How it works

All land in the Cook Islands is customarily owned by respective Cook Islands families and is not available under freehold titles.

However, it is possible for a non-Cook Islander to obtain a lease from the landowner(s) to conduct a business or build a home or to take over an existing lease (re-assignment) on a residential property or business.

The maximum lease obtainable by a non-Cook Islander is 60 years.  When the term of the lease runs down it is possible to to approach the landowner(s) at any time and have the lease topped back up to 60 years again, however at the landowner(s) discretion.

There are no water or domestic rubbish rates or government property taxes.

There is a yearly rental payable to the landowner(s) depending on the type of lease.  The rental is renewable every 5 to 10 years, as stipulated in the lease. 

As a guide, any rent increases are upon discussion and can be negotiated with the landowner(s), and generally speaking are usually no more than 10% per 5 years.

Technically only Cook Islanders (descendants or those with Permanent Residency status) or those already here and operating a Cook Island registered business can purchase a lease for a vacant residential section, residential land and residential property in the Cook Islands.

However it is legally possible to reside in the Cook Islands by:

• Purchasing an existing commercial property or business that is listed for sale (some areas of investment are restricted to non-Cook Islanders, however there are exceptions).  We can advise you more on this.  An investment below $300,000NZD may be below the desired value of investment.  View our current business listings and property listings for home & income options
• Establishing a new business in partnership with a Cook Islander in a joint venture arrangement, where the Cook Islander is a majority shareholder
• Establishing a new business in an activity where there is demonstrable demand for the activity and no Cook Islander is currently carrying on a business in that activity
• Establishing a new business with a minimum investment of $1,000,000NZD or more on Rarotonga and $500,000NZD or more in Aitutaki
• The foreign enterprise proposes to develop a niche market or niche product

Once you have satisfied the criteria of having a Cook Islands registered company, you can then explore residential property acquisition after a period of around 5 years.

We suggest downloading a copy of the Cook Islands investment code  

As outlined in the investment code, note that the preferred level of real capital injection into a project or existing business purchase is 70% to 100%, however each application may be assessed on its own merits. 

Depending on the type of business activity, non-Cook Islanders who want to purchase an existing business or set up a foreign enterprise must first obtain approval and register their planned activities through the Business Trade & Investment Board (BTIB).

BTIB is a government agency which monitors foreign investment, encourages both local and foreign investment and promotes trade investment and business in the Cook Islands.

Our team is adept in the foreign investment process, and offers a professional facilitating services to file all of the necessary paperwork and documentation required for investment approval to the Business Trade & Investment Board on behalf of overseas investors and register their new enterprise in the Cook Islands once approval has been granted.

Once you receive investment approval, you will be eligible for an investor visa.  This is currently renewable on a yearly basis, however this will change to renewable every 3 years under the new immigration act.

An investor visa allows you to reside in the Cook Islands for the purpose of carrying on the business activity that you have been granted approval for. 

This is where our team can help you through all the paperwork and walk you through every step of the process!

To ensure a stress-free and seamless transition, our team works closely with the Business Trade & Investment Board (BTIB), Ministry of Justice – Companies Office Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Immigration (MFAI), Ministry of Health – Te Marae Ora and various other government departments.

We offer a professional facilitating service to file all of the necessary paperwork and documentation required with the appropriate agencies on behalf of offshore investors.

Please contact us to start your journey.