How long is an au pair stay?
(Also to be found with keywords Duration of stay, Period of stay and Length of stay)
The officially permitted length of an au pair stay varies from host country to host country. This also can be affected by visa stipulations. Typically au pair stays last between 3 and 12 months. Length of stay information for various countries is given in our table below.
Maximum length of an au pair stay for different host countries
| Australia | 1 - 6 months (a change of families is possible for a further 6 months) |
| Austria | 6 - 12 months (EU: no restrictions) |
| Belgium | 1 - 12 months (EU: no restrictions) |
| Canada | 1 - 12 months |
| Denmark | 1 - 12 months, extendable up to 18 months (EU: no restrictions) |
| Finland | 1 - 12 months (EU: no restrictions) |
| France | 3 - 12 months, extendable up to 24 months max. |
| Germany | 6 - 12 months (EU: no restrictions) |
| Iceland | 1 - 12 months max. (EU: no restrictions) |
| Ireland | 1 - 12 months max. or longer with a student visa (EU: no restrictions) |
| Italy | 1 - 3 months or up to 12 months with a Working Holiday Visa (EU: no restrictions) |
| Liechtenstein | 1 - 12 months |
| Luxemburg | 1 - 12 months |
| Netherlands | 1 - 12 months |
| New Zealand | 1 - 12 months |
| Norway | 1 - 24 months (EU: no restrictions) |
| Spain | 6 - 12 months or longer with a student visa (EU: no restrictions) |
| Sweden | 1 - 12 months (EU: no restrictions) |
| Switzerland | 1 - 12 months (EU: extendable up to 24 months) |
| United Kingdom | 1 - 24 months |
| USA | 12 months min., extendable by 6, 9, or 12 months. |
