Choosing a NZ lawyer for an overseas purchase
What to ask a NZ lawyer before you hire them to handle a purchase from overseas.
- Ask how often they handle overseas buyers, and buyers from your country, in recent years.
- Ask how they handle overseas consent, source-of-funds checks and foreign document certification.
- Ask who will do the day-to-day work, and who you can reach if something is urgent.
- Ask for a written fee quote that states what is included and what is billed separately.
- Be wary of a lawyer who says it is just like a domestic purchase, or who offers your home-country tax advice as well.
Check the details. Check overseas-buyer rules with LINZ, your home-country tax with a tax adviser there, and a lawyer's standing with the Law Society.
Official pages
Shortened from a Berry article first written 2026-05-16. Figures we could not check against a public source were taken out. This is general information, not advice.