Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa

On the Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa you can come to New Zealand for a short time to work in our horticulture and viticulture industries. You must have a job offer from a Recognised Seasonal Employer before you apply.

Length of stay

See below

Age range

18 and over

Quota
Each year

20,750

Cost
From
NZD $325
Processing time
80% within
1 week
With this visa you can
  • Your maximum stay varies depending on date of arrival in New Zealand. Citizens of Tuvalu and Kiribati who also live there can stay an extra 2 months.
  • Work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer in our horticulture and viticulture industries.
    Recognised Seasonal Employers List
  • Only work planting, maintaining, harvesting and packing crops.
  • Earn some money and learn horticulture and viticulture skills.
Things to note
  • You cannot apply for any other kind of visa while you hold a Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa.
  • You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires — you cannot appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal to stay in New Zealand.
  • You cannot include your partner or dependent children in your visa application.
  • Improvements have been made to the RSE scheme. Learn more about what these changes mean for RSE workers.
    RSE changes from 2 September 2024

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.

Employers can usually only employ workers who are from eligible Pacific nations.

In exceptional circumstances employers can recruit workers from other nations but they must get our agreement first.

You may need to have a chest X-ray as proof of good health.

Evidence you are in good health

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.

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.

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.

Tips

If you need to provide a Police Certificate, we will let you know.

When we decide if your intentions are genuine (bona fide), 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 proof you're insured, for example:

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

For your medical insurance to be acceptable, your medical insurance and the company providing it need to meet certain requirements. You can read about these in our ‘Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer’.

Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer (INZ 1144) PDF 429KB

You must have an offer of work from a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE).

If you will be working for a single RSE you must provide a copy of your signed employment agreement.

If you will be working for more than one RSE, you must provide copies of each one of your employment agreements.

If you are returning for a third or subsequent season you must be paid at least NZD$25.47 per hour. This is the New Zealand minimum wage plus 10%.

All other workers must be paid at least NZD$23.15 per hour. This is the New Zealand minimum wage.

Your employment agreement may include voluntary deductions.

Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) List
Employment agreements and rights

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.

Entry permission

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

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 do not meet our character requirements
  • your circumstances have changed since you were issued 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 work for the Recognised Seasonal Employer listed in your RSE Limited visa.

Your work will be in our fruit and vegetable or wine industries doing jobs like:

  • planting
  • maintaining crops
  • harvesting
  • packing.

If your work ends your visa may be extended or changed so you can work for other employers or do other work.

Notes

Everyone who has a job in New Zealand pays tax on what they earn. An IRD number can be applied for online through Inland Revenue.

Apply online for an IRD number

Study

You can study, train and develop skills on this visa, if authorised by your employer. The study or training does not need to be directly related to your role.

Medical insurance

You must maintain your medical insurance while in New Zealand. 

Travel

This is a multi-entry visa which means you can travel in and out of New Zealand if you need to.

You can come to New Zealand up to 14 days before you are meant to start work. You cannot come to New Zealand any more than 14 days after you are meant to start work.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

RSE visa holders from most countries are allowed to stay in New Zealand for a maximum time of 7 months in any 11-month period.

In exceptional circumstances and if you have not already stayed in New Zealand for the maximum time allowed, you may be able to apply for a further RSE Limited Visa to continue working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer for the balance of the time you are allowed to stay.

If you want to apply for any other visa, you cannot apply until after you have left New Zealand.

If you are still in New Zealand after your visa expires, you risk being deported.

If you do not leave New Zealand before your visa expires