Netherlands Working Holiday Visa
Apply for this visa if you want to holiday, study and work in New Zealand. You must be aged 18 to 30 and a citizen of the Netherlands.
Apply online-
Length of stay
Up to
12 months
-
Cost
From
NZD $770
-
Processing time
80% within
1.5 weeks
-
Age range
18 to 30 years
To apply you must:
- be a citizen of the Netherlands and aged 18 to 30
- have at least NZD $4,200 to pay your living expenses
- have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay
- not have had a New Zealand working holiday visa before
- have full medical insurance for the length of your stay
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- holiday for up to 12 months
- work in temporary jobs for up to 12 months
- study or train for up to 6 months in total
- travel in and out of New Zealand.
You do not need a job offer to apply.
You cannot take a permanent job on this visa.
You cannot bring dependent children with you on a working holiday.
If you have a partner or child who wants to come to New Zealand, they will need to apply for their own visa.
OPEN You can apply online now.
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.
When you apply online, you must provide your passport details.
Note
If you are applying from outside New Zealand, your passport must be valid for at least 15 months after you first arrive in New Zealand.
If you are in New Zealand, you must have a passport that is valid for at least 3 months after your visa expires.
Enter your identity details carefully, ensuring information is exactly as recorded on your passport.
Health
You must be in good health.
You may need to have a chest X-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.
The medical information you must provide for a working holiday visa is based on: We use chest X-rays to check for TB and general medical examinations to check for other medical conditions. If you are outside New Zealand and your country’s working holiday scheme allows you to stay up to 12 months, you: Countries with a low incidence of TB If you plan to stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months (including time on visas other than a Working Holiday Visa), you must have a chest X-ray and a general medical examination. If you are from the United Kingdom or Canada your working holiday scheme allows you to apply to stay for more than 12 months. If you plan to stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months (including time on visas other than a Working Holiday Visa), you must have a chest X-ray and a general medical examination. If you are outside New Zealand and applying for an Austria or Malaysia Working Holiday Visa you do not need to have a chest X-ray or a general medical examination. You must have a chest X-ray and general medical examination if you are in New Zealand and applying for a working holiday visa, unless you are applying under the Austria, Malaysia or Singapore schemes. If you are in New Zealand and are applying for an Austria Working Holiday Visa, you: If you are in New Zealand and have been here for more than 6 months and are applying for a Malaysia or Singapore Working Holiday Visa, you must have a chest X-ray and general medical examination. If you are in New Zealand and have been here for less than 6 months and are applying for a Malaysia or Singapore Working Holiday Visa, you: When you have had your chest X-ray or medical examination, you must provide us with evidence you have done so within 15 days of submitting your visa application. You can do this by: Panel physicians are doctors and radiologists who are approved to complete chest X-rays and medical examinations for New Zealand visa applications.
Working holiday visa medical requirements
If you apply for a working holiday visa you may need to have a chest X-ray or medical examination to prove you are in good health.
What you need to provide depends on your situation
Applying if you are outside New Zealand
United Kingdom and Canada
Malaysia and Austria
Applying if you are in New Zealand
Austria
Singapore and Malaysia
Evidence of your chest X-ray or medical examination
Note
If you need to have an X-ray or medical examination after you apply online, we will send you an email explaining what to do.
Character
You must be of good character.
When you apply online, you must answer questions about your character. After you apply online, we may ask you to provide police certificates as proof of your good character.
Anyone applying for a New Zealand visa must meet the character requirements. When you apply, you must tell us about any issues or activities, both current and in your past, that could affect our decision, including whether you have been: If there is an issue, we may: You can request a character waiver or special direction when you apply. If your request is approved, we can give you a visa if your application meets all other requirements. Visas are given by special direction only in rare circumstances. You may need to provide us with police certificates to show your good character. Whether you need to give these certificates depends on how long you plan to stay in New Zealand and the visa you are applying for.
Character requirements for New Zealand visas
To be given a New Zealand visa, you must be of good character. If you have a criminal history, have provided false or misleading information, or could be a risk to New Zealand, we can decline your application.
