AustraliaYouth programme

Australian working holiday visa in Australia

The working holiday visa is the Australian Department of Home Affairs route for young people from Working Holiday Maker partner countries who want to spend an extended holiday in Australia and to work casually to pay for it. The applicant lodges for themselves alone: family or a partner cannot be included in one application.

Source: Department of Home Affairs — Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462)

Who can obtain it

The requirements divide into those common to all partner countries and those that depend on the country of the applicant's passport.

Age and citizenship

Aged 18 to 30 inclusive at lodgement — the application has to be lodged before midnight AEST/AEDST on the eve of your 31st birthday.
A passport of one of the 30 partner countries of the Working Holiday Maker programme: from Argentina and Austria to Uruguay and the USA.
For a first visa you must not have entered Australia on a subclass 462 or 417 visa in the past.
Holders of passports of China, India and Vietnam first go through a random selection (a ballot) and only then lodge an application.

Education and language

The education requirements depend on the country of the passport: for most countries — a university degree or two years of full-time university study.
At least Functional English is needed — evidenced by a language test, citizenship of an English-speaking country or study conducted in English.
Applicants from a number of countries (Ecuador, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia, Thailand, Türkiye) additionally attach a letter of support from their government.

Finances and conditions of lodgement

You have to evidence around 5,000 Australian dollars for your first period in Australia plus the cost of an onward ticket after you leave.
The applicant must not be accompanied by minor children, and family cannot be included in one application.
The application is lodged only from outside Australia, and it is also decided while the applicant is abroad.

What it costs

First working holiday visa	840 AUD
Second visa (after completing specified work)	+1 000 AUD
Third visa (after completing specified work)	+1 000 AUD

Documents to gather

The set of documents depends on the country of the passport — the department sets different requirements on education and letters of support for different countries.

A valid passport of a partner country of the programme
Evidence of Functional English: a test result, a statement of study conducted in English or citizenship of an English-speaking country
An education document: a university degree, a statement of two years of study or the equivalent — the exact set depends on the country
A letter of support from the government — only for applicants from a particular list of countries
Evidence of funds for the first period of stay and for departure from Australia
Results of a medical examination and a police certificate — at the department's request
A signed Australian values statement

How the process runs

The lodgement procedure is the same for the first, second and third working holiday visa.

1
Check your eligibility to lodge
Satisfy yourself that you hold a passport of a partner country, are no older than 30 inclusive and have not lodged this visa before (for a first visa). Holders of passports of China, India and Vietnam first have to win a place in the ballot.
2
Gather the documents
Prepare evidence of education and of the level of English and, where required, a letter of support from your own government and evidence of funds.
3
Lodge the application through ImmiAccount
before midnight AEST/AEDST on the eve of your 31st birthday
The application is lodged online while the applicant is outside Australia, and has to state their current location correctly.
4
Wait for the department's decision
The application is also decided while the applicant remains abroad. You must not arrange travel to Australia before written confirmation that the visa has been granted.
5
Enter Australia
within 12 months of the visa being approved
The visa lasts 12 months from the moment of entry. You have to enter on the passport named in the application within 12 months of approval — the department does not extend or defer that deadline.

Timelines and rights

Work

You can work in any job, but for no more than 6 months with one employer — that is condition 8547. To stay longer you request permission. Condition 8548 limits study and training to 4 months.

Who you can bring with you

The visa is designed for a single applicant — a partner and children cannot be included in the application.

Spouse or partner

cannot be included in the application; if they wish, they lodge separately, on their own grounds

Minor children

cannot accompany the applicant during their stay on this visa

Renewal and the grace period

A current working holiday visa cannot be extended. Instead, the holder of a first visa can apply for a second, and the holder of a second for a third, if during the previous visa they completed the set minimum of paid specified work in approved industries: tourism and hospitality in northern and remote Australia, plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling in the north of the country, tree felling in the north of the country, construction in particular regions, and also paid or voluntary work on recovery from bushfires (after 31 July 2019) and other natural disasters (after 31 December 2021). For a second visa at least 3 months of work is needed — that is no fewer than 88 calendar days. For a third — at least 6 months, no fewer than 179 calendar days, from 1 July 2019 onwards. Each new visa lasts a further 12 months and requires a separate visa charge.

Frequently asked questions about Australian working holiday visa

How many countries take part in the subclass 462 working holiday visa programme?

The Department of Home Affairs lists 30 partner countries — from Argentina and Austria to Uruguay and the USA. Citizenship and a valid passport of one of those countries are mandatory in order to lodge an application.

How much money has to be shown when lodging the visa?

The department gives a guide: around 5,000 Australian dollars for the first period of stay in Australia, plus the cost of a ticket to leave the country when the visa ends.

Can you work for one employer for more than 6 months?

By default no — visa condition 8547 limits work with one employer to six months. Permission does not have to be sought if the work is at different locations of the same employer, in plant and animal cultivation, in recovery from natural disasters, in one of the five critical sectors (agriculture, health care, aged and disability care, childcare, tourism and hospitality) or in fishing, tree felling, construction and mining in northern Australia.

What counts as “specified work” for the second and third visa?

It is paid work in approved industries: tourism and hospitality in northern and remote Australia, plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling in the north of the country, tree felling in the north of the country, construction in particular regions, and also work on recovery from bushfires and other natural disasters in declared zones.

Do citizens of China, India and Vietnam have to do anything special before lodging an application?

Yes. Holders of passports of those three countries first go through a pre-selection — a ballot — and only after random selection can they lodge an application for a first working holiday visa.

How much study is allowed on this visa?

Up to 4 months (17 weeks). If the main purpose of the trip is study for a longer period, the department recommends obtaining a subclass 500 student visa.

Can a working holiday visa be extended directly?

No, a current visa cannot be extended. The only way to stay longer is to apply for the next visa of the same type (a second or third) after completing the required minimum of specified work.

Other ways to move to Australia

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Australia.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.