Working holiday arrangement between Finland and New Zealand comes into effect in August

Press release 154/2004
9 July, 2004

The working holiday arrangement between Finland and New Zealand, signed by Minister of Trade and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen and Minister for Economic Development Jim Anderton in April, will come into effect on 1 August.

The arrangement will allow young Finns aged between 18 and 30 to familiarise themselves with the society and culture in New Zealand. A temporary work permit will allow them to reside in New Zealand for a maximum period of 12 months, primarily for holiday purposes. To enable the young visitors to finance their stay they are issued with a temporary work permit without complicated application procedures. Similarily, the same arrangement applies to young visitors from New Zealand to Finland.

A similar protocol was signed between Finland and Australia in April 2002, which came into effect on 1 May, 2002.

The nearest New Zealand embassy, where a work permit can be applied for, is located in The Hague, the Netherlands. A list of foreign missions can be found on the website of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs under Embassies(Link to another website.). The text of the working arrangement between Finland and New Zealand can also be found on our website.

Further information: Ann-Christine Krank, Deputy Head of the Passport and Visa Unit, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, tel. +358 9 160 55219