If you are planning to travel and work in Australia, the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) lets eligible young adults work to help pay for their stay. It lets eligible young adults stay in Australia for up to 12 months, with work and study subject to visa conditions. Check the subclass 417 eligibility requirements before applying.
Subclass 417 differs from the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). The passport you use determines which visa you can apply for. Each visa has its own eligible-country list and requirements. If your passport does not qualify for subclass 417, check the subclass 462 requirements.
Eligible passports and age
Subclass 417 is available to passport holders from Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The Home Affairs subclass 417 page sets out the eligible passports and conditions. Eligibility for the separate subclass 462 visa does not make a passport eligible for subclass 417.
The standard age range is 18 to 30 inclusive. Passport holders from Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom can apply while aged 18 to 35 inclusive. From 1 July 2026, the 18-to-35 age range also applies to passport holders from Cyprus, Finland, Germany and the Republic of Korea. Check Home Affairs’ Working Holiday Maker updates before lodging, because the rules in force on the lodgement date apply.
Home Affairs applies the age requirement when you lodge the application. Lodge before your 31st birthday under the standard age limit, or before your 36th birthday where the higher limit applies. The UK arrangements specify 11:59 pm AEST on the day before the 36th birthday.
Applying from outside Australia
For a first Working Holiday visa, you must apply from outside Australia and remain outside Australia when Home Affairs grants the visa. Lodge online through ImmiAccount and follow the current subclass 417 application instructions.
Provide the identity and financial documents required for your circumstances. You usually need about AUD 5,000 for your stay, plus a departure ticket or enough money to buy one. Home Affairs may also require health examinations or character documents. You cannot include dependent children in a subclass 417 application, and dependent children cannot accompany you in Australia on this visa.
The Visa Application Charge is AUD 840 for a first visa, checked 13 October 2026. Home Affairs lists the current first-visa charge on its first Working Holiday visa page. Check the visa pricing estimator immediately before lodging. Your payment method may add a surcharge.
The visa processing time guide estimates processing times from recently decided applications. It does not guarantee a decision by a particular date. Avoid booking non-refundable travel based on an expected grant date.
Your grant notice states the date by which you must first enter Australia. This is generally within 12 months of the grant date. Check ImmiAccount after lodging and provide any requested information by the stated deadline.
Work and study conditions
A subclass 417 visa generally allows work in any occupation or industry, subject to visa conditions and Australian workplace law. Condition 8547 limits work with one employer to six months. Some work and circumstances are exempt. Check Home Affairs’ current Working Holiday Maker work conditions before relying on an exemption.
If no exemption applies, request permission before the first six months of work with that employer end. A request lodged on time lets you continue working for that employer until Home Affairs gives a written decision. If you lodge late, stop working for that employer while Home Affairs considers the request.
Condition 8548 allows up to four months of study or training on each visa, and the four-month limit starts again if you receive a second or third Working Holiday visa. Correspondence and online courses are exempt where they could otherwise be undertaken outside Australia or are provided by an overseas education provider. Workplace-based training counts as employment rather than study.
The visa does not provide a job, guaranteed work period or set income. Workers in Australia have workplace rights and protections regardless of citizenship or visa status. The Fair Work Ombudsman explains these protections.
Second and third visas
Specified work
A second subclass 417 visa generally requires at least three months of eligible specified work completed while holding the first visa, and a third visa generally requires at least six months completed while holding the second visa. A later visa requires a new application; it does not extend the earlier visa automatically.
Specified work is work in industries, locations and periods that Home Affairs treats as eligible for another Working Holiday visa. Check the current specified-work guidance before accepting work you expect to count. Keep records such as payslips, employment contracts, tax records and bank statements.
UK passport holders
Applicants using an eligible UK passport who lodge a subclass 417 application on or after 1 July 2024 do not need specified work for a second or third visa. This also applies to British National (Overseas) passport holders. A UK citizen who entered Australia on a subclass 417 visa using another eligible passport may use an eligible UK passport for a later application under these arrangements. See Home Affairs’ UK passport arrangements.
The exemption applies only to specified work. The six-month limit with one employer and the four-month study limit remain in force. UK passport holders may apply for a second or third visa from inside or outside Australia, and the three visa years do not need to be consecutive.
Dual nationals have a lifetime limit of three subclass 417 visas, regardless of which eligible passport they use.