How to apply for a Working Holiday visa

If you’re aged between 18 and 30 (or 18 to 35 in some cases) then you may be. On this page, we’ll give you all the details you need to apply for WHV subclass 417, which is what you need if you hold a valid passport for any of the following countries:

Belgium; Canada; Republic of Cyprus; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (including British National Overseas passport holders); Republic of Ireland; Italy; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malta; Netherlands; Norway; Sweden; Taiwan (other than an official or diplomatic passport); and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

If you hold a passport from Argentina, Austria, Chile, The People's Republic of China, Czech Republic, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Uruguay or Vietnam, you’ll need to apply for a Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462), for which you can find the details here.

Whether you’re applying for your first or second Working Holiday visa (subclass 417), you need to be aged between 18 and 30 (or 18 to 35 in some cases). To find out which age range applies to you, visit the Department of Home Affairs website.

You can still apply for a visa if you are in your final year of age eligibility.

Applying for WHV 417 is a straightforward process. Go online, create an ImmiAccount and fill out the details. You’ll need a number of documents on hand to aid in the process, including:

• the pages of your passport showing your name, personal details and passport issue and expiry dates; and
• a copy of your birth certificate showing both parents’ names.

Anyone who can’t provide a birth certificate should provide a copy of the identification pages of one of the following documents:

• a family book showing both your parents’ names;
• government-issued identification; or
• a court-issued document that verifies your identity.

If you’ve ever changed your name, you’ll also need to provide a marriage or divorce certificate, change of name documents from a relevant overseas authority, and documents showing other names you’ve been known by.

You should have copies of your bank account showing you have adequate funds to support yourself (usually the equivalent of AUD $5000), as well as a return air ticket or extra funds to be able to pay for your journey home.

You may be asked to provide character documents, including military records, but someone will contact you if they’re needed.

You need to first to create an ImmiAccount, which is easy and allows you to save your application at any time and go back to it later if you realise you need extra information or different documents. Set aside a couple of hours to make sure you fill out the form correctly, and add all supporting documentation required.

All documents you attach to your WHV application must be in English. Those that aren’t, have to be supplied with a translation that includes the translator’s details. You’ll need clear, colour scans or photographs of each of these documents. If a document has more than one page, it should be saved as a single file.

Most applications are processed within 14 days, but it can take longer if you don’t fill out the online form correctly or forget to attach the right documents. Once your visa has been granted, you have 12 months to fly to Australia and begin using it.

When you apply for your WHV, you’ll have to pay AUD $510. There may be extra costs relating to health checks, police certificates or biometrics (facial photograph and finger prints).

If you’re applying for a WHV from a country with a high risk of tuberculosis, you may need to undergo a medical examination and chest X-ray.

Ultimately, you’re responsible for any health debts you run up while you’re visiting Australia. Our public healthcare system, called Medicare, has reciprocal agreements with some countries (Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the UK) that will cover the costs of care from illness or injury that can’t wait until you return home. 

For visitors from New Zealand and Ireland, non-hospital care is not covered. This reciprocal arrangement only lasts for six months for Italian and Maltese citizens.

Otherwise, you must have sufficient travel or health insurance to cover the costs of illness and accidents while you’re travelling and working.

You should have savings equivalent to AUD $5000 – be prepared to show proof of the money you have in your bank account. On top of your savings, you should have a return air ticket or enough funds to pay for a flight home.

This WHV allows you to stay in Australia for 12 months from the day you enter the country. You can either stay for the entire 12 months or leave and re-enter as many times as you like during that period.

You can apply to stay for an additional year in Australia with an extension on your WHV. For residents of most countries, you must have undertaken at least three months of specified work in approved industries including plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, mining and construction. To find out how to do it, head to our hints and tips here.