German Working Holiday Visa For New Zealand Citizens

Posted by: Sarah Fiske Time:April 25, 2016 in Immigration News : 228 Views Andrew Taylor April 06, 2016 In an attempt to get young residents to leave the country and have an adventurous time on foreign ground, the New Zealand government has created a working holiday visa for young German citizens. No matter what kind of profession you’re from a different country, it is likely that you would need a special type of visa in order to work in New Zealand.If you are a young citizen of New Zealand and wanting to go on a trip to Germany, here’s some information to help you. German Working Holiday Visa offer holders have the right to work in Germany for 12 months. You can travel around and find employment for 2-6 month periods within this period.

German Working Holiday Visa For New Zealand Citizens

The Working Holiday Visa scheme enables young people aged between 18 and 30 (or 35 if they come from a country where the age is different) to spend a holiday period of up to 12 months in Germany by combining holidays with temporary employment. It is well known that New Zealand citizens are offered some of the best working holiday opportunities in relation to the duration (a maximum of 12 months versus 2 years for citizens from most other countries) and remuneration (up to € 559 per month, based on a minimum wage level of € 8,5 per hour).

If you are a New Zealander looking to move to Germany, then one of your main priorities will obviously be to obtain a visa that allows you to live and work in Germany. For this, we can think of few better options than the Working Holiday Visa for Germany, which allows Kiwis to live, work and travel in Germany for up to 1 year.

The Working Holiday Visa for Germany is the perfect way for New Zealanders to set up camp in the very heart of Europe, providing the ideal launchpad for exploring Europe while being able to work and earn money in Germany along the way.

If this sounds right up your street, then the first step is to find out if you are eligible to apply for a Working Holiday Visa for Germany at the German Embassy in Wellington.

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If you would like help with moving to Berlin, check out our accommodation and relocation services

Who is eligible for the German Working Holiday Visa?

To be eligible, you must:

Be between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of application. You can apply right up until the day of your 31st birthday.
Be a New Zealand citizen with a valid New Zealand passport.
Not be accompanied by minors.

If you fulfil these criteria, then congratulations! You are eligible for the Working Holiday Visa for Germany and can start preparing for your application at the German Embassy in Wellington.

How to apply for the Working Holiday Visa at the Germany Embassy in Wellington

Step 1 – Prepare your application documents, book a visa appointment and apply for the German Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington.

Step 2 – Move to Germany. Register at an address, set up a bank account, find a job.

Step 1 – Prepare your application documents, book a visa appointment and apply for the German Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington

If you would like assistance with your move to Germany, then check out our accommodation package or contact us at info@nomadenberlin.com to see how we can help.

How to book a Working Holiday Visa appointment at the German Embassy in Wellington

Before anything else, you need to secure a visa appointment at the German Embassy in Wellington in order to apply for the Working Holiday Visa. You can do this through the embassy’s online appointment booking platform.

Once your appointment is booked, the next step is to prepare your application documents and attend the appointment at the embassy, which is located at:

90 Hobson Street,
Thorndon,
Wellington 6011,
New Zealand

Essential documents for your Working Holiday Visa application at the German Embassy in Wellington

At the appointment, you will need to submit a number of documents to be approved for the visa. These include:

A valid passport plus a photocopy of the passport data page Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months longer than the intended stay, have at least 2 free pages, and not be older than 10 years old.
Two current biometric passport photos Guidelines recommend a 35 mm x 45 mm frontal shot with neutral facial expression, closed mouth, looking straight into the camera, with a light background.
One completed visa application form and one declaration of conformity
Travel insurance In order to be granted the Working Holiday Visa for Germany, you must have a 12-month travel insurance policy that covers you for the full duration of the visa. As a minimum, your policy should provide €30,000 in medical coverage and include repatriation.For this, we think World Nomads is a great choice. We like World Nomads because:
- It is recognised and approved by the German Embassy in Wellington.
- It meets the requirements necessary for the Working Holiday Visa for Germany.
- It is well regarded by travellers around the globe.
When submitting your World Nomads insurance documents at your appointment, ensure your policy clearly shows the name of the insured person, length of coverage, insurance sum and repatriation coverage. Note: we suggest taking out and paying for a full-year travel insurance policy upfront. While there are a number of policies on the market that can be paid for and cancelled on a monthly basis, these are sometimes rejected by German embassies and consulates as they want to ensure you will definitely have coverage for the full year and will not cancel the policy shortly after obtaining the visa.
Flight bookingYou can book a return flight or a one-way flight. If you book a one-way flight, you must show additional proof of funds to show that you can afford a return leg to New Zealand. This is in addition to the proof of funds requirement below. We recommend booking a one-way flight as people very often opt to stay longer in Berlin/Europe than first intended!
Proof of funds You must show proof of funds to cover your living expenses in Germany during the first 3 months of your stay. This should be the equivalent of €2000 in New Zealand dollars. Proof of funds should be in the form of bank account statements with your name clearly shown on them.

When submitting your paperwork at the German Embassy in Wellington, you should provide original copies of the documents as well as two copies of each document.