Being of good character
Providing police certificates
Depending on the visa you want, and how long you plan to stay in New Zealand, you may need to provide a police certificate as evidence of your good character. Police certificates are documents issued by the police or a government agency. They: If we ask you to provide a police certificate, you must: Providing English translations supporting documents 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. Provide police certificates from any country you: If you are aged 16 or younger, you do not need to provide police certificates. If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to grant you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements. You must provide police certificates if you are aged 17 or older. Provide police certificates from: Police certificates must show any criminal records you have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years. If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to give you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements. If you apply for a visa as the partner of a New Zealander or a New Zealand visa holder, your partner is known as the 'supporting partner'. Your supporting partner must be able to show us they are of good character. They may need to provide police certificates for proof. If your supporting partner is a New Zealand citizen or has a resident visa, they: If your partner needs to provide police certificates, the police certificates must be from countries where they have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years, since they turned 17 — even if the 12 months were not all in one stay. Police certificates must show any criminal records they have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years. Note Your partner does not need to provide a New Zealand police certificate, as we will get one directly from the authorities. If your supporting partner has a work or study visa, we may ask your partner to provide police certificates, if you are applying for a temporary visa. Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for
If your supporting partner cannot prove they are of good character, we may give them a
If your partner has any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences, they cannot support your application. For all types of visa applications, we still may request police certificates from your partner to make sure they meet our character requirements. You may not need to provide police certificates if you have provided them in a previous visa application. Check the character requirements of the visa you are applying for. Some of the authorities that issue police certificates (the police and other government agencies) may require a set of fingerprints when you request a police certificate. If you do need a set of fingerprints to get a police certificate, check in your region for a fingerprinting service. There are many private businesses who offer fingerprinting services. If you cannot find a fingerprinting service in your region, you can contact the New Zealand Police to see if they can help. They only offer this service in some regions and on specific days. Contact them to check availability before going to a police station.
Police certificates
When you apply for a visa, you may need to provide us with a police certificate to show that you are of good character.
About police certificates
Find out how to get a police certificate
If your supporting partner has a temporary visa to work or study
If your partner cannot prove good character
If you have provided police certificates before
Fingerprinting for police certificates
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, and
- you provided in any previous applications.
When you travel to New Zealand on a temporary visa, your intentions must be genuine. This means that you: We use all the information we have, including the information you give us in your application, to confirm that you have genuine intentions. Alert You must answer truthfully when you complete your visa application or NZTD. If you are travelling on a visitor visa or visiting from a
If you have a visitor visa for a specific reason, you must be coming to New Zealand for that reason. For example, if you have a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa, your reason for visiting must be getting medical treatment. If you are travelling on a student visa, you must have genuine intentions to study in New Zealand. You can only work if the conditions of your student visa allow you to. If you are travelling to New Zealand to work, you must have a visa that will allow you to. Unless your visa allows you to work in any job, you must plan to work in the job, for the employer, and in the location specified in your visa. You may be asked to provide evidence of your genuine intentions: Here are some examples of evidence to show that you have genuine intentions in coming to New Zealand. To show your travel history, you could show a copy of your current and recent passports, including: If you live in a country that is not your country of citizenship, provide a copy of the visa allowing you to live in that country. If you have ever had a visa application declined by any other country, provide: If you plan to visit family or friends in New Zealand, provide their: Evidence of your travel plans while in New Zealand could include copies of: You may also need to show that you have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay. This evidence could include: If you are applying for a student visa, you could provide evidence that you have: If you do not need to pay tuition fees, or if you can pay by instalment — where you make smaller payments over a period of time — you must provide confirmation from your education provider. You can also write a cover letter or statement of purpose explaining why you want to study in New Zealand. This will help us decide if you are a genuine student. If you are using an education agent or licensed immigration adviser, they cannot write the letter for you. Examples of things you could write about in your letter or statement include: If you plan to apply for another visa — for example, a work visa — after you finish your studies, include this in your cover letter or statement of purpose.
To show that you have genuine intentions to work, you will in most cases need to provide: If your visa requires you to have enough money to live on during your stay, you will need to provide evidence. This could include: Depending on your situation, you may need to provide: We consider each application based on the information and evidence we receive. If you do not provide enough evidence, it may take us longer to process your application, or we may decline your application. You must provide genuine evidence. If you or your agent provide evidence that is false or misleading, we may also decline your application. False, misleading or withheld information in visa applications Check the translation requirements for the visa you are applying for. All non-English documents must be translated when you apply for visitor and resident visas. Providing English translations of supporting documents If you are applying online, make sure your evidence is in an acceptable file format. To decide if your intentions are genuine, we look at: We look at evidence you provide with your application to check that it: When we consider information about your personal circumstances, we look at: We also look at information from your previous applications and travel to New Zealand. This can show us if you have: We might not give you a visa or allow you to enter New Zealand if we:
Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in New Zealand
Before you can get a visa or enter New Zealand to visit, work or study, we check that your reasons for coming here are genuine.
