Moving to Australia From New Zealand: The Sequencing Checklist

Step 1 — Arrival: nothing to apply for, but check your documents

There's no visa to apply for before you travel. Bring a current New Zealand passport — that's what gets checked and what triggers the automatic SCV grant on arrival. If you're bringing children, dependants, or a non-New Zealand-citizen partner, their situation is different and worth checking separately (a non-NZ-citizen partner needs their own visa; see /blog/new-zealand-to-australia-visa-options for the family-visa options that apply to them, not to you). If you're bringing pets, that process runs on its own separate timeline and needs to start well before you fly — see /blog/bringing-pets-from-new-zealand-to-australia.

Step 2 — Tax File Number (TFN), before almost everything else

Apply for a TFN as close to arrival as practical. Most other financial steps either require one (starting a job without one means emergency tax rates on your pay) or work better once you have one (some banks ask for it, and it speeds up linking accounts to myGov later). See /blog/get-tfn-tax-file-number-australia for how to apply and what you need. This is worth doing before, not after, opening a bank account or starting work if you can sequence it that way — it's the one document several later steps assume you already have.

Step 3 — Medicare enrolment

Enrol in Medicare using your New Zealand passport and proof of your SCV — see /blog/apply-for-medicare-australia-new-migrant for the enrolment process itself, and /blog/do-new-zealand-citizens-need-health-insurance-australia for exactly what New Zealand's reciprocal agreement does and doesn't cover once you're enrolled (it's broader than most countries' RHCA access, but not complete — check that page before assuming you don't need any private cover at all, particularly for ambulance costs).

Step 4 — Bank account and myGov

Open an Australian bank account — some banks let you start this before you land, others require you to be physically present; see /blog/how-to-open-australian-bank-account-before-arrival and /blog/open-bank-account-in-australia-as-new-migrant for both routes. Set up myGov (see /blog/set-up-mygov-australia) once you have a Medicare card and, ideally, a TFN — myGov is the hub that links Medicare, the Australian Taxation Office and, later, superannuation, so it's more useful once those pieces exist than as your very first task.

Step 5 — Driver's licence conversion

New Zealand is on the list of countries Australian states generally recognise for licence conversion without requiring a fresh driving test — see /blog/recognised-countries-drivers-licence-australia to confirm this against your specific state, and /blog/convert-overseas-drivers-licence-australia for the general conversion process and what to bring. Each state runs its own road authority and its own time limit for converting before you're required to hold an Australian licence, so check the specific window for the state you're settling in rather than assuming it's the same everywhere.

Step 6 — Work and superannuation

You can start work immediately with no visa condition to check (see /blog/nz-citizen-skills-assessment-and-work-rights-australia if your occupation is a regulated one — nursing, teaching, most trades and some engineering roles need registration regardless of your unrestricted work rights). Once you start a job, your employer is required to pay superannuation into a fund on your behalf — see /blog/superannuation-explained-for-new-migrants-australia for how choosing a fund works, and check with your KiwiSaver provider separately about whether and how to handle funds you're leaving behind in New Zealand, since that's a KiwiSaver-specific question outside the scope of this checklist (see /blog/cost-of-moving-to-australia-from-new-zealand for KiwiSaver-related FAQs).

Step 7 — Tax residency

Establishing Australian tax residency is a separate question from your visa status, and it affects how your worldwide income is taxed from the point you become a tax resident, not from when you arrived if the two dates differ. See /blog/tax-residency-when-you-move-to-australia and /blog/australian-tax-residency-new-arrivals for how residency is worked out and what it changes. This is worth getting right early, particularly if you have New Zealand income, savings or investments continuing after the move, rather than assuming your visa status settles the tax-residency question — it doesn't.

What's deliberately not on this list

Two things that come up often enough to flag: this checklist doesn't cover Centrelink or HECS-HELP eligibility, because those run on tests that are genuinely more complicated than a simple checklist item — see /blog/nz-citizens-centrelink-medicare-hecs-australia for why. And it doesn't cover citizenship, which is a separate decision most people make well after settling in, not part of the arrival sequence — see /blog/new-zealand-citizen-direct-citizenship-pathway-2023 when that becomes relevant. If your situation involves a non-NZ-citizen partner, a complicated immigration history, or a question this checklist doesn't answer, that's worth a conversation with a MARA-registered migration agent rather than guesswork — get matched with one through Migratio.

What's the very first thing to do after arriving in Australia as a New Zealand citizen?

Nothing needs applying for — the Special Category Visa is granted automatically on arrival. The first practical step is applying for a Tax File Number, since several later steps (starting work at the standard tax rate, some bank account features) work better once you have one.

Do I need a job offer before moving to Australia from New Zealand?

No. New Zealand citizens have unrestricted work rights the moment they arrive, with no employer-sponsorship or job-offer requirement of any kind. You can search for work after you land, or before you leave New Zealand, without it affecting your ability to enter or stay.

In what order should I do TFN, Medicare and bank account?

TFN first where practical, since starting work or setting up some accounts without one creates avoidable friction (emergency tax rates, extra verification steps). Medicare and a bank account can generally follow in either order, though myGov is more useful once you have both a Medicare card and a TFN to link.

Can I convert my New Zealand driver's licence without retesting?

Generally yes — New Zealand is on the list of countries most Australian states recognise for direct licence conversion, but confirm against your specific state and its time limit for converting, since the process and window differ by state.

Do I need to do anything about KiwiSaver when I move?

It's worth checking with your KiwiSaver provider directly about your options, since KiwiSaver transfer rules are their own specific process separate from Australian superannuation set-up. This checklist covers starting an Australian super fund through your employer, not the KiwiSaver side.

When should I sort out Australian tax residency?

Early, and separately from your visa status — tax residency is worked out under its own rules and can start from a different date than your arrival, particularly if you have ongoing income or assets in New Zealand. Check this well before your first Australian tax return is due.

Does this checklist cover Centrelink and citizenship too?

No, deliberately — both involve tests too specific to fit a general checklist item. See the separate guides on Centrelink/Medicare/HECS eligibility and the citizenship pathway when those become relevant to your situation.