming an Australia citizen to help you on your way.
The first step is becoming a permanent resident of Australia. This process is points based, and you currently need 120 points to be successful.
Once you are a permanent resident you will need a total of 4 years residence in Australia (with at least 12 months as with a permanent resident visa) before you become eligible to become an Australian citizen.
Yes. You can become an Australian citizen and remain a New Zealand citizen - that is, you can hold dual citizenship.
That depends on what you are taking. We paid NZ$1,600 for Crown Relocations to pack and ship the following items from door to door:
Kitchen
|
Lounge
|
Office
|
Bedroom
|
Bathroom
|
|
So, we didn't take much stuff yet it still cost $1,600. Ouch. Let us know if you find a better deal so that we can pass it on to others.
Transit time depends on a number of factors, including the availability of container space and the methods of your removals company. The removals companies often advise 6-8 weeks. In our case, our belongings took just over 3 weeks to arrive at our new place in Melbourne from Christchurch, NZ.
New Zealanders typically have it easier than other Australian immigrants when moving with pets, at least for regular breeds of cats and dogs. Refer to the importing of cats and dogs from New Zealand for detailed information about the process of importing animals into Australia. You will find additional information on this page of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
For information about taking other pets with you to Australia, refer to the Other Pets page of the DAFF.
Basically, if your cat or dog has been certified as healthy by a registered vet and, if it is a dog, it isn't one of the following breeds:
then you shouldn't have any problems and your cat or dog will not need to be placed in quarantine.
We spent a lot of time looking into this. In our opinion, the best way to do it is as described on our Moving Money To Australia page. It describes how to avoid using banks for currency conversion so that you get a better exchange rate, avoid commission on conversion, and how to avoid getting a bad deal from converting physical cash.
Yes - see our how to open a bank account in Australia page for help.
We found the process of opening an Australian bank account from New Zealand very quick and easy. Depending on which bank you choose, you might be able to do it all online and via the phone.
Read about how to open a bank account before leaving NZ on our how to open a bank account in Australia page.
We found that by doing the following things we maximised the amount of Australian dollars when we converted our New Zealand dollars. Depending on your circumstances, you might want/need to do things differently. The process we followed is described in far more detail on our Moving Your Money to Australia page.
Not really, no! Only if you really need cash. You will typically get a very bad exchange rate converting to/from cash rather than wiring your money between bank accounts using telegraphic transfer (TT). In general, we strongly recommend avoiding cash except for those small incidentals when getting into Australia etc as it is a very expensive way of obtaining Australian dollars when you consider the commission and bad exchange rate involved.
If you set up a bank account before you leave and go in to see the bank as soon as you arrive, you can activate your new Australian bank account and use EFTPOS and withdraw cash in Australian dollars, and there will clearly be no currency conversion involved.
See our Moving Your Money to Australia page for details on how to convert your money without paying too many fees.
If you like contributing to a record profit for your bank, then go ahead! If you've done this before you will have seen how much banks charge you for doing this. First, you have the awful exchange rate they give you and then they charge you a currency conversion fee on top. Ouch.
This method might be fine for emergencies, but just be aware that you will pay through the nose for using it.
At the time of writing, the income tax rates in Australia are typically more favourable than in New Zealand. Australians have enjoyed a series of tax cuts over the past few years, through a combination of both tax rate cuts and changes to thresholds for higher tax rates. The prospect of paying less tax in Australia is certainly a major reason behind our shift to Aussie. Bill English, are you listening?!
The current individual tax rates for the 2012 Australian financial year (1 July, 2011 - 30 June, 2012):
| Taxable Income | Tax |
|---|---|
| $1 – $6,000 | Nil |
| $6,001 – $37,000 | 15c for each $1 over $6,000 |
| $37,001 – $80,000 | $4,650 plus 30c for each $1 over $37,000 |
| $80,001 – $180,000 | $17,550 plus 37c for each $1 over $80,000 |
| $180,001 and over | $54,550 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000 |
Note that the above tax rates do not include the flood levy introduced by the Australian Government for the 2012 tax year.
You can view the latest individual income tax rates on the Australian Taxation Office site.
The Australian equivalent of an IRD number is a Tax File Number (TFN) from the Australian Taxation Office (which is the Australian version of the Inland Revenue Department).
You can apply for a Tax File Number online on the Australian Taxation Office website. As a New Zealand citizen you can apply for a TFN once you are present in Australia.
Applying for a TFN online takes approximately 20 minutes. You will need to provide your passport or travel document number, a postal address in Australia (to which your TFN will be sent), your legal name and other names you use or have used, and contact details for yourself or your preferred contact person. Once you have applied, your TFN will be sent to you in the post and will take about 1 - 2 weeks to arrive.
If you can't or don't want to apply for a TFN online, see the applying for a TFN page of the ATO site for alternative application methods.
We don't pretend to have any personal experience with this, but visit Superannuitants living in Australia and Superannuitants moving to Australia on the WINZ site and you should find the information you are looking for.
Read more about moving to Australia in the full How To Move To Australia Guide, or check out our discussion forum to find more help with planning your move.
We'd love to interview you if you have recently moved to Australia and are happy to share your experience with others. If this sounds like you, please email us at hello@movetoaustralia.net and we can arrange it!
Our goal is to make this guide the most useful resource available to Kiwis making the move to Australia. If you believe any of this information is unclear, incorrect, or out of date, please email us at hello@movetoaustralia.net. Also, be sure to check the discussion forum for the latest information. We appreciate all feedback :)
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