Australia Guides
Working holiday visa Australia: subclass 417 and 462
By Arshemah Qaisar ·
A working holiday visa is how you live in Australia for a year and get paid while you do it. There are two. Subclass 417 if your passport is on the Working Holiday list. Subclass 462 if it is on the Work and Holiday list. A tourist visa will not do. Subclass 600, 601 and 651 do not let you work.
General information, not migration advice. Charges and age limits below were checked against the 1 July 2026 changes. The country list moves. Confirm your passport on Home Affairs before you pay. The charge is not refunded if the visa is refused.
417 or 462
The stay is the same shape. Up to 12 months. You can leave and come back as often as you like in that year. You can work, and you can study for up to four months. You generally cannot work for the same employer for more than six months.
The difference is the passport, and what you have to prove.
| 417 Working Holiday | 462 Work and Holiday | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 18 to 30, or 18 to 35 for the passports listed below | 18 to 30 |
| Study | None | Tertiary study. The exact proof depends on the country |
| English | None | A test such as IELTS, unless you are a US citizen |
| Money | Usually at least AU$5,000, plus a way home | Usually at least AU$5,000, plus a way home |
| First visa charge | AU$840 | AU$840 |
From 1 July 2026 your age is judged on the day you lodge, not the day they decide. If you are about to turn 31, or 36 where that is the cap, lodge before that birthday. There is no extension.
Who can apply for subclass 417
You apply with a passport from one of these places. The age in the last column is the one that applies from 1 July 2026. Cyprus, Finland, Germany and Korea moved from 30 to 35 on that date.
| Passport | Age |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 18 to 30 |
| Canada | 18 to 35 |
| Republic of Cyprus | 18 to 35 |
| Denmark | 18 to 35 |
| Estonia | 18 to 30 |
| Finland | 18 to 35 |
| France | 18 to 35 |
| Germany | 18 to 35 |
| Hong Kong (SAR of China) | 18 to 30 |
| Republic of Ireland | 18 to 35 |
| Italy | 18 to 35 |
| Japan | 18 to 30 |
| Republic of Korea | 18 to 35 |
| Malta | 18 to 30 |
| Netherlands | 18 to 30 |
| Norway | 18 to 30 |
| Sweden | 18 to 30 |
| Taiwan (not an official or diplomatic passport) | 18 to 30 |
| United Kingdom, including British National (Overseas) | 18 to 35 |
You also need enough money, no substantial criminal record, and you must meet the health rules if they ask. You cannot already have had this visa, or the 462, unless you are applying for a second or third year under the rules further down.
Who can apply for subclass 462
If your passport is not on the 417 list, it may be on this one. Every country here is 18 to 30. You also need proof of tertiary study, and an English test result unless you are a US citizen. Some countries run a ballot and a yearly cap. Check that before you assume you can lodge tomorrow.
- Argentina
- Austria
- Brazil
- Chile
- China
- Czech Republic
- Ecuador
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Mongolia
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Türkiye
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Vietnam
The education rules are not the same for every passport. Home Affairs lists them by country.
How to apply
Most refusals and delays are the form, not the person. Names, dates and passport numbers have to match the scan. If a document is not in English, attach a translation. A notarised one is the safer habit.
1. Gather the papers
- The bio page of your passport.
- Evidence of funds, usually at least AU$5,000 in your own account, and a way to pay for the flight out.
- Health insurance. It is not a condition of the visa, and you will want it anyway. A hospital bill is not a backpacker problem you can shrug off.
- For subclass 462: the education documents, and the English test result if you need one.
Do not book a health examination until ImmiAccount asks for one. Not every application needs it. If they do, use a clinic on their panel and let the clinic send the result. Do not post it yourself.
2. Open an ImmiAccount
Register at online.immi.gov.au. The name and date of birth have to match the passport. Home Affairs writes to you inside that account. Keep the login.
3. Lodge the right subclass
417 if your passport is on the first list. 462 if it is on the second. Read it twice. A wrong date of birth is the usual reason a simple application sits there.
4. Pay
From 1 July 2026 a first 417 or 462 is AU$840. You pay inside ImmiAccount when you lodge. You do not attach a bank receipt afterwards. A second or third visa is AU$1,000.
5. Wait
Some come back in a couple of weeks. Some take up to three months, usually because a document is missing. Processing times are on Home Affairs. While you wait, sort the first fortnight of a bed and a job. The checklists are what to do before you leave and how to find work once you land.
A second and third year
You cannot extend the visa you already hold. Each one is a new application, for another 12 months, and each one has its own charge.
For most passports, a second visa wants about three months, counted as 88 days, of specified work in a regional area while you held the first visa. A third visa wants six months of specified work while you held the second. Farm work is the famous one. Fishing, tree farming, mining, construction and some tourism and hospitality in regional areas can count too. The postcode matters. Check the job against the list before you count the days.
British passport holders are the exception. A second or third subclass 417 lodged on or after 1 July 2024 does not need that specified work. Specified work, on Home Affairs.
Questions about the working holiday visa
What is the difference between subclass 417 and subclass 462?
Your passport decides it. Subclass 417 is the Working Holiday visa. Subclass 462 is the Work and Holiday visa, for a different list of countries. Subclass 462 also asks for tertiary study and, unless you are a US citizen, an English test. Subclass 417 does not. Most 417 passports are 18 to 30. Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Korea and the UK can apply at 18 to 35. Every 462 passport is 18 to 30.
Can I work on an Australian tourist visa?
No. Subclass 600, 601 and 651 do not give you the right to work. If earning money is the point of the trip, you need a 417 or a 462, not a tourist visa.
How much does a working holiday visa cost?
From 1 July 2026 the charge is AU$840 for a first subclass 417 or 462, and AU$1,000 for a second or third. It is not refunded if the visa is refused. Confirm the figure in ImmiAccount before you pay.
Can I study or volunteer?
You can study for up to four months, and you can volunteer. You cannot enrol as a full-time student on this visa. Full-time study needs a student visa.
Can I get a second or third year?
You do not extend the first visa. You apply for another one. For most passports that means about three months of specified work in a regional area on the first visa before a second, and six months of specified work on the second visa before a third. British passport holders who lodge a second or third subclass 417 on or after 1 July 2024 do not have to do that specified work.
Something in this list has changed: enquire@aussietalk.com.
About the author
Arshemah Qaisar
Arshemah moved to Australia from Pakistan to further her studies and now calls Hobart, Tasmania home. She is a PhD candidate in Medical Sciences at the University of Tasmania, with an undergraduate degree in computational chemistry from the National University of Sciences and Technology.