Visa and entry requirements for au pairs in New Zealand

There is no official au pair visa in New Zealand. Instead au pairs travel to New Zealand with the Working Holiday visa. How this works exactly and what you need to do to apply is explained clearly and compactly below.

Junge Frau mit Koffer am Flughafen

Working Holiday visa for New Zealand

Requirements for the Working Holiday visa

To obtain this visa, au pair must:

  • Be a citizen of one of the following countries: Argentina, Australia*, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, China, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong (HKSAR), Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA, Uruguay or Vietnam
  • Be at least 18 and no more than 30 years of age
  • Enter the country without bringing any children with them
  • Hold a return ticket or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket
  • Have between NZ$2,250 and NZ$7,000 of available funds (the country of citizenship will determine the exact amount)
  • Meet the specified health and character requirements
  • Hold a comprehensive health and accident insurance for the entire length of stay in New Zealand
  • Be applying for this type of visa for the first time
     

*Australian citizens may study, work and live in New Zealand without a visa. Find out more on this topic on the Employment New Zealand website.

You can check all requirements and schemes on the official website for the Working Holiday visa. New Zealand limits the number of visas annually available for applicants from certain countries. Please consult the official website to get an overview of the number of visas available for different countries.

The Working Holiday visa for New Zealand makes it possible to enter the country to travel and to work for a host family as an au pair. Depending on the home country, au pairs can stay between 6-23 months in New Zealand on this type of visa. Persons holding this visa are only allowed to have  occasional or part-time jobs in order to finance their stay in New Zealand and may not have permanent employment. The Working Holiday visa for New Zealand can only be applied for once by any individual. Under certain circumstances, however, au pairs may extend their stay or apply for another type of visa.

Length of employment

It is possible to work for up to 12 months for one or several different employers.

Nationals of some countries may not stay with the same employer for more than 3 months. These countries include Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

Nationals of Chile, China or Slovakia can stay with a host family for up to 6 months. Nationals of all other countries can stay with their host families for up to 12 months.

Further information on the au pair stay in New Zealand

Requirements for au pairs and host familiesBasic conditions in New Zealand
We are continually researching and updating our host country information, but cannot guarantee that all material provided is complete and correct. If you notice gaps or inaccuracies, we would like to hear from you.