Pathways
Working Holiday Visa New Zealand
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Work permitVerified official

Working Holiday Visa New Zealand

New Zealand

Working Holiday Visa New Zealand

Fee summary

Immigration New Zealand: the United Kingdom and Canada working holiday pages both show from NZD 770. Each country has its own page; check yours.≈ $462

Processing time

Immigration New Zealand: the United Kingdom and Canada pages both show 80% within 2 weeks.

Job offer:NoLanguage test:NoFamily possible:NoPath to permanent residence:No
Immigration New Zealand

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Immigration New ZealandLast verified: Oct 8, 2026

Source-backed requirements

Total steps: 6
5 Mandatory1 Conditional
2 steps require documents
Jump to phase:
1

Eligibility

(1)

  1. Age Eligibility

    Mandatory

    You must be a citizen of a country with a New Zealand working-holiday agreement and meet that scheme's age limit: normally 18–30, or 18–35 for selected schemes. Apply only when your scheme is open; citizenship, residence and other criteria are scheme-specific.

    Verified official
2

Qualification

(1)

  1. Maintenance Funds

    Mandatory

    Meet the living-funds amount for your citizenship scheme and visa length; do not use a single amount for all countries. Current UK: NZD350 per month; Canada/USA: NZD4200. Money for an outward ticket is additional. Verify other schemes directly.

    Verified official
3

Preparation

(2)

  1. Scheme-specific medical insurance

    DocumentConditional

    Medical-insurance obligations depend on the citizenship scheme. USA and Canada require full medical insurance for the stay, including hospital cover; the UK scheme does not list this requirement. Check your actual scheme rather than applying a universal repatriation-insurance rule.

    Verified official

  2. Passport Validity

    DocumentMandatory

    Use the passport-validity rule for your citizenship scheme and intended visa length. Current USA, UK and Canada schemes require validity for at least 3 months after visa expiry; 15 months after arrival is not a universal rule.

    Verified official
4

Application

(2)

  1. First-Time Applicant Rule

    Mandatory

    For an initial Working Holiday Visa, you must not previously have been granted a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa, even if unused. This does not prohibit an eligible extension or subsequent visa under the specific existing-visa rules.

    Verified official

  2. Family members need separate visas

    Mandatory

    A partner or child is not included on your Working Holiday Visa. If they want to accompany you, they need their own visa; having children is not itself stated as a universal prohibition.

    Verified official

Steps marked with a document icon require physical documents. Generate your checklist to track them.

Source citations

Immigration New Zealand — Working holiday citizenship scheme eligibility

Immigration New Zealand

Verified official

Eligibility depends on citizenship scheme: nationality, age, opening and scheme-specific criteria. Linked current USA, UK and Canada pages reviewed for passport, initial-versus-extension, family visas, funds and medical insurance examples. Not all national schemes independently reviewed.

View official source

Official links

Official program pageimmigration.govt.nz

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Frequently asked questions