How much does the Working Holiday Visa cost?

The cost for the Working Holiday Visa is NZD 127, which can be paid in cash or by credit card at the German Embassy in Wellington – EFTPOS is not accepted.

Processing of the Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington

The processing time for a complete application is generally one week at the German Embassy in Wellington.

If you are travelling to Wellington to apply for the Working Holiday Visa, the German embassy will take your passport off you for approximately one week while your visa is being processed.

Once your visa and passport are ready for collection, you can collect them in person at the German Embassy. If you would like your passport and visa returned by post, you can also provide a prepaid, self-addressed courier envelope at your visa appointment.

Congratulations! If you have made it this far, you have successfully applied for the German Working Holiday Visa and can start preparing for your move to Germany. See step 2 below for some key things you should complete when first arriving in Germany.

Step 2 – Move to Germany. Register at an address, set up a bank account, find a job.

Once you have successfully applied for the Working Holiday Visa in step 1 above, you are ready to make the move to Germany. On arrival in Germany, there are a number of key things you should do to ensure you have a smooth relocation.

Officially register at an address (Anmeldung)

Once you arrive in Germany, it is essential that you officially register at an address in Germany, a process that is known as Anmeldung. Without Anmeldung, you cannot receive your German tax ID (which you need when starting work in Germany) or perform most administrative tasks, such as signing up with an internet or energy supplier.

If you are struggling to find an address to register at in Berlin, see how our Berlin Accommodation Package can help. Our package includes private studio accommodation and an address registration service, ensuring you will complete your Anmeldung within a few days of checking in to our accommodation.

We have also put together a guide on securing longer-term accommodation in Berlin, which may come in handy.

Set up a German bank account

When starting out on your working holiday, it is important to have easy and (preferably) free access to your funds in Germany. To ensure this, we highly recommend that you set up a German bank account shortly after your arrival.

For New Zealand working holidaymakers in Germany, an N26 bank account is a great option. The sign up process is simple and completely free. When you factor in a free Debit Mastercard and free ATM withdrawals, it is definitely a good choice for your working holiday. For further details, see our N26 review.

If you are also interested in doing lots of travel around the rest of Europe during your working holiday in Germany, then you may also benefit from getting a free borderless account with Wise, formerly TransferWise. Wise’s borderless account allows you to spend money in any currency at a market-leading exchange rate.

For further banking tips for Germany, see our banking page.

Find a job in Germany

One of the great benefits of the Working Holiday Visa is that it permits you to work in Germany. But you will still need to land a job – to get you started, we have put together some free job hunting resources:

Frequently asked questions about applying for the Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington

When can I apply for the Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington?

You can apply for the Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington within 90 days of your intended arrival in Berlin. Applications submitted before this will not be accepted.

We recommend applying at least two weeks before your intended arrival to allow for visa processing.

What are the drawbacks of applying for the Working Holiday Visa at the Germany Embassy in Wellington?

While the process of applying for the Germany Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand is relatively straightforward, there are some drawbacks to applying at the embassy in Wellington. These include:

Proof of fundsSaving for a move can be tricky. While you may have saved up the EUR 2000 (approx. NZD 3560) in proof of funds that is required by the German Embassy in Wellington, the embassy also needs proof that this minimum amount has been in your account for the past 3 months. Therefore, if you have only just reached the EUR 2000 threshold, you may need to wait for 3 months to apply for your German Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington, a frustrating and unnecessary delay to your plans. If you apply for the Working Holiday Visa at an immigration office in Germany, the proof of funds amount is still EUR 2000 but you only need to show you have this amount in a recent bank statement. There is no requirement to prove how long this amount has been in your account.
Travel to WellingtonThe only way to apply for the Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington is to attend an in-person appointment. Unless you are living in Wellington, travelling to your appointment is going to cost you time and money.

Where else can New Zealand citizens apply for the Working Holiday Visa for Germany?

As there are a number of drawbacks to applying for the Working Holiday Visa at the German embassy in Wellington, you may be interested in the other options for New Zealand citizens. Here you can:

Apply directly at an immigration office in Germany. As a New Zealand citizen, you can enter Germany without a visa for 90 days and then apply for your Working Holiday Visa at an immigration office in Germany during this 90-day visa-free period. We have described exactly how to do this at the immigration office in Berlin.The only additional requirement if applying in Germany is that you must first register at an address, a process that is known as Anmeldung. If you are struggling to find accommodation in Berlin that offers Anmeldung, then check out our accommodation package, which includes short-term accommodation and an address registration service.
Apply at any German embassy or consulate overseas that processes Working Holiday Visas. As a New Zealand citizen, you also have the option of applying at any German embassy or consulate around the world that processes Working Holiday Visas. This can be a useful option if already travelling outside of New Zealand prior to arriving in Germany.If applying at a German embassy or consulate overseas, the application requirements are generally the same as if you applied at the German Embassy in Wellington. However, overseas embassies and consulates may impose a 6-month working restriction on the visa. While you will still be issued with a 12-month visa, this restriction would mean that you can only work for the same employer for 6 months in Germany, after which you would have to switch employers.