Au pair visas: how the main routes work

Route 1 — Freedom of movement

If you hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport and are going to another EU country, you need no visa at all. You register your address locally after arrival and get a tax or social number if the country requires one.

Route 2 — A national au pair visa

Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and others run specific au pair permits. They are not interchangeable, but they ask for a similar bundle:

• A signed au pair agreement stating hours, pocket money and duties
• Proof of basic language ability (often A1 or A2)
• Proof of health insurance covering the whole stay
• A clean criminal record certificate
• Proof of enrolment, or intent to enrol, in a language course

Route 3 — Working holiday

Australia, New Zealand and Canada generally have no dedicated au pair visa. Au pairs travel on a working holiday visa, which is age-limited (usually 18–30 or 18–35) and capped at a certain number of months with one employer.

What causes delays

In order of frequency: a criminal record certificate that has not been apostilled, health insurance that does not cover the full stay, an agreement missing the exact weekly hours, and a passport that expires less than three months after the placement ends.

Start the paperwork three months before your intended arrival date. Nobody has ever regretted starting early.