Coming for a holiday and some work

Working holiday visas are available to people from lots of different countries. They’re mainly for people aged 18 to 30, but for a few countries it’s 18 to 35. For many countries, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) offers a set number of visas each year — that is, a quota. If the quota is full, you’ll need to wait until the next year to apply.

You can stay for up to 12 months (or 23 months if you’re from the United Kingdom or Canada). You do not need to have a job before you arrive, but you do need to have a return ticket or enough money to get home.

Find out if you can come on a working holiday and what you need to do before you apply.

Working holiday visas — INZ

Getting an extension to your visa

You cannot renew a working holiday visa, but if you’ve worked for at least 3 months doing seasonal work in the fruit and vegetable, or wine industries, you can apply to stay for another 3 months.

Working Holiday Extension Work Visa — INZ

Studying before you work

If you’ve been studying in NZ on a student visa and have finished your studies, you might be able to stay here for work.

Working in New Zealand after you study

Getting a tax number

Once you have your visa, apply for an IRD number from Inland Revenue (IR). You give this number to your employer when you start work and use it for all your New Zealand tax matters.

I am coming to work or study in New Zealand — IR

How to apply for a work visa

You can either apply online or on paper for a work visa from INZ. Check INZ’s website for:

• New Zealand visas — explore and select a visa
• Preparing a visa application.