Insurance and Medical Requirements for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa
Medical insurance covering hospitalisation, current for your entire stay, is mandatory on all 45 schemes and can be checked when you arrive in New Zealand. A chest x-ray or a full medical examination is required only in specific situations — mainly stays over 12 months, onshore applications, and time spent in high-tuberculosis countries.
Quick Facts
| Medical insurance | Mandatory on all 45 schemes. Must cover hospitalisation and stay current for the whole stay |
| Checked at the border? | Yes, it may be |
| Chest x-ray | Required if you have spent 3+ months in the last 5 years in a high-tuberculosis country, if staying over 12 months, or if applying from inside New Zealand |
| Full medical examination | Required if staying over 12 months in total, or applying onshore |
| Exempt from both | Austria and Malaysia applicants applying from outside New Zealand |
| Evidence deadline | Within 15 days of submitting |
| Evidence age | Must be less than 3 months old |
| Health cost threshold | INZ may decline where likely health service costs exceed NZ$81,000 over 5 years, or over the predicted course of the condition |
| Who pays | You. None of it is part of the NZ$770 visa fee |
| Source | INZ working holiday medical requirements page and per-scheme pages, read 20 August 2026 |
Insurance is the requirement that applies to everyone
Every one of the 45 schemes requires full medical insurance for the length of your stay, covering hospitalisation, current for the whole period.
There is no exemption by nationality, no exemption by age and no exemption for short schemes. It applies to a 6-month Malaysian visa exactly as it applies to a 36-month UK one.
It may be checked when you arrive. This is unusual — most visa conditions are checked at application, not at the border — and it is the reason a policy that starts a month after you land is a genuine problem rather than a technicality.
What the policy has to do
| Requirement | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Cover hospitalisation | Inpatient treatment, not just GP visits and lost luggage |
| Cover the length of stay | Start on or before your arrival, end on or after your departure |
| Be current for the whole stay | A policy you let lapse in month nine breaches the condition |
Standard two-week holiday travel insurance rarely qualifies. What you need is a working-holiday or long-stay policy that runs the full duration.
What insurance is not
New Zealand's ACC scheme covers accident-related injury for everyone in the country, including visitors. That is often misread as "healthcare is covered". It is not. ACC covers accidents. Illness, hospital admission for a non-accident cause and repatriation are not covered, and that is precisely the gap your policy has to fill.
See ACC explained for migrants, healthcare eligibility for migrants and health insurance for migrants.
When a chest x-ray is required
Three triggers, and any one of them is enough:
- You have spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in a country with a high rate of tuberculosis.
- You are staying longer than 12 months — which mainly means UK and Canada applicants taking the 23 or 36-month options.
- You are applying from inside New Zealand.
We do not publish a list of high-tuberculosis countries. INZ's own list could not be retrieved from a current official page, and publishing a guessed list would be worse than publishing none — a reader who wrongly concludes they are exempt loses 15 days they did not have. Check INZ's medical requirements page for your own situation.
See chest x-ray requirements for NZ visas.
When a full medical examination is required
Two triggers:
- You are staying over 12 months in total.
- You are applying from inside New Zealand.
Both examinations must be done by an INZ panel physician, not by your own doctor. See the NZ visa medical examination guide.
Austria and Malaysia are the exception
Applicants for the Austrian and Malaysian schemes who apply from outside New Zealand need neither a chest x-ray nor a full medical examination.
Both of those schemes are 6 months, which sits under the 12-month threshold, and both are offshore applications by design. If you apply onshore the ordinary rules return.
The 15-day rule
Where medical evidence is required, it must reach INZ within 15 days of you submitting your application, and it must be less than 3 months old.
That is a short window, and panel physicians in busy cities are not always available at short notice. If you know a medical or an x-ray will be triggered — because you are taking a 23 or 36-month visa, or applying onshore — book the appointment before you submit, not after.
A result older than 3 months when INZ receives it does not count, so do not have it done a year ahead either.
The health standard itself
Beyond the paperwork, applicants must meet New Zealand's health requirements. INZ may decline an application where the likely cost of health services would exceed NZ$81,000 over five years, or over the predicted course of the condition.
This is a cost test, not a diagnosis list. It is applied case by case, and a medical waiver can be considered in some circumstances. See acceptable standard of health, health requirements and medical waivers.
Whether a particular condition meets the standard is an assessment of individual circumstances. That is regulated immigration advice in New Zealand, and only a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer may give it.
Step 1: Work out whether a medical or x-ray is triggered
Over 12 months, onshore, or 3+ months in the last 5 years in a high-TB country. If none applies — and you are not on the Austria or Malaysia offshore route, which is exempt regardless — you may still be asked, so read your scheme's page.
Step 2: Book a panel physician before you submit, if it is triggered
The 15-day clock starts at submission, not at the appointment.
Step 3: Buy insurance that covers hospitalisation for your whole stay
Match the policy dates to the visa dates. Confirm inpatient cover is included.
Step 4: Submit, then get the medical evidence to INZ inside 15 days
Less than 3 months old on arrival at INZ.
Step 5: Carry the insurance documents when you travel
It may be checked when you arrive. Have the policy on your phone and printed.
Step 6: Keep the policy current until you leave
Renewing late, or letting it lapse between employers, breaches a visa condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need insurance for a New Zealand working holiday visa?
Yes. Full medical insurance covering hospitalisation, current for your entire stay, is mandatory on all 45 schemes. It may be checked when you arrive in New Zealand.
What kind of insurance is accepted?
A policy that covers hospitalisation and runs for the full length of your stay. Standard short-trip travel insurance usually does not, because it neither runs long enough nor covers inpatient treatment adequately.
Does ACC mean I do not need insurance?
No. ACC covers accident-related injury for everyone in New Zealand, including visitors. It does not cover illness, non-accident hospital admission or repatriation, and it does not satisfy the visa condition.
Do I need a chest x-ray for a working holiday visa?
Only 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. Austria and Malaysia applicants applying from outside New Zealand are exempt.
Do I need a full medical examination?
Only if you are staying over 12 months in total, or applying from inside New Zealand. In practice that is mainly UK and Canada applicants taking the longer durations, and anyone applying onshore.
How long do I have to provide medical evidence?
Fifteen days from submitting your application. The evidence must also be less than 3 months old when INZ receives it.
Can I use my own doctor?
No. Medical examinations and chest x-rays for immigration purposes must be done by an INZ panel physician or panel radiology provider.
Can I be declined on health grounds?
Yes. INZ may decline where the likely cost of health services would exceed NZ$81,000 over five years or over the predicted course of a condition. Medical waivers can be considered in some cases, and that assessment needs a licensed adviser or lawyer.
Is the cost of the medical included in the NZ$770?
No. The NZ$770 covers the application fee, the immigration levy and the International Visitor Levy. Medicals, x-rays and insurance are paid to third parties and are additional.
