First Work and Holiday visa

• do short-term work in Australia to help pay for your holiday
• study for up to 4 months
• travel to and from Australia as many times as you want
• do 3 months of specified subclass 462 work to become eligible for a second Work and Holiday visa

Work

You can do any kind of work on this visa.

Usually, you can only work for the same employer for 6 months.

If the main purpose of your stay is to work, consider a work visa. Explore visa options.

Study

You can study for up to 4 months (17 weeks).

If the main purpose of your stay is to study, consider a Student visa.

This is a temporary visa. You must enter Australia within 12 months of the date we grant it. We will not extend or defer this timeframe.

The visa’s period of stay starts on the date you enter Australia. Once you have entered you can:

• stay in Australia for up to 12 months
• leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like in those 12 months

Note:

• If you have dual citizenship and hold more than one passport, you must enter Australia on the passport linked to your Work and Holiday visa grant.
• You do not need to apply for another visa to enter Australia, such as an eVisitor (subclass 651) visa, once you have been granted your Work and Holiday Visa.
• If you apply for and are granted another visa (such as subclass 651 visa) after the grant of your Work and Holiday visa, your Work and Holiday visa (and related work rights) will cease on the date that visa is granted.
• If your first Work and Holiday visa ceased because of the grant of another visa, such as an eVisitor visa, and you entered Australia on that other visa, you will not be able to apply for another first Work and Holiday visa while you are in Australia.

You have another visa

You must only apply for a Work and Holiday visa once you are ready to enter Australia on that visa.

The Work and Holiday visa period will start on the date you enter Australia, regardless of the reason for your visit. This applies even if we have also granted you an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) (subclass 601).

For more information, see Before you travel.

Staying longer

You can't stay in Australia longer by extending this visa.

Explore your visa options to stay longer in Australia.

You could apply for a second Work and Holiday visa if you are eligible.

Stay longer on a visitor visa

The total time we let you stay in Australia on your first Work and Holiday visa, and then a visitor visa is 12 consecutive months.

We might grant you longer on a Visitor visa if there are exceptional circumstances.

For this visa, exceptional circumstances might be that a close family member in Australia has died or is seriously ill, and you are required to stay in Australia to help or support.

You cannot include family members in your application.

You cannot be accompanied by dependent children while you are in Australia on this visa.

AUD840.00 (unless exempt)

You might also have to pay for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Cost concession

(Concessions apply in limited circumstances).

Cost for eligible Work and Holiday Maker Visa applicants from Papua New Guinea

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Papua New Guinea passport holders who lodge a valid first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa application.

We will charge eligible applicants the lower visa application cost during the application process in ImmiAccount. We will recognise eligible applicants by the valid passport from the specified countries used in the application when they apply.

You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa and when we decide your application.

You must declare your current location correctly on your Work and Holiday visa application form.

If you change location after you apply

We cannot grant your visa if you come onshore holding another visa, such as a Visitor visa. You must depart Australia for us to grant your Work and Holiday visa.

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

Your application might take longer to process if:

• you don't fill it in correctly
• you don't include all the documents we need, or we need more information from you
• it takes us time to verify your information

Every program year we grant a limited number of first Work and Holiday visas to applicants from each eligible country except the United States of America. The program year begins on 1 July and ends on 30 June.

Once this annual limit or 'cap' is reached, we will not grant any more visas. You should wait until the new program year commences on the following 1 July to submit an application.

To find out if applications are open, suspended or closed from your country of passport see Status of country caps.

China, India and Vietnam passport holders must participate in a visa pre-application process (ballot) and be randomly selected to apply for a first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.

For more information, see New Work and Holiday visa pre-application process.

You must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.

See the conditions for this visa.

Tax

You must pay taxes when you work in Australia on this visa.

Superannuation

Australia has compulsory superannuation - a retirement savings scheme. Your employer must pay superannuation into your superannuation fund if you earn more than a certain amount.

You can access your superannuation when you leave Australia.

We strongly recommend you take out health insurance to cover any unforeseen medical treatment you might need in Australia. You are personally liable for all your healthcare costs while you are in Australia. Insurance can help limit your financial liability.

See what we consider adequate health insurance.

Learn more about health insurance for overseas visitors.

Reciprocal healthcare agreements

Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Find out more from the Department of Human Services about reciprocal healthcare agreements.

You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is in effect.

Time you spend outside Australia after your first entry does not extend the visa's 12-month period of stay in Australia.

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

You must be a citizen of and hold a valid passport from one of these countries:

• Argentina
• Austria
• Brazil
• Chile
• China, People's Republic of
• Czech Republic
• Ecuador
• Greece
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Mongolia
• Papua New Guinea (PNG)
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Slovak Republic
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Türkiye
• Uruguay
• United States of America
• Vietnam

Note: China, India and Vietnam passport holders must participate in a visa pre-application process (ballot) and be randomly selected to apply for a first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.

For more information, see New Work and Holiday visa pre-application process.

You must be 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) when you apply.

** You must apply for your visa before you turn 31 years old in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)/Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time (AEDST). The deadline to lodge an application is midnight AEST/AEDST the day before your 31st birthday. This time applies even if you are applying from outside Australia.

Note that AEST/AEDST will be different to when your birthday ends in your country due to time differences between countries.

*** Avoid submitting your application on your birthday, if possible.

We can still grant you the visa if you apply for it at 30 but turn 31 years old before we make a decision. You must still meet all other requirements.

You must not have previously entered Australia on a:

• Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462)
• Working Holiday visa (subclass 417).

You must meet our education requirement.

This table presents our education requirements for this visa by country.

