How to Apply for a Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand

Living and working in New Zealand sound like the dream? Then you’re in luck! If you’re under 30 you are likely eligible to apply for a working holiday visa which lets you live and work for one year in New Zealand.

Living in the Land of the Long White Cloud is a magical experience. We hope this post helps give you the tools you’ll need to apply for a working holiday visa.

Interested in Australia? Check out our post on how to get a working holiday visa in Australia.

So, What is a Working Holiday Visa?

Working Holiday visas let young people (between 18 and 30) from countries with reciprocal agreements stay in New Zealand for up to a year (up to 23months if you’re British) to travel and support themselves with casual or temporary work.

The main purpose of your trip has to be travel, so there are various limitations depending on which country you’re applying to visit and where you’re from.

Who is Eligible and How Do you Apply?

New Zealand has working holiday visa agreements with: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the United States of America.

You Must Meet These Conditions

• You must be a citizen of a country with a working holiday visa agreement with New Zealand, and hold a valid passport for that country;
• You have to meet Working Holiday basic requirements including:
  • Age – you must be aged no less than 18 years old and no more than 30 years old
  • health and character prerequisites;
• You must meet any specific criteria relating to where you’re from including the length of stay, available funds
• You need to either have a return ticket home (or out of New Zealand), or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket.
• You can’t be accompanied by children.
• You can’t have previously held or qualified for a Working Holiday Visa for New Zealand before.

Specific Conditions for North America

Canada

This scheme allows 2,000 young citizens of Canada annually:

• To be issued a Work Visa valid for travel for 12 months from date of issue, and upon arrival in New Zealand to be granted a Work Permit for a maximum of 12 months; or
• If applying from within New Zealand, to be granted a Work Permit valid for a maximum of 12 months.

To be eligible for a Work Visa/Permit under this scheme, applicants must:

• Be citizens of Canada at the time of applying; and
• Have a minimum of NZ$4,200 available funds for their maintenance during the period of stay in New Zealand.

United States of America

This scheme allows 5,000 young citizens of the United States of America (USA) annually:

• To be issued a Work Visa valid for travel for 12 months from date of issue, and upon arrival in New Zealand to be granted a Work Permit for a maximum of 12 months; or
• If applying from within New Zealand, to be granted a Work Permit valid for a maximum of 12 months.

To be eligible for a Work Visa/Permit under this scheme, applicants must:

• Be citizens of the USA at the time of applying;
• Have a minimum of NZ$4,200 available funds for their maintenance during the period of stay in New Zealand; and
• Agree to hold medical and comprehensive hospitalization insurance that will remain current throughout their stay in New Zealand.

Specific Conditions for the United Kingdom

This scheme allows young citizens of the United Kingdom to be issued with multiple entry Work Visas, current for 12 months from the date of issue. On arrival they will be granted a Work Permit valid for 23 months.

To be eligible for a Work Visa/Permit under this scheme, applicants must:

• Be British citizens, ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom at the time of applying;
• Satisfy an NZIS visa or immigration officer that their primary intention is to holiday in New Zealand, with employment being an incidental rather than a primary reason for the visit; and
• Have a minimum of NZ$350 per month available funds for their maintenance during the period of stay in New Zealand.
• Applicants from the United Kingdom still need to be ordinarily resident in the UK to apply, but can be temporarily visiting another country at the time of applying.

Participants must not work for a period exceeding 12 months. This may be in one consecutive period or interspersed throughout the total stay.

Applying for a Working Holiday Visa

You can apply online. For most countries, it’s an e-visa so you won’t get a stamp in your passport unless you ask for it.

Here’s the link to the NZ immigration department: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/

Also use this NZ website to start planning your working holiday visa well in advance. It’s full of useful information on how life is in New Zealand.

When should I apply?

Visa processing can take up to 8 weeks, and longer if your application isn’t straight forward. The good news, however, after approval you then have up to 12 months to enter New Zealand. Your visa for one year begins the day you set foot into the country.

Have you done a working holiday in New Zealand? Any tips?