Each year 100 places are available under this scheme allowing young citizens of Thailand to stay in New Zealand for up to 12 months.

2012/13 Quota: The quota opened at 10:00 am (New Zealand time) on 12 July 2012.  Places are currently available.

Letter of support from the Thailand Office of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups

Please note that there is a requirement that applicants under this scheme produce a letter of support from the Thailand Office of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups (OWP). You may be required to attend an interview to obtain this letter. If you are applying from outside Thailand you should ensure you will be able to get this letter before you lodge your application. 

As with many of our working holiday schemes, the interest from potential applicants is much greater than the number of places available. This can result in the quota being filled within hours of it opening, and may mean that many people miss out. Having the letter from the OWP does not guarantee a place in the quota.

Online application service available

You will need a valid Visa or Mastercard credit card. This is the only way to pay for your online application. Please note that if you apply online we may require you to send additional information to the Immigration New Zealand receiving office in Bangkok.

However, before you think about applying, please read the following important information.

To be eligible

You must:

• have a passport from the Kingdom of Thailand that is valid for at least three months after your planned departure from New Zealand
• be at least 18 and not more than 30 years old
• not bring children with you
• hold a return ticket, or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket*
• have a minimum of NZ$7,000 available funds to meet your living costs while you are here
• meet our health and character requirements
• hold medical and comprehensive hospitalisation insurance for the length of your stay
• have a letter of support from the Thailand Office of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups (note: you may be required to attend an interview to obtain this letter)
• have a tertiary qualification granted in respect of a minimum of three years’ full-time study
• have a level of proficiency in English that is assessed as at least functional (see below)
• be coming to New Zealand to holiday, with work or study being secondary intentions for your visit
• not have been approved a visa under a Working Holiday Scheme before.

Note: An applicant’s proficiency in English is deemed to be at least functional if they:

• produce evidence of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate, showing they achieved an average level of 4.5 over the four components of the test**; or
• produce evidence of having completed all primary and at least three years’ secondary education where all instruction was in English; or
• produce evidence of having completed at least five years’ secondary education where all instruction was in English; or
• produce evidence of having gained a post-secondary qualification that required at least two years’ fulltime study or training where all tuition was in English; or
• are assessed by way of an interview with an Immigration New Zealand immigration officer who speaks fluent English.

If you are already in New Zealand you also need to hold a valid temporary visa.

*You are required to hold sufficient funds for the duration of your visit and for the purchase of an outward ticket from New Zealand. Such evidence may be requested on arrival at the border.

**Your certificate must be no more than two years old when you submit your application.

Health requirements

You will need to meet our health requirements for temporary entry to New Zealand.    

Important note for online applicants: Our working holiday scheme's online system will tell you whether you need to send us a completed medical and/or X-ray certificate, and, if so, how to do it, when you submit your online application. This is based on the maximum length of stay that you are allowed under your country's working holiday scheme (not your intended stay), along with your responses to our health requirements questions.

Character requirements

You will need to meet our character requirements for temporary entry to New Zealand.  

Note: If we do have concerns about your character and require additional information, such as a police certificate, the processing of your application may be delayed.

When you are here

• you must not take up permanent employment (unless you apply for and are granted an ordinary work visa while you are here)
• you must not work for the same employer for more than three months
• you can enrol in one or more courses of training or study of up to three months’ duration in total during your visit.

Please note: New Zealand law prohibits any person on a temporary visa including a Working Holiday Scheme work visa, from providing commercial sexual services, or operating or investing in a business which provides such services.

Tax

Like all New Zealand workers, you will need an IRD number so that your employer can deduct tax from your earnings at the correct rate. In New Zealand, you pay tax on a pay as you earn (PAYE) basis. This means that there should not be a large refund or an amount to pay when you leave. For more information see Inland Revenue's Travelling to New Zealand webpage [external link].

How do I apply?

Applications under this Working Holiday Scheme can be made online by going to Working Holiday Schemes online. On this page you can register for and access the Working Holiday Scheme online application system.

Check our questions and answers for more information on the online application system.

If you want to apply manually, follow the steps to apply for a Working Holiday Scheme work visa.