Subclass 462 — Work and Holiday visa

Eligibility snapshot

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. Check the official Home Affairs page for current requirements, and a registered practitioner can advise on your circumstances. The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) is, in broad terms, a temporary visa that lets eligible young travellers from participating partner countries spend an extended holiday in Australia while doing some short-term work and study to help fund the trip. It sits alongside the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) but applies to a different group of partner countries and typically carries some extra conditions of its own. In general terms, the visa is aimed at applicants who: - hold a passport from a country that participates in the subclass 462 arrangement (the participating countries differ from those for the 417, and the list can change over time); - fall within the program's young-adult age range; - are applying as an individual traveller rather than bringing dependent children to live in Australia; - can show a level of English that meets the program's standard; - can show the level of education or study the program asks for, which is one way this visa differs from the 417; - can demonstrate they have access to enough money to help support themselves, at least early in the stay; - meet Australia's standard character and health expectations. A distinctive feature of the subclass 462 is that, for many participating countries, applicants typically need a letter of support issued by their own government before they can apply. In addition, some countries have a country-specific pre-application step (sometimes run as a random selection or ballot) that must be completed before a visa application can be lodged. Both the letter-of-support requirement and any pre-application step are country-specific, so what applies depends on the passport held. The exact age range, English standard, education level, financial expectations, the participating-country list, and whether a government letter of support or a pre-application step applies are all set by the Department of Home Affairs and can change. This page does not state those thresholds. Confirm the current rules for the relevant passport on the official subclass 462 page, and a registered practitioner can advise on individual eligibility.

Common questions

Health examinations and character requirements

Most people applying for an Australian visa must meet a health requirement before a visa can be granted. In general terms, this means being free from any disease or condition that would be a significant healthcare and community service cost to the Australian community, or that would limit the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to health and community services that are in short supply. Applicants may be asked to undergo health examinations, the results of which are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth. When giving advice, that officer can consider only the person's medical situation and not other circumstances, such as whether they hold private health insurance or have enough money to pay for treatment. Applicants must also meet the character requirements, which are set out in section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. When applying, a person is generally asked to declare all criminal conduct they have been charged with or convicted of in any country, to answer all questions truthfully, and to provide all requested information. The Department may refuse a person entry to Australia, or cancel a visa, where the character requirements are not met. After an application is made, the Department may ask for supporting character documents. Depending on the case, these can include a police certificate, Form 80 (Personal particulars for character assessment), Form 1563 (Statement of Character), a military certificate or Form 1399 (Declaration of Service), or a letter of good conduct from an employer. This is general information only and not a substitute for advice from a registered migration practitioner. Current requirements should be confirmed on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Health insurance and Medicare

In most cases, visitors to Australia do not have access to Medicare and are financially responsible for any health care costs they incur, whether treated in a public or private hospital. Because of this, the Department strongly recommends that people making their own arrangements take out private health insurance for their time in Australia, regardless of whether insurance is a formal condition of the particular visa. A common option is Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC), though the Department notes that products vary and that not all offer comprehensive cover. As a guide, the Department publishes minimum benefit levels covering areas such as public hospital admitted treatment, surgically implanted prostheses and pharmacy items, and suggests considering whether a higher level of cover is appropriate. People from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia may be eligible for some medically necessary care under Medicare while in Australia; those from countries without such an agreement generally pay the full cost of care. Some visas also require evidence of adequate health insurance before a decision is made (for example, visas subject to condition 8501), so applicants are generally advised to check the specific requirements of the visa they are applying for. General information about private health insurance and a list of Australian registered insurers is available through the Australian Government's Private Health website. This is general information only, not advice.

Visa Application Charge and other costs

The base Visa Application Charge set by the Department for a first Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) is AUD840.00. This government charge is separate from, and additional to, any service or platform fee charged by a third party such as this website; the two should never be treated as one amount. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. The Department's Visa Pricing Estimator can be used to work out an indicative charge, and the Department notes the estimator does not take into account other costs. Beyond the Visa Application Charge, applicants generally meet other costs themselves, such as any health examinations, police certificates and health insurance they arrange. Amounts can change, so current figures should be confirmed on the Department of Home Affairs website. This is general information only.

Visa validity and key timeframes

A first Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) is usually granted for a stay of up to 12 months in Australia. During that period holders can generally do short-term work to help pay for the holiday, study for up to 4 months, and leave and re-enter Australia as many times as they like within those 12 months. Holders who complete 3 months of specified subclass 462 work may become eligible to apply for a second Work and Holiday visa. The Department does not publish a fixed processing time for this visa; instead it directs applicants to its visa processing time guide, which shows times for recently decided applications as a guide only. The Department notes that an application may take longer than the times shown because of the number of Working Holiday visa applications it receives, and advises applicants not to arrange travel to Australia until they are told in writing that the visa has been granted. This is general information only and current details should be confirmed with the Department of Home Affairs.