What it means to have 'genuine intentions'
Visitor visas
Student visas
Work visas
Evidence to show you have genuine intentions
Evidence of your travel history
If you live in a different country to your citizenship
Declined visa applications
Evidence you are visiting family or friends
Evidence of your travel plans
Evidence of your study plans
Evidence of your work plans
Evidence you have enough money
Evidence of your home country circumstances
evidence of your relationships with close relatives in your home country
Providing good-quality evidence
How we decide if your intentions are genuine
Evidence you provide with your application
Your personal circumstances
Your previous applications
If we decide your intentions are not genuine
Age
You must be 18 to 30.
We will use your passport details to confirm your age.
Citizenship
You must be a citizen of the country this visa is for.
You must have a valid passport from your country of citizenship.
Note
We will check your passport when you arrive in New Zealand.
Onward travel
You must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or enough money to buy one.
Evidence can include:
- your travel ticket
- proof you have enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand, in addition to the funds you have to live on.
Note
We may ask to see your evidence when you arrive in New Zealand
Funds
You must have enough money to live on while you are in New Zealand.
You must have at least NZD $4,200 for your stay. Evidence can include:
- bank statements
- credit card statements
- bank drafts
- traveller's cheques.
Previous approvals
You must not have had approval for a New Zealand working holiday visa before.
We will check our records for any previous New Zealand working holiday visa approvals you may have had.
Note
You cannot apply for this visa if we have already approved an earlier application for you to have a New Zealand working holiday visa. This applies even if you did not use that visa.
It is OK to apply for this visa if you have had approvals for working holidays in countries other than New Zealand.
Medical insurance
You must have full medical insurance for the length of your stay.
You must be able to provide proof that you are fully insured, including cover for hospitalisation. Evidence may include:
- a copy of your insurance certificate
- an approval letter from your insurance company.
Note
We may ask to see your evidence when you arrive in New Zealand
How to pay and submit
We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details.
Enter your details so we can show information that is relevant to you.
When you get your visa
You must come to New Zealand within 12 months of the date your visa is granted.
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.
Alert
You can be refused entry permission if you:
- are not a genuine visitor
- 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
- cannot provide evidence of any onward travel or the money required to leave New Zealand.
When you travel to New Zealand on a temporary visa, your intentions must be genuine. This means that you: We use all the information we have, including the information you give us in your application, to confirm that you have genuine intentions. Alert You must answer truthfully when you complete your visa application or NZTD. If you are travelling on a visitor visa or visiting from a
If you have a visitor visa for a specific reason, you must be coming to New Zealand for that reason. For example, if you have a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa, your reason for visiting must be getting medical treatment. If you are travelling on a student visa, you must have genuine intentions to study in New Zealand. You can only work if the conditions of your student visa allow you to. If you are travelling to New Zealand to work, you must have a visa that will allow you to. Unless your visa allows you to work in any job, you must plan to work in the job, for the employer, and in the location specified in your visa. You may be asked to provide evidence of your genuine intentions: Here are some examples of evidence to show that you have genuine intentions in coming to New Zealand. To show your travel history, you could show a copy of your current and recent passports, including: If you live in a country that is not your country of citizenship, provide a copy of the visa allowing you to live in that country. If you have ever had a visa application declined by any other country, provide: If you plan to visit family or friends in New Zealand, provide their: Evidence of your travel plans while in New Zealand could include copies of: You may also need to show that you have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay. This evidence could include: If you are applying for a student visa, you could provide evidence that you have: If you do not need to pay tuition fees, or if you can pay by instalment — where you make smaller payments over a period of time — you must provide confirmation from your education provider. You can also write a cover letter or statement of purpose explaining why you want to study in New Zealand. This will help us decide if you are a genuine student. If you are using an education agent or licensed immigration adviser, they cannot write the letter for you. Examples of things you could write about in your letter or statement include: If you plan to apply for another visa — for example, a work visa — after you finish your studies, include this in your cover letter or statement of purpose.
