Working Holiday 417 and 462: who can apply and extend

Which visa matches my passport?

Home Affairs runs two visas under the Working Holiday Maker program: Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462). Both let young adults have a 12-month holiday with short-term work and study. Which one you can use depends on your passport.

Subclass 417 is open only to passports from 19 listed countries or regions, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Subclass 462 covers 31 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. Being listed does not mean applications are open for every country.

What are the age limits?

For subclass 417 you must be at least 18 and no more than 35, unless the arrangement for your passport country sets a lower maximum. In the instrument in force from 2026-07-01, the maximum is 30 for Belgium, Estonia, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Taiwan.

Passport holders from Cyprus, Finland, Germany and the Republic of Korea can apply from 2026-07-01 if they are 18 to 35 inclusive. They can lodge until 11:59 pm AEST on the day before their 36th birthday.

For subclass 462 the 2026 instrument sets a maximum age of 30 for all 31 listed countries.

Where do I apply, and how long can I stay?

A first-time applicant for either visa must be outside Australia when applying and must hold an eligible passport. For the 462, you also must not have been in Australia before as the holder of a 417. If the visa is granted outside Australia, you can enter within 12 months of the grant and stay until 12 months after you first enter.

Home Affairs advises waiting for the grant before you book flights or make work or study commitments. As of 2026-09, it expects the average processing time for most applications to be around 3 months.

How do I qualify for a second or third visa?

A second 417 needs at least 3 months of specified 417 work on the first visa. A third needs at least 6 months, all done on the second visa (or a related bridging visa) on or after 2019-07-01. The work must be paid in line with Australian law and not for an excluded employer. The 462 has the same minimums.

Specified 417 work in Regional Australia covers fishing and pearling, plant and animal cultivation, tree farming and felling, construction and mining. Tourism and hospitality counts only in Northern Australia, Remote and Very Remote Australia and some listed postcodes, and only for work done after 2021-06-21.

What limits apply while I hold the visa?

You may work in any occupation or industry. Condition 8547 limits you to 6 months with any single employer unless an exemption applies or Home Affairs gives written permission. Exemptions include work in different locations (no more than 6 months in a single location), plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia and natural disaster recovery work.

Permission to work longer is only considered if you have applied for a visa that allows full-time work or the employer says the work is critical. The request must be sent before the first 6 months end, ideally at least 2 weeks earlier.

Condition 8548 stops you doing any study or training in Australia for more than 4 months. The limit applies separately to each visa, and workplace-based training counts as employment rather than study.

What does it cost, and how do caps and ballots work?

As of 2026-10, the base visa application charge for a first Working Holiday (417) is AUD 840, and for a second or third 417 it is AUD 1,000. For a first Work and Holiday (462) it is AUD 840, or AUD 690 with a Pacific-regional passport.

Each program year there is a cap on first 462 visas for certain countries, but no cap on second or third 462 visas.

Applicants with Chinese, Indian or Vietnamese passports who have not held a 462 must be selected in a ballot before they can apply for a first 462. Registrations for program year 2026-2027 closed on 2026-06-25.