Working Holiday Visas
New Zealand has working holiday scheme agreements with many countries, allowing you to work in and explore our great country.
Every year hundreds of young people apply for New Zealand working holiday visas, and spend a year or two working in New Zealand.
Eligibility and criteria for working holiday visas
Working holiday visas are available to young people, usually aged 18 to 30, but 18 to 35 in a select few countries. They let you travel and work in New Zealand for up to 12 months, or 23 months if you are from the UK or Canada. If you apply for a 23-month visa, you must provide a General Medical Certificate.
Employment conditions
You cannot accept a permanent job offer while on a New Zealand working holiday visa. Employment conditions vary between the different countries. Check the details for your country’s working holiday visa scheme.
Studying and training courses
With your working holiday visa you can study one or more courses for up to 6 months in New Zealand. For example, you could study English for up to 6 months, do a Study Abroad programme for up to 6 months, or a short training course in New Zealand.
You need to:
- have enough money to pay for a return ticket, and
- be coming mainly to holiday, with both work or a short amount of study your secondary intentions.
Changes to working holiday schemes for 2022
On 21 August 2022, the New Zealand Government announced changes to help increase access to working holiday makers who want to travel to New Zealand. This means that more people can come to visit and work in New Zealand.
As part of these changes the caps for the capped working holiday schemes will double for 2022. Capped schemes which have not yet filled for the year had their cap doubled on 8 September 2022 and remain open. Other schemes have a specific re-opening date which can be found below.
Reopening dates for capped working holiday schemes
The below table has information about the re-opening dates and extra places for capped working holiday schemes that have already filled and closed, or are close to being filled for 2022.
| Country | Re-opening date | Extra places to be added on re-opening |
|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 8 September 2022 | 1150 |
| Uruguay | 13 September 2022 | 200 |
| Argentina | 15 September 2022 | 1000 |
| Chile | 22 September 2022 | 940 |
| Taiwan | 29 September 2022 | 600 |
| China | 11 October 2022 | 1000 |
| Hong Kong | 18 October 2022 | 400 |
| Brazil | 20 October 2022 | 300 |
| Vietnam | 25 October 2022 | 100 |
| Mexico | 27 October 2022 | 200 |
| Philippines | 1 November 2022 | 100 |
| Hungary | 3 November 2022 | 100 |
| Slovakia | 8 November 2022 | 100 |
| Austria | 10 November 2022 | 100 |
| Poland | 15 November 2022 | 100 |
| Lithuania | 17 November 2022 | 100 |
| Peru | 22 November 2022 | 100 |
| Turkey | 24 November 2022 | 100 |
| Portugal | 1 December 2022 | 50 |
More information about the re-opening of the Spain Working Holiday Scheme will be available on this page later this year.
Capped schemes with open spaces that doubled on 8 September 2022
The below table has information about capped working holiday schemes that still have open spaces. The cap for these schemes doubled on 8 September 2022.
| Country | Extra places added on 8 September 2022 |
|---|---|
| Korea | 3000 |
| Czech | 1200 |
| Singapore | 300 |
| Israel | 200 |
| Estonia | 100 |
| Slovenia | 100 |
| Latvia | 100 |
| Thailand | 100 |
| Croatia | 100 |
| Luxembourg | 50 |
| Malta | 50 |
This page is only a summary. Read more about working holiday schemes for the following countries and territories:
Other visa options
If you are looking to work or stay longer, or come to New Zealand for a purpose other than a working holiday, there may be a more relevant visa you should consider:
Start planning your trip
Once you have applied for your working holiday visa, it is time to start planning your trip. Explore these two useful Government websites to learn more about visiting, working and living in New Zealand.
100% Pure New Zealand — the official travel website
Live and Work New Zealand — a guide to living and working in New Zealand