The Entrepreneur Work Visa points scale has a 120-point threshold, but New Zealand’s Entrepreneur Work Visa is closed to new applicants. The scale remains relevant when understanding historical applications and certain requests by existing holders. Reaching 120 points does not make a new application available today.
Official INZ sources checked November 2, 2026. This is a guide to the legacy scale and its current context, not a visa application service or an official points calculator.
Check the current visa status before using any older table. Then identify whether you are reviewing a past application, requesting an approved business-plan change or renewing an existing visa. Those tasks do not all require the same form sections.
For the related next step, see our choosing the correct INZ contact channel. Confirm that the guide’s scope matches your circumstances before using its checklist.
Who is the Entrepreneur Work Visa points scale for now?
INZ’s August 2025 closure announcement explains that new Entrepreneur Work Visa applications stopped, existing applications would be processed under the instructions applying when submitted, and current holders could still pursue permitted renewal and residence options.
The August 2025 application form, INZ 1222, is now directed at existing holders. Its Section K instructions distinguish a change of business plan from a renewal: change-of-plan applicants complete the points section, while renewal applicants are not required to complete that section.
| Your situation | Relevant next check |
|---|---|
| New applicant with no Entrepreneur Work Visa | Check an open route; the old points score does not reopen this category |
| Existing holder changing a business plan | Check consent requirements, the points section and the original approved plan |
| Existing holder renewing | Use renewal instructions and the required sections of the current form |
| Earlier application already submitted | Check the instructions applying to that application and any INZ correspondence |
Our New Zealand work visa comparison explains other work routes. Permission to work for an employer does not automatically authorise running your own business.
How the legacy 120-point calculation works
The official BB3.10 points scale separates experience, business benefits, investment, age and a regional bonus. An applicant must substantiate the points claimed; a self-calculated total is not the awarded score.
- Use one business-experience category.
- Use up to two benefit-to-New-Zealand categories.
- Select the applicable band within each category, rather than adding every lower band.
- Keep capital, age and the location bonus separate from the selected benefit categories.
Read a table with the definitions beside it. For example, a new job has a different evidential meaning from an existing employee, and annual exports are different from the business’s entire sales revenue. A larger total based on the wrong inputs is less useful than a smaller, properly supported total.
Business experience points
Choose the applicable experience category and supported duration. The following compact table restates the legacy bands:
| Experience category | 3+ years | 5+ years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relevant self-employment | 20 | 30 | 40 |
| Other self-employment | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| Relevant senior management | No listed 3-year band | 5 | 10 |
Do not combine relevant self-employment with other self-employment and management points. A person with several career stages should identify the single category and duration supported by their records.
INZ’s business definitions describe self-employment as lawful, full-time active business involvement, with specific ownership or investment criteria. Passive share ownership alone does not establish that experience. Senior-management claims also require more than an impressive job title.
Prepare a chronology of businesses, dates, ownership and responsibilities. Then match each period to records that explain what you actually managed. If the proposed venture differs from earlier work, explain the connection instead of relabelling unrelated experience as relevant.
Capital investment points and the NZD 100,000 distinction
The legacy capital investment instructions set a minimum of NZD 100,000 unless a permitted discretionary waiver applied. That entry requirement was different from the points bands: capital below NZD 200,000 earns zero investment points in the scale.
| Recognised investment, NZD | Capital points |
|---|---|
| Below 200,000 | 0 |
| 200,000+ | 10 |
| 300,000+ | 20 |
| 400,000+ | 30 |
| 500,000+ | 50 |
| 750,000+ | 60 |
| 1,000,000+ | 80 |
These are thresholds: select the highest applicable band, not a cumulative total. The jump to 50 points at NZD 500,000 is a reason to read the actual table rather than applying an assumed fixed increase per NZD 100,000.
Use recognised investment under the official definition. Personal assets, passive reserve funds and other excluded spending cannot simply be added to the capital claim. Trace ownership and lawful source of funds, and separate business investment from money needed for personal living costs.
The table is cross-checked against the official INZ 1221 guide. It does not describe the investment threshold for the newer Business Investor Work Visa.
Benefit-to-New-Zealand points: choose up to two categories
New employment
| New qualifying full-time jobs | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 20 |
| 3 or more | 30 |
| 5 or more | 50 |
| 10 or more | 80 |
The jobs must meet the applicable definition for New Zealand citizens or residents. Buying a business with existing employees does not turn those existing positions into newly created jobs. The definitions address permanent, ongoing work and the treatment of equivalent part-time roles; casual headcount is not a substitute.
Approved export business
| Annual export turnover threshold, NZD | Points |
|---|---|
| 200,000+ | 10 |
| 300,000+ | 20 |
| 400,000+ | 30 |
| 500,000+ | 40 |
| 750,000+ | 60 |
| 1,000,000+ | 80 |
Use the relevant annual export measure and support the proposal. Do not use domestic turnover, profit or the purchase price as if each were export revenue. Explain the product, export market and basis for the forecast.
Unique or new products or services
The scale provides 30 points for a credible qualifying proposal involving a product or service that is new or unique to New Zealand or the relevant region. Read the official definition before making the claim. Something new to its owner is not necessarily new to that market.
