Planning to work in New Zealand? Find answers to your questions about the Working Holiday Scheme.
If you're aged between 18 and 30 (or 35 for certain countries), you may be eligible to work and explore New Zealand.
You’ll need to submit an online application on the Immigration New Zealand website(opens in new window), unless you’re already in the country (see below).
Yes you can, but you’ll need a New Zealand postal address. You may also be asked to supply a police certificate and undertake a chest x-ray and medical examination. Applying while you’re already in the country means your visa application will take about four weeks to process (as opposed to five days or less if you do it online before you come), so plan ahead.
This will depend on which country you’re from. For example, it costs from NZD $840 for people from the UK. You will need a valid Visa or Mastercard to submit your application – this is the only way to pay the fee required. You are able to find out how much your specific country’s Working Holiday Visa costs by working through the application steps.
You can view how it much it will cost by choosing your country(opens in new window) and viewing the visa information for that Working Holiday Visa.
It usually takes up to 20 working days from the time you successfully submit your application online. You’ll receive an email either approving your visa or asking for more information.
No, you don’t need an offer of employment to get your visa and can find a job once you arrive. If you decide not to work while you’re here under the Working Holiday Visa, that’s fine, as long as you have the money to fund your stay.
This obviously depends on what job you have, but the minimum wage(opens in new window) in New Zealand is currently $23.15 an hour. Do your due diligence to make sure you’re being offered a fair rate by a potential employer.
You may like to have more than one job to supplement your income while you’re in New Zealand – especially if you’re working part-time or for minimum wage – and this is fine. You can work as much as you like while you’re here. Different tax rates can apply to income from secondary jobs, so make sure to find out what taxes you may be eligible for. The Inland Revenue Department website(opens in new window) can help.
You can show your employer a print out of your electronic work visa, log in to the Immigration New Zealand website to show them your visa, or they can call Immigration New Zealand to check that you’re allowed to work in this country. Your employer can also verify your entitlement to work using Immigration New Zealand’s online Visa Verification Service(opens in new window).
You’ll need to get an IRD number (which you can apply for online at ird.govt.nz(opens in new window)) to give to your employer for tax purposes.
You could be eligible for another type of visa that allows you to work in New Zealand based on your skills. The Immigration New Zealand website(opens in new window) is a good resource to help you research alternative options.
This differs by nationality, but for Immigration purposes, you generally need to be able to show a minimum of NZ$350 a month or NZ$4200 for 12 months to meet living costs requirements while you’re here. A copy of your bank statement may be sufficient evidence of your available funds.
However, keep in mind that this is only the amount that Immigration New Zealand requires to prove you have enough funds to sustain your time in New Zealand. Your actual costs will vary based on what job you obtain and the amount of travel to do.
This depends on your country’s Working Holiday Scheme requirements. You may need to get medical and comprehensive hospitalisation insurance for the length of your stay. Please refer to your country’s specific requirements on the Immigration New Zealand website(opens in new window).
The Working Holiday Visa is a multiple-entry visa. This means it is activated upon your first arrival in New Zealand, but you can leave and re-enter the country multiple times during its validity. However, any time you spend outside New Zealand will not extend the total time your visa is valid for; the original expiration date remains the same regardless of travel in and out of the country.
The Working Holiday Visa only applies once during your lifetime. If you want to stay for longer once you’re here, you can apply for another type of visa as a temporary worker, student, or resident. Check out the Immigration New Zealand site(opens in new window) for more information.
If you entered New Zealand prior to 1 July 2023 under the United Kingdom Working Holiday Scheme and your visa is currently valid, you can apply for a visa extension that will allow you to work for the balance of three years.
You’ll find full details about the Working Holiday Scheme(opens in new window) and your specific country requirements at Immigration New Zealand, including the online form to apply.
You can get guidance from Immigration New Zealand(opens in new window) directly for free.
There are companies who can help you with your working holiday visa application, for a fee, like Working Holiday Starter and Work N Holiday.
