United Kingdom Working Holiday Visa

Visa details

You can apply for this visa if you are 18 to 35 years old and a citizen of the United Kingdom. This visa allows you to temporarily work and study in New Zealand.

Length of stay
Either

12, 23 or 36 months

Age range

18-35 years

Quota
Each year

15,000

Cost
From
NZD $420
Processing time
90% within
30 weekdays
With this visa you can
  • Choose to apply for a 12, 23 or 36 month visa.
  • Work in New Zealand for up to 36 months.
  • Study or train for up to 6 months in total.
Things to note
  • You cannot accept a permanent job.
  • If you apply for a 23-month or longer visa, you must provide a General Medical Certificate.
  • If you choose a 12 or 23-month visa and decide you want to stay longer, you can apply later for the balance of the 36-month period. You will need to pay another application fee.
  • You cannot bring children with you on a working holiday. If you have a partner who wants to come to New Zealand, they will need to apply for their own visa.
Open

You can apply online now.

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

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity

When you apply online, you must provide your passport details. 

Tips

Enter your identity details carefully, ensuring information is exactly as recorded on your passport.

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after your visa will expire.

Your passport must be valid for at least 15 or 26 months after you first arrive in New Zealand, depending on the visa duration you apply for.

If you later apply for the balance of the 36-month period, you’ll need to provide proof of your identity then too.

Health

You must be in good health

You may need to have a chest x-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.

Working holiday visa medical requirements

Tips

If you need to have an x-ray or medical examination after you apply online, we’ll send you an email explaining what to do.

If you apply for a 23-month or longer visa, you must provide medical certificates, unless you have sent them to us with another application and they were issued in the last 36 months.

Character

You must be of good character

When you apply online, you must answer questions about your character.  After you apply online, we may ask you to provide Police Certificates as proof of your good character.

If your total stay in New Zealand will exceed 24 months you will need to provide a Police Certificate(s), unless you have provided one with a previous application and it was issued in the last 24 months.

Good character

Who needs to provide police certificates

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa

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

Age

You must be 18 – 35

We will use your passport details to confirm your age.

Tips

You will not need to meet this requirement again if you are applying for the balance of the 36-month period.

Citizenship

You must be a citizen of the country this visa is for

You must have a valid passport from your country of citizenship.

Tips

We’ll check your passport when you arrive in New Zealand.

Onward travel

You must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or enough money to buy one

Evidence can include:

  • your travel ticket
  • proof you have enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand, in addition to the funds you have to live on.
Tips

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

Funds

You must have enough money to live on while you’re in New Zealand

You must have at least NZ $350 for each month of your stay. Evidence can include:

  • bank statements
  • credit card statements
  • bank drafts
  • travellers’ cheques.
Tips

If you are applying for the balance of the 36-month period, you will need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement.

Previous approvals

You must not have had approval for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa before

If you’re outside of New Zealand and we’ve approved an earlier application for you to have a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa, you can’t apply for this visa. This applies even if you didn’t use that visa.

We’ll check our records for any previous New Zealand Working Holiday Visa approvals you may have had.

Tips

It’s OK to apply for the balance of the 36-months, if you’re already in New Zealand on a valid United Kingdom Working Holiday Visa.

It’s OK to apply for this visa, if you’ve had approvals for working holidays in countries other than New Zealand.

Ordinarily resident

Your permanent place of residence must be the country named in this Working Holiday visa

After you apply online, we may ask you to provide documents that prove your usual place of permanent residence. Examples include:

  • letters sent to your home address
  • references from your employer.
Tips

It is ok to apply while you are temporarily visiting another country. You will be considered ordinarily resident in your country of citizenship if you have been away for less than 2 years prior to making a visa application.

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.

1
You apply online

You must apply online and in English. You can apply for either a 12, 23 or 36 month working holiday visa.

Immigration costs
NZD $ 455

Application cost – This is the charge for Immigration New Zealand to process your application. We do not refund application costs if we decline your application. A non-refundable immigration levy is charged and is included in the cost. You can pay for your application online by Visa or Mastercard. An International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD $35 is charged and is included in the cost.

