How to Apply for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa
You apply online, in English, through an Immigration Online account, and pay NZ$770 when you submit. If your scheme is capped, it opens at 10:00 New Zealand time on a published date and stays open until the places are filled. Half of applications are decided in 4 days.
Quick Facts
| Where you apply | Online only, through an Immigration Online account |
| Language | English, with translations for any non-English document |
| Cost | NZ$770 = NZ$215 fee + NZ$455 immigration levy + NZ$100 IVL, payable at submission |
| When you can apply | Capped schemes: from 10:00 New Zealand time on the opening date. Uncapped schemes: any time |
| Processing | 50% in 4 days · 80% within 1.5 weeks |
| Medical evidence deadline | Within 15 days of submitting, and less than 3 months old |
| Passport validity | At least 3 months beyond the visa's expiry |
| Job offer | Not required |
| Faster processing for a fee | Does not exist in New Zealand, at any price |
| Source | INZ per-scheme pages and processing-time page, read 20 August 2026 |
Before you start: which kind of scheme are you on?
Uncapped (13 schemes) — Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the USA. No opening date, no quota. Apply whenever you are ready.
Capped (32 schemes) — a fixed number of places, released at 10:00 New Zealand time on a published date. Applications run until the places are filled, then the scheme closes until the next year. Places are given out in order of application, not by any kind of draw or random selection.
The full calendar is at opening dates.
What INZ asks for
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Passport | From a scheme country, valid at least 3 months beyond the visa's expiry |
| Proof of funds | Your scheme's figure — NZ$4,200 on most, NZ$7,000 on Thailand and Turkey, NZ$2,250 on Austria, Malaysia and Singapore, NZ$350 a month on the UK and Canada |
| Return travel | A ticket out of New Zealand, or evidence of enough money to buy one — in addition to your living funds |
| Medical insurance | Full cover including hospitalisation, current for the whole stay |
| Photo | Meeting INZ's specifications |
| Medical evidence | Only where triggered — see below |
| Qualification evidence | Only on the Philippines, Peru, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Singapore and China |
| English evidence | Only on China, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam and Peru |
| Extra forms | Mainland Chinese applicants aged 17+ complete INZ 1027; Hong Kong and Macau applicants complete INZ 1220 |
See documents you need for a NZ visa application and NZ visa photo requirements.
Step 1: Create your Immigration Online account early
You need a RealMe login and an Immigration Online account before you can begin an application. Registering, verifying an email address and setting up the account takes time you will not have on an opening morning. Do it weeks ahead.
See the Immigration Online account guide and RealMe accounts for immigration.
Step 2: Gather and scan every document
Everything is uploaded, so everything needs to be a clean scan or photograph. Non-English documents need a translation as well as the original.
The items that take longest to obtain are the ones people leave last: a CSSD verification for China, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs verification for Peru, a Department of Children and Youth letter for Thailand, an English test result, or an insurance policy that actually covers hospitalisation for twelve months. Start with those.
See document translation requirements and uploading evidence to your application.
Step 3: Get your money in position before opening day
INZ wants to see the funds available to you, in your name. Money that arrives in your account the day before is harder to evidence than money that has been there. Remember the return ticket sits on top of the funds figure, not inside it.
Step 4: Be logged in and ready at 10:00 New Zealand time
Only relevant if your scheme is capped. Convert 10:00 NZT to your local time for your specific date — New Zealand's daylight saving runs from late September to early April, so the offset moves across the year.
Set two alarms. Be logged in already. Have every file on the desktop, named clearly.
Step 5: Complete the online form in English and submit
The application must be lodged in English. That is a documentation rule and applies to all 45 schemes. It is not the same thing as an English proficiency test, which only six schemes impose — a distinction a lot of guides collapse.
Answer every question. An incomplete form is not a lodged application, and a saved draft holds no place in a capped scheme.
Step 6: Pay the NZ$770
The three charges are taken together on submission:
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | NZ$215 |
| Immigration levy | NZ$455 |
| International Visitor Levy | NZ$100 |
| Total | NZ$770 |
None of it is refunded if the application is declined. See how to pay NZ visa fees and fee refunds explained.
