New Zealand WHV 2024 tutorial: how to apply for your Working Holiday Visa

You should see a small blue icon next to each category once all the forms have been filled in and saved. This proves that everything has been completed and that it’s time to proceed to payment.

At the bottom of the page, you are invited to proceed to the next stage: submitting your application. Before you click, take a moment to reread all the information you have provided, to check that there are no errors.

Click on “Submit”. A new page then opens.

Take the time to read the declarations for which you will have to tick “Yes”. These are sworn declarations that commit you to the New Zealand government. Then click on “Submit”.

A new page opens.

Click on “Pay now” if you have a Visa or Mastercard with you. If you do not have a payment card, you can click on “Pay Later”. However, your application will not be processed until you have paid these fees.

If you log back on to the New Zealand immigration interface later, you will see that you can proceed with payment of your application (but not correct the information you have provided):

Paying the New Zealand WHV participation fee

The New Zealand Working Holiday Visa fee is NZ$455, i.e. $420 for the visa + $35 IVL tax.Click on “Proceed to Secure Payment Site”. This will take you to the following page:

You must enter the name of the person who will pay the participation fee. This could be you or someone you know.

Clicking OK takes you to an online payment page.

Enter your credit card details and click “Pay”.

You will be redirected to the New Zealand Immigration website once you have made your payment. On this page, you will be informed that the payment has been successful and your application details are summarised:

• The name of the person who paid the fees.
• The date and time of the transaction.
• The payment reference number.
• The amount of the payment.
• Your online application number.
• The receipt number.

Take a screenshot or save the information on this page. You may find it useful in the rare event of a problem with your application.

You should receive a reply as to whether or not you will be granted a WHV within a few days. If you have to have a lung X-ray, the time taken will be longer.

If all goes well, the status is “application received” and the “payment status” is “received”.

Error messages / Bugs

If you get this error message: “Working Holiday Visa Currently closed” the WHV for the country selected is currently closed. Try again later or view the opening date on the working holiday overview page. Note that this is a fairly common bug.

Other working holiday makers received an error message saying that the visa fee had already been paid, which was not the case.

Lastly, some working holiday makers told us they had this message: “Permanent closure of the Silver Fern Job Search Work Visa”.

In these three situations, you should wait and try again a few hours later, as the bugs are usually fixed in the end.