It really depends on your personal circumstances, such as whether or not your departure is permanent or temporary. The most common consideration is your current and ongoing NZ tax residency.
You must be an NZ tax resident to use Hatch
Hatch is regulated under NZ law and can only provide our services to New Zealand residents (both physical and tax). Therefore you must sign up while in NZ (not overseas) and maintain your NZ tax residency while using Hatch.
Ensure you understand your tax obligations in NZ and overseas
It’s also important you understand your tax residency and tax obligations for NZ or any other jurisdiction you’re in. Hatch was designed with NZ residents in mind and we cannot give you advice on your tax situation or the tax implications of you operating your Hatch account while overseas.
No longer an NZ tax resident?
If at any time you no longer are an NZ tax resident, you may need to close your Hatch account. You can choose to either transfer your shares to another provider, or sell your shares and withdraw your funds out to an NZ bank account.
Still an NZ tax resident while overseas?
If you are a NZ tax resident while you are overseas, we may need proof you continue to be a NZ tax resident (e.g. IRD documentation). Then we'll need a couple of other things from you to make sure we’re in line with our obligations:
Proof of address document - this needs to show your overseas address and be in English (a bank statement or government doc usually does the trick)
Your overseas TIN (tax identification number) - the equivalent of an IRD number for the country you’re living in
IMPORTANT: You must keep an NZ bank account open
You can only withdraw your funds out to an NZ bank account in your name. For deposits, you cannot use an overseas bank account (see more on deposits here).
So if you plan to close your NZ bank account, you'll need to transfer to another provider or withdraw your investments in Hatch (close your Hatch account) before you close your NZ bank account.
Other overseas scenarios
There may be other scenarios where Hatch is unable to keep your account open. For example, we may not be able to continue supplying the platform to you if the situation is out of line with our terms of service, our legal and compliance requirements, or the legal and compliance obligations of our US broker
Questions?
If you have any questions about being overseas while using Hatch or about transferring your shares get in touch with our friendly team at hello@hatchinvest.nz