This is the third benefit category. Because only two benefit categories can be selected, do not automatically add employment, exports and innovation together. Evidence for each selected claim must still be credible and consistent with the business plan.
Age points and the outside-Auckland bonus
Age is assessed at the relevant application date. The bands in the official scale can be summarised as follows:
| Age | Points |
|---|---|
| 24 or younger | 15 |
| 25–49 | 20 |
| 50–59 | 10 |
| 60 or older | 0 |
For clarity, BB3.10 lists the 25–29, 30–39 and 40–49 bands separately; each receives 20 points. A zero-point age band is a scoring result, not a statement that the newer Business Investor visa uses the same age rules.
A qualifying business based outside Auckland receives 40 bonus points. Use the Auckland Council area definition in BB6.1.35, rather than assuming that an address is outside Auckland because it is distant from the city centre.
Worked example: reaching 120 points without double-counting
The following fictional example explains arithmetic only. Assume each claim is within scope and can be supported:
| Claim | Points |
|---|---|
| 5+ years of relevant self-employment | 30 |
| NZD 300,000 recognised capital | 20 |
| Applicant aged 35 | 20 |
| Qualifying location outside Auckland | 40 |
| 1 qualifying new full-time job | 10 |
| Illustrative total | 120 |
Only one experience category and one benefit category have been used. No export or innovation points are needed for this example. Supporting documents and the remaining visa requirements would still matter.
For an existing holder, compare this calculation with the original approved proposal as well. If the original score was 150, a revised 120-point proposal does not preserve that original score. Meeting the pass mark alone does not resolve a proposed change.
If you searched for an Entrepreneur Work Visa points calculator, use this as a manual checking method. GlobalVisora does not issue an official score, determine consent or provide a live eligibility tool on this page.
Business-plan changes and renewals need different checks
INZ 1221 explains that a permitted plan change must remain minimal and meet conditions concerning the original proposal, including the same or greater points and capital investment and the relevant benefit requirements. Check consent before changing the approved business.
Prepare an original-versus-revised comparison: business activity, location, investment, selected points, proposed jobs, export assumptions and supporting evidence. A short explanation of every material change makes the request easier to assess than a replacement plan that leaves the differences implicit.
For a renewal, follow the current form’s renewal instructions. Section K’s exemption from completion does not remove the need to establish renewal eligibility or compliance with the approved proposal. Keep the original plan, approval correspondence and any consented changes together.
Use the current renewal section for remaining conditions and the submission instructions relevant to your request. Keep track of the current visa’s expiry; a spreadsheet score does not extend the visa.
Build a points-to-evidence record
The business-plan instructions require a specific supported proposal, rather than a generic template. Realistic forecasts, relevant knowledge and market research matter alongside the numerical score.
| Claim or decision | Useful records to organise |
|---|---|
| Experience | Business history, ownership and management responsibilities |
| Investment | Ownership, lawful source and proposed recognised business spending |
| New jobs | Existing staffing baseline and genuinely additional qualifying roles |
| Exports or novelty | Market research and evidence supporting the selected benefit |
| Location and plan changes | Actual operating sites, original approval and comparison of proposed changes |
This is an editorial filing aid, not an extra mandatory INZ checklist. Identify what each document proves and the claim it supports. If a figure is a forecast, label it as one and explain its assumptions rather than presenting it as an achieved result.
Maintain one dated version of the calculation alongside the business plan it refers to. Reconcile any changed amount across the financial model, capital evidence, jobs table and narrative. Avoid a file in which the points sheet uses one plan while the supporting documents describe another.
What should a new business applicant consider?
The Business Investor Work Visa is open under separate requirements. Current headline conditions include at least NZD 1 million in an acceptable established business, NZD 500,000 in reserve funds, an age limit of 55 and business-experience requirements. It does not inherit the former 120-point scale.
That is a different route to assess, with its own acceptable-business and operating conditions. Registering a company or reaching the old points threshold does not establish eligibility. Our New Zealand immigration planning guide helps separate a business idea from the permission needed to act on it.
The Entrepreneur Resident Visa also has its own criteria. Do not equate a work-visa score with an automatic resident grant or with a Permanent Resident Visa. Our resident visa guide explains the status distinction.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a new Entrepreneur Work Visa with 120 points?
No. The category is closed to new applicants. The score does not override that closure.
Does an Entrepreneur Work Visa renewal require Section K?
The current INZ 1222 instructions say renewal applicants do not need to complete Section K. Change-of-business-plan applicants complete the points section; follow the instructions for the actual request.
Does NZD 100,000 earn capital investment points?
No. The legacy minimum-investment requirement is separate from the scoring bands. The first capital-points threshold is NZD 200,000 for 10 points.
How many points are awarded outside Auckland?
The cited BB3.10 scale awards 40 points for a qualifying business outside the Auckland Council area, subject to the official definition.
Can I add all experience and business-benefit categories?
No. Use one experience category and up to two benefit-to-New-Zealand categories, with supported claims and the applicable band in each.