Working Holiday Visa New Zealand: Top Tips for a Successful Application

Do you dream of getting to know the culture of New Zealand? Would you like to enjoy its incredible beaches? If you want to have new experiences, but you are a bit tight on money, the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand is just what you need.

With this visa, you will be able to live a memorable year, since it allows you to study and work in the Maori country. Also, you can get to know all the corners of this fascinating destination.

Therefore, in this article, we will explain what is the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand, who can apply for it and what are the requirements. Better said, take paper and pencil because we will tell you everything you need to know.

What is the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand?

The Working Holiday Visa New Zealand is a benefit that only citizens of 45 countries have, including:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• USA

See the full list here!

Also, keep in mind that to qualify for this type of visa for New Zealand, you must be between 18 and 35 years old. Now, if you don’t meet these requirements, don’t be discouraged, apply for other visas for New Zealand!

Advantages of this visa for New Zealand

Did you know that the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand is one of the most demanded visas? If you want to find out the reasons, read them below:

• Live in New Zealand for one year.
• Work in New Zealand during the 12 months of your stay.
• Study in New Zealand for up to 6 months in total, whether it is an English course, certificate, or other studies.

This last point is very important, as it offers a great opportunity to study and work abroad. Especially, because New Zealand stands out as one of the most chosen destinations for international students.

According to QS Best Cities for Students 2024, the country has two of the world’s most student-friendly locations: Auckland (#29) and Christchurch (#74).

In addition, 77 % of the population between the ages of 16 and 55 have some kind of job. However, the Kiwi destination stands out for other aspects. For example, the UN included New Zealand in a report on countries with the best quality of life.

8 requirements for the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand

Once you have verified that you have one of the nationalities to obtain the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand, it is time to look at the other requirements. Pay attention!

1. Age to apply for this visa

Depending on your nationality, the maximum age to apply for this New Zealand visa can be up to 30 or 35 years old.

2. Passport for Working Holiday Visa New Zealand

One of the requirements to apply for a Working Holiday Visa New Zealand is to have a passport that is valid for 15 months once you obtain the visa. That is to say, although the stay is granted for one year, the visa must exceed by three months the limit date of permanence.

3. Medical certificate for New Zealand

It is important to the government that you can demonstrate that you are in good health. Therefore, you may be required to submit a general medical certificate before traveling to New Zealand.

4. Judicial certificates

Another requirement to immigrate to New Zealand is that you can prove that you are not in trouble with the law. This way, the government ensures that you are not going to disturb public order or be a security risk.

To do so, you may be asked to provide a police certificate issued by the authorities in your country.

5. Economic capacity

Prove that you have funds for 4,200 NZD (New Zealand dollars). You will be asked for either a bank certificate or statements for the last few months – don’t let your money sit still, generate transactions!

6. International medical insurance

This is one of the requirements requested in any visa in the world, as it will be necessary in case of a medical emergency. Now, international medical insurance coverage should allow you access to medical appointments and hospitalization.

7. Paying the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand Taxes

To apply for the Working Holiday Visa for New Zealand, you must pay a fee of 420 NZD*. This money is to initiate the application, so it will not be refunded in case you are not chosen.

*The cost of visas can change at any time, so try to be up to date on this matter.

How many Working Holiday Visa New Zealand vacancies open each year?

There are a limited number of visas issued by the New Zealand Government each year.

If it turns out that the quotas for your country have been exhausted, you will have to wait for the new call for applications next year. Think that you have precious time to gather the requirements and documents for when the time comes.

Visit the official website and click on your nationality to find out the exact information you need to apply.

Tips for applying for the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand

As there are a limited number of visas per country, they are usually sold out very quickly, sometimes in a matter of minutes!

Therefore, we recommend you:

• Prepare the application in advance. Try to do this at least a few days in advance.
• Be at the computer 10 minutes before and refresh the website. If possible, have more than one computer at the same time.
• Don’t forget to ask friends and family for help, and make sure you have a good Internet connection!
• Be the fastest when filling in the form. It is best to have all the answers prepared in advance in a separate document (Word type) and copy the answers into the form.
• Have a credit card enabled for international payment. You may be the first to complete the form but have problems with the payment. For this reason, check with your bank beforehand.

I got the visa, now what?

Once you have your visa, be sure to celebrate in style. Hundreds of people have the same dream as you but will have to wait until next year to try.

Remember that you have up to 12 months to enter New Zealand. This is a period that starts to run from the exact date your visa was approved.

During that time, you are allowed to study for a few months and work full-time. Now, once you enter the country with the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand, you can enter and leave the country as many times as you want.

So you can take the opportunity to travel to Australia or, why not, to the paradisiacal Fiji Islands.

Studying with the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand

By having the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand you will be able to study abroad.

At GrowPro, we offer you vocational courses in high-demanded areas such as Business, Marketing, Communications, Project Management, Engineering, Hospitality, Tourism, Sports, Early Childhood Education and many more.

Depending on the course, the duration may vary between a couple of months and, if you wish, you could extend it to a couple of years! Click on your preferred area of study and fill out the form, so one of our Student Advisors can guide you for free.

Working conditions with the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand

While we are on the subject of restrictions, there may be some other aspects that you should take into account about the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand in terms of specific working conditions.

They mainly depend on your nationality. In some cases, you can work your whole stay with the same employer, but in other cases, you can’t work for the same employer for more than 3 months.

However, in every case, the main condition is that you can’t accept a permanent job, as this visa is valid for a temporary stay.

What if I do not meet the requirements?

In case you cannot apply for the Working Holiday Visa New Zealand, do not worry. Other visa options will allow you to visit the country of the Kiwis. These are some of the most important ones:

Fee Paying Student Visa

With a student visa, you can live and work in New Zealand for up to 4 years. The work intensity cannot exceed 20 hours per week, i.e. half-time.

The best part is that, at GrowPro, we help you with all the paperwork: we enroll you in the school of your preference, we process your Student Visa, we advise you to take out your health insurance and, when you arrive in New Zealand, you’ll become part of our grower community. Choose your experience here!

Visitor Visa

With this visa you can travel all over the country for 9 months, but, if you wish, you can also study in New Zealand. The only restriction is that the course cannot last more than three months.

Travel to New Zealand with GrowPro!

If you have already decided that your next stop is New Zealand, you just need to take the first step: select the experience you want to live and fill out the contact form!

At GrowPro we advise you throughout the bureaucratic process to study in New Zealand. When you arrive at your destination, we will invite you to our events, workshops, and exclusive grower community parties!

We love new experiences, discovering the most hidden natural places, and tasting the typical gastronomy of the destination. We are ready, so… See you in the country of the Kiwis!