German Embassy Wellington: How to Apply for the Working Holiday Visa for Germany
This page will look at how New Zealanders can apply for their German Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington. We will explain who is eligible and also take a look at the application process and requirements.
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 in Germany. For this, the Working Holiday Visa for Germany is a great option as it allows Kiwis to live 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.
❗ Note: We endeavour to keep our visa information up to date. However, before applying, we recommend always cross-referencing our information with the official application information from the German Embassy in Wellington.
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
1️⃣ Prepare your application documents, book a visa appointment and apply for the German Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington.
2️⃣ Move to Germany. Register at an address, set up a bank account, find a job.
1️⃣ Prepare your application documents, book a visa appointment and apply for the German Working Holiday Visa at the German Embassy in Wellington
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
✅ Travel/expat insurance
In order to be granted the Working Holiday Visa for Germany, you must have a 12-month travel/expat 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 like Feather’s expat health insurance policy. We like Feather because:
It is widely approved by German embassies and consulates worldwide.
It meets the requirements necessary for the Working Holiday Visa for Germany.
It is affordable whilst still providing a decent level of cover.
When submitting your Feather 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: While Feather is widely accepted for this purpose, always check the specific insurance requirements with the German embassy or consulate before taking out and paying for an insurance policy.
✅ Flight booking
You can book a return flight or a one-way flight.
✅ Proof of funds
You must show proof of funds to cover your living expenses in Germany during the first few 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 covering the last 3 months 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 EUR 75, payable in local currency.
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.
2️⃣ 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, then you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.
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 pick up work in Germany to help fund your stay. But you will still need to land a job – to get you started, we have put together some free job-hunting resources:
👍 Best board job boards in Germany
👍 Startup jobs, hospitality jobs and teaching jobs in Berlin
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.
Where else can New Zealand citizens apply for the Working Holiday Visa for Germany?
🧭 New Zealand citizens have a number of other options when it comes to where they can apply for their German Working Holiday Visa:
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 you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.
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, always check the application process and requirements prior to applying.