Japanese Interpreters Work Visa

Apply for this visa if you have a full-time job offer to work as a qualified interpreter in a tourism-related industry in New Zealand. You must be from Japan.

  • Length of stay

    Up to

    3 years

  • Cost

    From

    NZD $1355

  • Processing time

    80% within

    5 weeks

To apply you must:

  • have been offered a job as an interpreter
  • have a written guarantee from your employer to cover certain costs
  • be qualified to interpret and translate Japanese and English
  • meet the other requirements of this visa.

This visa lets you:

  • work in a
  • stay in New Zealand for up to 3 years
  • study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period 
  • travel in and out of New Zealand.

The length of your stay will depend on the length of your job offer.

It will improve your chances of getting a visa, if you are young, have experience working in a tourism-related industry, and are planning to do work that will benefit Japan or New Zealand.

You cannot include your partner or dependent children in your visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.

Who can apply

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

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity:

  • 2 acceptable photos of your head and shoulders
  • your passport or

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.

Note

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

Health

You must be in good health.

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. 

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

Character

You must be of good character.

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

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.

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.

If you provide a police certificate that is not in English, you must provide an . This includes police certificates that record no convictions.

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
  • you provided in any previous applications.

New Zealand job offer

You must have been offered a job as an interpreter.

The job you are offered must be full time and from a   employer.  You will need to provide a copy of your employment agreement, which must include:

  • a description of the work you will be doing
  • your employer's name and contact details
  • details of your pay and other conditions of your employment
  • your working hours
  • the length of your contract
  • details of any qualifications or experience or you will need to do the work.

New Zealand employer guarantee

Your employer must provide a written guarantee to cover certain costs.

Your employer must provide a written guarantee that they will cover the following costs:

  • your wages or salary
  • any medical treatment not covered by the Accident Compensation Corporation
  • your accommodation for the whole time you are in New Zealand
  • your return home, once your employment ends.

Note

Your employer may include their guarantee as part of your employment agreement.

Qualifications

You must be qualified to interpret and translate Japanese and English.

Any evidence that shows you are qualified to interpret and translate Japanese and English.

Evidence may include a of any qualifications.

Tourism background

If you have experience in at tourism-related industry, you may use it to support your visa application.

Evidence may include:

  • a of your  qualification
  • letter from your current or previous employer(s) explaining the tourism-related work you have done for them.

Note

We are more likely to grant a visa if you have a tourism background. Especially if you are planning a career in tourism that will benefit Japan and and/or New Zealand.

How to pay and submit

When you arrive

Entry permission

You must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. You do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.

You can start your digital declaration any time, but the earliest you can submit it is 24 hours before starting your travel to New Zealand.

A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.

New Zealand Traveller Declaration

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

Arriving in New Zealand

Alert

You can be refused entry permission if you:

  • do not meet our character requirements
  • have had a change in circumstances since we issued your visa
  • refuse to let us take your photo, fingerprints or an iris scan.

While you are in New Zealand

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa. 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 may work only in the specific occupation, for the employer and in the location specified on your visa.

Study

You can study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Note

If you have been in New Zealand on a Japanese Interpreters Work Visa for 3 years, you can only apply for another Japanese Interpreters Work Visa after you have been back in Japan for 3 years.