2
We may ask for evidence to support your application

If you apply for a 23-month or longer visa, you must provide a medical certificate and chest x-ray unless you have provided them with a previous application and they were issued in the last 36 months.

If your total stay in New Zealand will exceed 24 months you must provide a Police Certificate(s), unless you have provided one with a previous application, and it was issued in the last 24 months.

Your stay could exceed 36 months if you are in NZ when you apply, or if you've spent time here in the past.

If you need to provide any evidence, we send you an email after you apply explaining what you need to do.

If you are concerned about receiving emails, It is a good idea to check your junk mail settings.

What you need to do for an x-ray or medical examination

How to obtain a police certificate

3
We make a decision about your application

If your visa application is approved, we will contact you by email advising that the status of your application has changed. You can then log in to Online Services to check the status of your application. If approved, you will be granted an eVisa.

If there is anything else you need to do, we will be in touch.

If you are in New Zealand, and your current temporary visa expires before your new visa is granted, we will normally issue you an interim visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.

Interim Visa

Timeframes - Processing
90% within 30 weekdays

90% of applications are currently completed within this time. Timeframes are in weekdays.

Timeframes - Average processing
Time is 3 weekdays

Timeframes are in weekdays. We use the median value to find the average.

4
Apply to extend your stay

If you come to New Zealand on a 12 month or 23 month UK Working Holiday work visa, you can apply for the balance of the maximum 36-month period if you:

  • are in New Zealand on a valid Working Holiday Visa
  • have sufficient money to live on while in New Zealand
  • provide a medical certificate and chest x-ray if you didn't provide these when you applied for your first Working Holiday Scheme visa
  • send us your completed application form, immigration fee and immigration levy.
Working Holiday Scheme - Subsequent Work Visa Application (INZ 1223) PDF 1009KB
Immigration costs
NZD $ 455

Application cost – This is the charge for Immigration New Zealand to process your application. We do not refund application costs if we decline your application. A non-refundable immigration levy is charged and is included in the cost. You can pay for your application online by Visa or Mastercard. An International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD $35 is charged and is included in the cost.

Timeframes - Processing
90% within 30 weekdays

90% of applications are currently completed within this time. Timeframes are in weekdays.

Timeframes - Average processing
Time is 3 weekdays

Timeframes are in weekdays. We use the median value to find the average.

How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

First application

Payment methods

Online

Credit Card
You can pay by Visa, MasterCard or UnionPay credit card.

Debit Card
You can pay by Visa, MasterCard or UnionPay debit card.

Hours

Phone enquiries
Monday to Friday
06:00 to 22:00

Closed Saturday and Sunday

Telephone

+649-914-4100

0508-558-855 (NZ callers only)

Conditions

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

Travel

You must come to New Zealand within 12 months of the date your visa is granted.

After you arrive in New Zealand, you can come and go from New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.

Notes

Your visa is valid from:

  • the date you enter New Zealand, if you are outside New Zealand
  • the date your visa is granted, if you are already in New Zealand.

Entry permission

You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing a paper arrival card or a digital traveller declaration. If you are completing a paper arrival card you will be given this on the way to New Zealand.

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 granted a visa
  • you refuse to let us take your photo or to provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if asked for them
  • you are unable to provide evidence of any onward travel or funds required by the conditions of your visa.

If you are refused entry to New Zealand

Before you travel to New Zealand

Onward travel

You must have either:

  • a travel ticket out of New Zealand
  • enough money to pay for a travel ticket out of New Zealand, in addition to your living costs.
Notes

We may ask to see evidence of your onward travel arrangements when you arrive in New Zealand.

Funds

You must have at least NZ $350 to live on for each month of your stay in New Zealand.

Notes

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

Work

You can work in any employment you like, as long as:

  • you don’t get a permanent job
  • the work you do is legal
  • you don’t provide commercial sexual services
  • you don’t run or invest in a business that provides commercial sexual services.
Notes

You can work for the full length of your visa during your stay.

You don’t need a job offer.

Everyone who has a job in New Zealand pays tax on what they earn.  You’ll need a New Zealand bank account and IRD number to pay tax. You can apply for an IRD number online through Inland Revenue.

Apply online for an IRD number

Study

You can do some study or training, as long as it’s not for more than 6 months of your stay.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.