Working Holiday Extension Work Visa
If you are on a working holiday visa, and have worked in the viticulture or horticulture industries for at least 3 months, you can apply to stay in New Zealand for another 3 months.
-
Length of stay
Up to
3 months
-
Cost
From
NZD $800
-
Processing time
80% within
2 weeks
To apply you must:
- be in New Zealand on a current working holiday visa
- have already done at least 3 months of seasonal
or work in New Zealand - have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- stay in New Zealand for another 3 months under the same conditions as your original working holiday visa
- study or train for up to 6 months in total, including time spent in the original working holiday visa
- travel in and out of New Zealand.
You can only be given one working holiday extension visa.
You do not have to have a job offer to apply.
Your
If your extended visa is approved it will have the same conditions as your original working holiday visa.
How long you can stay
You can stay in New Zealand on an extension to your original working holiday visa for up to 3 months.
Who can apply
To apply for this visa you must:
- be in New Zealand on a current working holiday visa
- have already done at least 3 months of seasonal horticulture or viticulture work in New Zealand
- not have had a Working Holiday Extension Work Visa before
- be in good health
- be of good character
- have a genuine reason for staying in New Zealand
- have enough money to cover your living expenses
- have full medical insurance for your stay — it if was a requirement for your original working holiday visa
- have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.
You must be in New Zealand on a current working holiday visa.
We use our records to check you are still in New Zealand on a current working holiday visa.
Seasonal work
You must have spent at least 3 months doing
The work does not need to be continuous or for the same employer.
Evidence can include:
- letters from employers
- pay slips
- tax records.
Note
Seasonal work must be planting, maintaining, harvesting, or packing crops in the horticulture or viticulture industry. Any work outside of these specified jobs (for example in plant nurseries or in food processing and manufacturing) does not qualify.
No previous extensions
You must not have had a Working Holiday Extension Work Visa before.
We will check our records to make sure we have not already given you a Working Holiday Extension Work Visa.
Health
You must be in good health.
You do not need to provide any evidence of your good health, unless we ask you to.
Character
You must be of good character.
When you apply, you must answer questions about your character. This helps to decide if you need to provide police certificates. Even if you do not need these when you apply, we may ask for them when we process your application.
If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand, we may not issue you a visa.
Genuine intentions
You must have genuine reasons for staying in New Zealand.
When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we will consider all the information that:
- you provide to support your application
- we have about your personal circumstances
- you have previously provided to us.
Leaving New Zealand
We may ask to see evidence of your travel arrangements to leave New Zealand.
Evidence can include:
- your ticket for travel out of New Zealand at the end of your stay to a country you have the right to enter, or
- documents, such as bank or credit card statements, that show you have enough money to buy a ticket.
Documents you need
When you apply
When you apply, you will need to provide:
- a copy of your passport or certificate of identity —you can provide a certified copy, but it can prevent delays if you provide the original
- 2 acceptable photos
- evidence you have spent at least 3 months doing seasonal work in the horticulture or viticulture industries while on your current working holiday visa.
Your passport or certificate of identity must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave New Zealand.
After you apply
After you apply, we may contact you and ask for:
- evidence of a medical examination or chest X-ray
- police certificates as proof of your good character if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits
- proof you have medical insurance — if it was required for your original working holiday visa
- a ticket to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay, or proof you have enough money to buy one.
How to apply
Follow these steps to complete your application online.
An application containing all the documents we need will help prevent delays with processing.
-
1
Step 1: Gather your documents
The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.
Get documents translated
For your application you must provide:
- certified English translations of police and medical certificates that are not in English, if required
- scanned copies of the original documents.
Note
If your other evidence is not in English, you can provide a translated copy to help prevent delays with processing.
Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.
Organise proof of identity, citizenship and age
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 3 months after this visa expires.
If you need a new passport, allow yourself enough time to get it.
When you apply, make sure you enter your identity details exactly as they appear on your passport or certificate of identity.
Alert
If there are any mistakes in your identity details such as an incorrect name or passport expiry date, your application may be delayed. We may also decline your application or refuse you entry to New Zealand.
Apply for police certificates, if required
If you're 17 years or older and applying for a temporary visa to stay in New Zealand for 24 months or more, you must provide police certificates.
The 24-month period includes any time you've already spent in New Zealand on previous visas.
You must provide police certificates from:
- country of citizenship, and
- country where you've lived for 5 years or more since turning 17 (even if those years were not consecutive).
Your police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. Allow yourself enough time to get these certificates.
Organise proof you can leave New Zealand
This can be a plane ticket or proof you have the money to buy one.
-
2
Step 2: Complete the application form
Complete the application form and attach all supporting documents.
-
3
Step 3: Sumbit your application and pay the fee
You can post or courier your application to Immigration New Zealand.
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for fees and where to submit your application.
-
4
Step 4: Wait for our decision
We let you know if we need more information to process your application.
We will email you when we make a decision.
Checking your visa application status
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for timeframes.
If we approve your application, we will give you an eVisa and email you a copy.
Note
You must have a valid visa. If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.
Check the 'While you are in New Zealand' section to find out what you can and cannot do when you come to New Zealand.
How to pay and submit
We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details.
Enter your details so we can show information that is relevant to you.
When you get your visa
Your visa is valid from:
- the date you enter New Zealand, if you are outside New Zealand when we approve your application, or
- the date you get your visa, if you are already in New Zealand.
You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.
While you are in New Zealand
Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.
Travel
After you arrive, you can travel in and out of New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.
Work
You will have the same work conditions as your first working holiday visa.
Note
You do not need a job offer to apply for a Working Holiday Extension Work Visa.
Paying tax
Everyone who has a job in New Zealand pays tax on what they earn. To pay tax, you need an Inland Revenue Department (IRD) number from Inland Revenue — the New Zealand Government department that collects tax.
Study
You can do some study or training for up to 6 months of your total stay in New Zealand.
Staying longer
If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.