How to Get a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa Over 30 in 2024

If you’d rather not continue reading, read some of these blog posts about New Zealand instead:

• New Zealand Packing List: What I Brought For a One Year Working Holiday
• Glowworms in New Zealand | Best Places to See Them for Cheap or Free
• 4 Mindful Experiences in New Zealand For Female Travelers
• Hobbiton On a Rainy Day | Insights + Tips to Still Have a Great Time

I did not have a traditional study abroad experience in college and have searched for a way to live overseas ever since. I didn’t have a location independent business at the time, I knew I was not cut out for teaching English, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue a master’s degree overseas. Then I had already aged out years earlier when I finally learned about working holiday visas.

Then I finally caught wind of BUNAC, a company that coordinates gap year opportunities to intern, work, and volunteer in select countries all over the globe. It’s London-based, but there is a partner office in Arizona.

They offer programs for citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Among the opportunities, people can coach sports in South Africa, volunteer in Nepal, and be summer camp counselors in the U.S.

Exclusive to BUNAC was the IEP Work Exchange Visa, which is open to working holiday travelers from the U.S. 30-35 years old using the visa for the first time. OR Anyone 18-35 who has already spent a year in New Zealand using the standard working holiday visa to spend an additional year working and traveling.

How to Get a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa

Here is the basic breakdown of how I applied for the IEP Work Exchange Visa Program through BUNAC.

Basic Requirements

Here’s a list of what you need before applying for this visa.

• You must be a US citizen and apply for the program while physically in the U.S.
• Your passport must be valid for six months after your planned departure from N.Z.
• Must be between 30 and 35 (inclusive) years old. Inclusive means you may turn 36 while living/working in N.Z.
• Payment to BUNAC for the Work New Zealand Essentials Program ($629).
• Proof of NZD 4200 (about $3000) in an accessible bank account. Plus $1100 if only purchasing a one-way flight to NZ – $4100 total.
• Flight itinerary and proof of confirmed flight to Auckland.
• Comprehensive international insurance that covers your entire length of stay in NZ.

Additional Requirements

If you have already spent 12 or more months in New Zealand using the standard Working Holiday Visa:

• Medical exam or chest x-ray (or both, NZ is very strict about TB).
• FBI background check.

Benefits of the IEP Work Exchange Visa Program

Paying a $629 fee for a visa may seem like a lot, but all this is included:

• Excellent support before and during the visa application process.
• Once you arrive in New Zealand, you receive in-country support, including assistance with taxes, banking, job, and accommodation search support.
• Access to affordable flights through STA and international insurance (if you have no experience buying/researching your own).
• First two nights of accommodation at a hostel in Auckland.
• Comprehensive welcome orientation.
• Voucher for SkyBustransportation from the airport to downtown Auckland.
• Work New Zealand handbook and orientation.
• Plus, a Lonely Planet New Zealand guidebook, luggage storage, free internet at resource centers across the country, NZ 5 phone card, and mail forwarding service.

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