To show that you have genuine intentions to work, you will in most cases need to provide: If your visa requires you to have enough money to live on during your stay, you will need to provide evidence. This could include: Depending on your situation, you may need to provide: We consider each application based on the information and evidence we receive. If you do not provide enough evidence, it may take us longer to process your application, or we may decline your application. You must provide genuine evidence. If you or your agent provide evidence that is false or misleading, we may also decline your application. False, misleading or withheld information in visa applications Check the translation requirements for the visa you are applying for. All non-English documents must be translated when you apply for visitor and resident visas. Providing English translations of supporting documents If you are applying online, make sure your evidence is in an acceptable file format. To decide if your intentions are genuine, we look at: We look at evidence you provide with your application to check that it: When we consider information about your personal circumstances, we look at: We also look at information from your previous applications and travel to New Zealand. This can show us if you have: We might not give you a visa or allow you to enter New Zealand if we:
Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in New Zealand
Before you can get a visa or enter New Zealand to visit, work or study, we check that your reasons for coming here are genuine.
What it means to have 'genuine intentions'
Visitor visas
Student visas
Work visas
Evidence to show you have genuine intentions
Evidence of your travel history
If you live in a different country to your citizenship
Declined visa applications
Evidence you are visiting family or friends
Evidence of your travel plans
Evidence of your study plans
Evidence of your work plans
Evidence you have enough money
Evidence of your home country circumstances
evidence of your relationships with close relatives in your home country
Providing good-quality evidence
How we decide if your intentions are genuine
Evidence you provide with your application
Your personal circumstances
Your previous applications
If we decide your intentions are not genuine
If you have been refused entry to New Zealand and you still want to travel to here, contact the Customer Service Centre for advice. You may need to apply for a visa before you travel here again. Together with your airline or other carrier, we can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if you do not meet our entry requirements — for example, if you cannot provide evidence that you can meet the conditions of your visa. When you arrive we check your identity and other information again before we give you
Alert Having a visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter New Zealand. Your airline or other carrier can be fined if they let you board an aircraft or ship after we have let them know that you cannot travel. We can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if: We can stop you travelling to New Zealand or entering the country if you: We can also refuse to let you travel to or enter New Zealand if you cannot show us evidence to support the conditions of your visa. For example, you cannot show us evidence that you: Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ If your circumstances have changed and you can no longer meet the conditions of your visa we can also refuse to let you enter New Zealand. For example, if your work visa is based on a job offer that has since been withdrawn you will not be allowed to travel to New Zealand on that visa. You cannot come to New Zealand if you do not meet our health and character requirements. For example, you can be refused entry if: You could be refused entry to New Zealand if you:
What might stop you from being allowed to enter New Zealand
Together with your airline or other carrier, we can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if you do not meet our entry requirements. For example, if you cannot provide evidence that you can meet the conditions of your visa.
Why we stop you travelling to or entering New Zealand
Your identity and travel documents
Information you provide to us
Meeting the conditions of your visa
Your character and health
Arriving in New Zealand
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
You must come to New Zealand within 12 months of the date your visa is granted.
After you arrive in New Zealand, you can come and go from New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.
Note
Your visa is valid from:
-
- the date you enter New Zealand, if you are outside New Zealand
- the date your visa is granted, if you are already in New Zealand.
Onward travel
You must have either:
- a travel ticket out of New Zealand
- enough money to pay for a travel ticket out of New Zealand, in addition to your living costs.
Note
We may ask to see evidence of your onward travel arrangements when you arrive in New Zealand.
Funds
You must have at least NZD $4,200 to live on while you are in New Zealand.
Note
We may ask to see evidence of your funds when you arrive in New Zealand.
Medical insurance
You must maintain your medical insurance while in New Zealand.
Note
We may ask to see evidence you are insured when you arrive in New Zealand.
Work
You can work in any employment you like, as long as:
- you do not get a permanent job
- the work you do is legal
- you do not provide commercial sexual services
- you do not run or invest in a business that provides commercial sexual services.
Note
You do not need a job offer.
Everyone who has a job in New Zealand pays tax on what they earn. You will need a New Zealand bank account and IRD number to pay tax. You can apply for an IRD number online through
Study
You can do some study or training, as long as it is not for more than 6 months of your stay.
Visa expiry
You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.