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I am self-employed as an indie game developer and would like to visit New Zealand and Australia to do some touristing.

  1. Can I work on my projects (programming/design/online marketing/support) while visiting another country, say New Zealand or Australia?
  2. Can I do that for a month-long visit? What about longer periods: 90 days, 6 months?
  3. Can I do that under a regular tourist visa or do I need a different visa?
  4. Do I need to worry about taxes?

Not as important, but:

  1. Does the answer change if I (a) take on any (online) freelance work or (b) hire out some (online) freelance work while there?

Note that I am a US citizen. Also, assume things will return to the pre-COVID normal and the travel will take place long after the pandemic is over.

Similar questions, but asking about the UK: Can a US citizen live and work remotely in the UK for a month? (answer is no?) and Japan: Can a US citizen work remotely for a US company while in Japan for sightseeing? (conflicting answers, but it also seems like a no?).

Sirius 5
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2 Answers2

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Can I work for my usual employer remotely while on holiday in New Zealand?

Yes. As long as the primary purpose of your visit to New Zealand is ‘holidaying’.

If holidaying will be the main activity that you will be engaged in throughout your time in New Zealand, it would not be an issue to work remotely from time to time in relation to your usual overseas employment while holding a visitor visa.

The only time working remotely would become a problem is if a New Zealand citizen or resident were being deprived of a work opportunity.

Working remotely means working away from your place of employment and communicating by telephone or by email.

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/knowledgebase/kb-question/kb-question-16164

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For most countries, the answer is no, a non-citizen cannot work there legally unless they apply for and receive an explicit permission to work in the given country. That might take form of a specific visa type, work permit, work-study program, endorsement etc.

There are exceptions, most notably the EU (a citizen of any EU country can work in any other), but they're uncommon.

That said, very few places prioritize catching and punishing people who take care of some of their business online while staying there for a few months. As long as you keep a low profile, don't tell anyone and don't do business directly with the locals, you should be fine. However, if you live somewhere for several years or get into trouble, at some point you might get questioned about where your income comes from.

Tax questions are almost impossible to answer without getting into many details about your unique situation. Generally, I wouldn't worry about local income taxes if staying somewhere under 6 months per year, but don't take this as definitive advice. Note that US citizens need to file taxes with the IRS even for income earned outside the US, but there are certain exemptions available.

dbkk
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