Step 7: Supply medical evidence within 15 days, if it is required
A chest x-ray is triggered if you have spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in a country with a high rate of tuberculosis, if you are staying longer than 12 months, or if you are applying from inside New Zealand. A full medical examination is triggered if you are staying over 12 months in total or applying onshore.
Where either applies, the evidence must reach INZ within 15 days of submitting and be less than 3 months old. Book the appointment before you submit if you know it will be needed.
Austria and Malaysia applicants applying from outside New Zealand need neither. See insurance and medical requirements and the NZ visa medical examination guide.
Step 8: Wait, and answer any request for information
Published times as at 20 August 2026: 50% of working holiday applications decided within 4 days, 80% within 1.5 weeks. That is fast by the standards of the New Zealand system.
If INZ needs more, it sends a request for further information. Respond by the deadline in the letter. See request for further information explained and what happens after you submit.
Step 9: Travel within 12 months of the grant
Your visa expires unused if you do not make your first entry within 12 months of it being granted. Book with that in mind.
Nobody can make it faster
New Zealand has no paid fast-track service for any visa. There is no expedited channel, no premium lane and no fee that moves an application forward. Any agent or website offering one is not selling an official product.
That claim is one of the most common pitches used by fake immigration sites. See paid priority visa processing and how to spot a fake NZ immigration website.
Applying from inside New Zealand
It is possible on some schemes, but it changes the medical rules: applying onshore triggers both a chest x-ray and a full medical examination. It may also affect which fee band applies to other visas you hold. See offshore vs onshore applications.
What "applying in English" does and does not mean
| Requirement | Applies to | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge the application in English | All 45 schemes | A documentation rule. Non-English documents need a translation plus the original |
| Pass an English proficiency test | 6 schemes: China, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Peru | A test result, checked against INZ's own lookup tool |
INZ does not publish the accepted tests or minimum scores for the six schemes on its English page. We do not publish thresholds for that reason — check the tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start my application for a working holiday visa?
Create a RealMe login and an Immigration Online account, gather and scan your documents, then complete the application form online in English and pay NZ$770 on submission. If your scheme is capped, you cannot submit before it opens at 10:00 New Zealand time on its published date.
Can I apply for a New Zealand working holiday visa on paper?
No. Working holiday applications are lodged online. Two related products — the UK further visa and the Canada Subsequent Work Visa, both used to reach a longer maximum from inside New Zealand — are paper applications, but the initial working holiday application is not.
What is the processing time for a working holiday visa?
As at August 2026, 50% of applications are decided within 4 days and 80% within 1.5 weeks. Nothing shortens that, and there is no service you can buy that does.
How much does it cost to apply?
NZ$770: a NZ$215 application fee, a NZ$455 immigration levy and the NZ$100 International Visitor Levy. All three are charged at submission and none is refunded if the application is declined.
Do I need a medical or a chest x-ray?
Only where triggered. A chest x-ray applies if you have spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in a high-tuberculosis country, if you are staying longer than 12 months, or if you apply from inside New Zealand. A full medical applies if you stay over 12 months in total or apply onshore. Evidence must reach INZ within 15 days of submitting and be less than 3 months old.
Do I need to speak English to apply?
You must lodge the application in English and translate any document that is not in English. That is not a test. Only six schemes — China, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam and Peru — require actual English test evidence.
What happens if my scheme is already full?
You cannot apply. A capped scheme that has reached its quota closes until its next published opening date, and no service can obtain a place in it. As at 20 August 2026 the schemes that had filled were Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan and China.
Can I speed up my application?
No. New Zealand offers no priority service for any visa at any price. Anyone claiming to sell one is not offering an official product.
How long do I have to travel after my visa is granted?
Twelve months. If you have not made your first entry to New Zealand by then, the visa expires and the NZ$770 is not refunded.
What if I need help with my application?
General information like this page is freely publishable in New Zealand. Advice tailored to your circumstances is regulated, and only a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer may give it. See how to find a licensed immigration adviser.