Check the visa pages of the Australian embassy in your country for more detail on our education requirement.

You must have at least Functional English.

You have Functional English if you meet one of the following:

• you are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland
• you are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by Israel and have successfully completed an English Bagrut exam in the level of 3 study units
• you have studied for a certain period at a particular educational institution where all instruction was in English
• you have completed a relevant approved English language test or assessment*.

*You must have undertaken your English language test or assessment within 12 months of submitting your application. This applies even if you received a test score higher than ‘functional English’. We cannot accept a result of functional or higher if the test is older than 12 months at the time of application.

For more information, visit Functional English.

You must give us a letter of support from your government (or alternative as stated below) if you are from:

• Ecuador
• Greece
• Indonesia
• Malaysia (Good Conduct Certificate)
• Mongolia
• Peru
• Poland
• San Marino
• Slovenia
• Thailand
• Türkiye

You must have enough money to:

• support yourself while you are in Australia and
• leave Australia at the end of your stay.

This is usually about AUD5,000 for your initial stay, plus the fare to where you are going after leaving Australia.

You must meet our health requirement.

You must meet our character requirement.

If you or any family members (including those who don't apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.

We will consider your immigration history when we make a decision on your application. This means you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused.

In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused. See Limitations on applications in Australia.

If applying for a visa from outside Australia, see Can I go to Australia.

If you want immigration assistance, see Who can help with your visa application.

You must acknowledge the Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you apply for the visa.

Before you travel

You must only apply for a Work and Holiday visa once you are ready to enter Australia on that visa. Once we grant your Work and Holiday visa, you can use the visa to enter Australia.

After we grant your Work and Holiday Visa you do not need to apply for another visa, such as an eVisitor (subclass 651), a Transit (subclass 771), or an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) (subclass 601) visa to enter Australia.

If we grant you an eVisitor or Transit visa after your Work and Holiday visa

If we grant you another visa (such as an eVisitor or Transit visa) after the grant of your Work and Holiday visa, your Work and Holiday visa (and related work rights) will cease as soon as we grant that other visa.

If your first Work and Holiday visa ceased due to the grant of another visa, such as an eVisitor or Transit visa, and you entered Australia on that other visa, you will not be able to apply for another first Work and Holiday visa while you are in Australia.

If we grant you an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) (subclass 601) visa

If you enter Australia after the grant of your Work and Holiday visa, the 12-month period of stay on your visa will automatically start on that day.

The Work and Holiday visa period will start regardless of the purpose of your visit, even if:

• you just want to transit through Australia on your way to another country

or

• we have granted you an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) (subclass 601) visa.

An ETA grant will not cease your Work and Holiday visa.

An ETA cannot be in effect at the same time as your Work and Holiday visa. When you enter Australia your Work and Holiday visa will commence. Your ETA will come into effect after the Work and Holiday visa ceases.

Check your travel documents are up to date

• Your Work and Holiday visa will be linked to the passport you declared on your application. If you obtain a new passport after your visa is granted, you must tell us your new passport details. See how to tell us if your situation changes.
• If you do not update your passport details, you will face delays at your overseas departure point and may not be permitted to board your flight.

You must:

• have a Work and Holiday visa that is in effect to enter Australia. You do not need a separate visa to enter Australia. We recommend that you keep a copy of your grant letter (electronic or paper) while travelling
• hold a valid passport issued by a Work and Holiday participant country
• enter Australia using the passport linked to your WHM visa grant. This applies even if you have dual citizenship and hold more than one valid passport.

At the border

Completing an Incoming Passenger Card

All people arriving in Australia must complete the Incoming Passenger Card. You will be given this card onboard.

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport, if you have one. You may be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.

With this visa you can:

• have a holiday
• do any kind of work
• study for up to 4 months
• travel to and from Australia as many times as you want
• undertake 3 months of specified subclass 462 work to become eligible to apply for a second Work and Holiday visa

Work

Usually, you can only work for the same employer for 6 months.

To see your conditions for work, use VEVO.

You must pay taxes when you work.

When you work in Australia, you are protected by Australian workplace law. See information for migrant workers and your workplace rights and entitlements.

Superannuation

If you earn over a certain amount, your employer must pay superannuation into your superannuation fund. Australia has compulsory superannuation - a retirement savings scheme.

When you leave Australia, you can access your superannuation.

Study

You can study for up to 4 months (17 weeks).

To see your study entitlements use VEVO.

Travel

You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is in effect.

Time spent outside Australia after your first entry does not extend the visa’s 12-month period of stay in Australia.

How long you can stay

This is a temporary visa. You must enter Australia within 12 months of the date we grant it.

The visa starts on the date you enter Australia. Once you have entered and the visa stay period starts, you can:

• stay in Australia for up to 12 months
• leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like in that 12 months.

Stay longer

You can't stay in Australia longer by extending this visa.

You must apply for a new visa if you want to stay longer.

You could apply for a second Work and Holiday visa if you are eligible.

See your options.

What you must do on this visa

You must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

See your conditions in your visa grant letter or VEVO.

Prove you have a visa

To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.

Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.

Tell us if things change

Things you need to let us know about include:

• changes to your passport
• changes to your relationship status
• the birth of a child

See how to tell us if your situation changes.

Before you leave

Check your travel documents

You must have a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia.

At the border

Departures SmartGate

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You may be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.

After you leave

Getting your superannuation

You are likely to have some money in a superannuation fund if you worked in Australia and you are:

• aged 18 years or older
• paid AUD450 or more before tax in a month

See how to access your super.

Proving you have been to Australia

Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.