There are unlimited places available annually under this scheme to young citizens of the United Kingdom for a stay of up to 23 months.*

Online application service available

Applications can be made online for this scheme by following the link below. You will need a valid Visa or Mastercard credit card. This is the only way to pay for your online application. 

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

To be eligible

You must:

• usually be permanently living in the United Kingdom – this means you can be temporarily visiting another country when you lodge your application
• have a British passport that‘s 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$350 per month of stay available funds to meet your living costs while you’re here
• meet our health and character requirements
• 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.

AND

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

*Applicants under this scheme can select either a 12-month or 23-month stay in New Zealand.

Depending on the length of stay you choose, you may be required to complete medical forms. Costs of completing a medical form should therefore be factored in. Please refer to the 'Health requirements' below for further details and to our questions and answers. If you applied for and received a 12-month working holiday work visa and you wish to stay longer, you may apply for the balance of the 23-month period. If you choose to do this, you will still need to meet health requirements. You will have to apply in New Zealand by submitting a manual application at an Immigration New Zealand branch before your visa expires. You must be in New Zealand to apply for this extension and you must meet all of the requirements above, except the one that says you must not have been approved a visa under a working holiday scheme before. If you are aged 30 when you lodge your first WHS application, you should consider applying for the full 23-month stay at that point, as you will not meet the age requirement if you apply for the balance at a later date.

**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.

When you are here

• you must not take up permanent employment (unless you apply for and are granted an ordinary work visa while you’re here)
• you must not work for a period exceeding 12 months
• you can enrol in one or more courses of training or study of up to six 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].

Health requirements

You can read about our health requirements. Online applicants will be advised by the online system whether medical certificates are required, and, if so, where to send them. The requirement to complete a General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007) PDF and/or a Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) PDF is automatically calculated on the basis of the length of stay you select under this working holiday scheme and where you apply from. To determine whether you will need to complete medical requirements, see table below. 

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.

How do I apply?

Applications under this working holiday scheme can be made online. 

Take me to Working Holiday Schemes online. This link will take you to our Online Services login page. On this page you can register for online services or if you have already registered you can log in 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.