Work and travel is especially appealing to young travelers because they don't just get to know the country they're traveling in as simple tourists, but can dive deeper into its culture by working on location. A work and travel visa is needed for a trip like this, though it goes by a different name: officially, the visa is called a working holiday visa. All the countries that offer a work and travel visa of this kind are listed under that term. With a work and travel visa, a trip with casual jobs along the way is possible, and it can last up to 12 months.

The Working Holiday Visa (WHV) Partner Countries for Your Trip

Besides the partner countries, there are other countries that make it possible to travel and work there, but they don't fall under the WHV partner program. There is an official list of all WHV participants, and these countries are:

Work and Travel Visa
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Canada
  • Japan
  • Chile
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan
  • Singapore
  • Hong Kong
  • Israel
  • Argentina
  • Uruguay

The Requirements for a Work and Travel Visa

To get a working holiday visa, applicants have to meet a few requirements. The destination country must be one of the participating countries. It's also possible to travel to the USA and work there, but that is not a working holiday visa, which is why it isn't included in the list. The trip may not exceed 12 months, and the work done on location must be changing casual jobs. Another important point when applying for the visa is age. With few exceptions, it is always limited to a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 30 years. Only Singapore accepts travelers into the visa program from age 17, and in Canada travelers can take part in work and travel up to age 35.

Work and Travel Visa

In addition, participants must hold German citizenship or citizenship of a country with which their destination also cooperates. Some countries also require proof of income or assets, to make sure the traveler can get by in the country even without a casual job. A vaccination record with all standard vaccinations and the recommended travel vaccinations for the respective country is also required, along with a clean criminal record certificate that is no more than 3 months old.