Work Exchange Scheme Work Visa

This visa allows people to work in New Zealand as part of an approved work exchange scheme. You’ll need to provide a letter of acceptance from the scheme organiser when you apply.

Length of stay
Up to

12 months

Quota
Each year

1000

Cost
From
NZD $700
Processing time
80% within
3 weeks
With this visa you can
  • Do paid work in New Zealand as part of an approved work exchange scheme.
  • Stay in accommodation provided by your work exchange scheme organiser.
  • Stay for 12 months unless your work exchange scheme has a special arrangement with us.
Things to note
  • You can't include a partner or dependent children in your visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you if your work exchange scheme allows partners and children to accompany participants.
    Explore family visa options

What you need to apply

Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.

View All Evidence

You must provide proof of your identity:

Acceptable photos

You may provide your original passport, or a certified copy when you submit your application. If you provide a certified copy we may request your original passport to complete your application.

Tips

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.

If you are a citizen of China and you submit a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.

Supplementary form for Chinese citizens (INZ 1027) PDF 338KB

If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.

Supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students (INZ 1220) PDF 240KB

Also provide your:

  • Hukou (household registration book)
  • Chinese identity card.

Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

We may ask you to have a chest x-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.

If you are staying less than:

  • 6 months you do not normally need a chest x-ray. 
  • 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate. 

Who needs an x-ray or medical examination

When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest x-ray or medical examination.

Acceptable standard of health criteria for visa approvals

Please only provide medical certificates if requested

Tips

You must provide a chest x-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you've provided one to us previously, if:

  • you have spent 6 consecutive months in China since the last x-ray certificate was issued, and
  • you are now coming to NZ for more than 6 months.

If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.

Good character for temporary visas

You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.

You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.

If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.

Providing police certificates

How to get a police certificate

If you have already sent us Police Certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:

  • you provide to support your application
  • we have about your personal circumstances, and
  • you provided in any previous applications.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ

You must provide evidence that you’ve been accepted into an approved work exchange scheme. For example, a letter from the scheme organiser. 

Approved work exchange schemes

You must provide proof you're insured, for example:

  • a copy of your insurance certificate
  • an approval letter from your insurance company.
Tips

We may ask to see your evidence when you arrive in New Zealand

Evidence can include:

  • a travel ticket out of New Zealand
  • a guarantee from your work exchange scheme’s New Zealand guarantor that even if you don’t complete the exchange, you’ll have a travel ticket out of New Zealand at the end of your stay.

Process and costs

The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.

Notes

We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

We cannot display any receiving centre or payment method information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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Conditions

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Travel

After you arrive, you can travel in and out of New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.

Entry permission

You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing a digital New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD), or an NZTD paper declaration.

New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.

Arriving in New Zealand

Notes

You can be refused entry permission if:

  • you don’t meet our character requirements
  • your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
  • you refuse to let us to take your photo, or provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if we ask you for them.

Work

You can only do work arranged by the Work Exchange Scheme that you have been accepted into.

Study

You can study for up to 3 months.

Medical and dental insurance

You must maintain medical and dental insurance cover for the length of your work exchange.

Notes

We may ask to see evidence you’re insured when you arrive in New Zealand.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.