Visa conditions that generally attach to this visa

The Department of Home Affairs lists a set of conditions that may be attached to a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa. Holders can check the exact conditions on their own grant letter or through VEVO, because the conditions imposed can vary between grants. The conditions the Department identifies as potentially applying to this visa are 8303, 8501, 8503, 8516, 8540, 8547 and 8548. Condition 8547 limits work: a holder generally must not work for the same employer for more than six months. Condition 8548 limits study to a maximum of four months (about 17 weeks) over the stay. These two conditions reflect the visa's purpose as a holiday during which short-term work and short courses help fund the trip rather than long-term employment or study. Condition 8501 means a holder may be required to have and keep adequate health insurance for the whole of their stay. Separately, the Department strongly recommends holders take out health insurance regardless, because this visa does not provide access to Australia's public health scheme for most holders. Condition 8303 requires that a holder must not become involved in activities that are disruptive to, or that threaten harm to, the Australian community or a group within it. Condition 8516 requires that a holder continue to satisfy the circumstances that allowed the visa to be granted. Conditions 8503 (no further stay) and 8540 (no further application) are restrictions on applying for further visas while in Australia. Where imposed, they can limit a holder's ability to lodge certain onshore applications, so anyone affected generally checks their own grant letter to see which conditions apply to them. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Eligibility in detail: streams and key factors

This visa has three sequential stages: a first Work and Holiday visa, and then a second and a third visa for holders who have done a set amount of qualifying work. Each stage allows a stay of up to 12 months. Applicants for the first visa generally apply from outside Australia and must not have previously entered Australia on a subclass 462 or a Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa. Core requirements the decision-maker generally looks at include holding a valid passport from an eligible country, being aged 18 to 30 inclusive at the time of application, meeting an education requirement, having at least Functional English, holding enough money to support the initial stay and to leave (the Department indicates this is usually around AUD5,000 plus an onward fare), and signing the Australian Values Statement. The education requirement varies by country of passport. For many countries applicants are generally asked to hold a tertiary qualification or to have completed a set amount of university study, while for some countries a senior secondary certificate (in some cases combined with completed or exempted military service) is accepted. Some countries also require a letter of support from the applicant's government. Passport holders of China, India and Vietnam must first take part in a pre-application ballot and be randomly selected before they can lodge a first Work and Holiday visa application. Each program year there is a limit ('country cap') on the number of first Work and Holiday visas that can be granted to applicants from certain countries; there are no caps for the second or third visa. A country's cap status can be open, paused or closed during the program year. All applicants are generally assessed against the health requirement and the character requirement, must not owe debts to the Australian Government (or must have arranged to repay them), and have their immigration history considered. The second visa generally requires three months of specified subclass 462 work and the third generally requires six months of such work; applicants for the second or third who are in Australia are generally expected to hold a substantive visa or to have held one that ceased no more than 28 days earlier. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and what the visa allows after grant

This visa is an individual visa. Applicants apply on their own and cannot include family members in the application, and a holder cannot be accompanied by dependent children while in Australia. Family members who wish to come to Australia would generally need their own visas. After grant, a holder can generally do any kind of work to help fund the holiday, subject to the usual limit of working no more than six months with the same employer, and can study for up to four months. The visa is temporary: a holder must first enter Australia within 12 months of the grant date, and the 12-month period of stay then runs from the date of first entry. A holder can generally travel out of and back into Australia as many times as they like while the visa is in effect, but time spent outside Australia does not extend the 12-month stay. The visa is digitally linked to the passport, so no visa label is placed in the passport. This visa does not provide access to Medicare for most holders, which is why the Department strongly recommends health insurance; some countries have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia administered by Services Australia. Working holiday makers are generally required to pay Australian tax on income earned here, and employers generally pay compulsory superannuation, which a holder may be able to access on leaving Australia. This visa cannot be extended to stay longer. It does not itself provide a pathway to permanent residence, although a holder may be able to apply for a second or third Work and Holiday visa, or explore other visa options, if eligible. While in Australia a holder must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Common refusal reasons and review at the Administrative Review Tribunal

Applications of this type are generally refused where a core requirement is not met. Common factual reasons include not holding an eligible passport, being outside the 18 to 30 age range at the time of application, not meeting the education or Functional English requirement, not showing enough money for the stay and departure, or not meeting the health or character requirement. Other refusals relate to the program's rules and to the information provided: the annual country cap having been reached, not having been selected in the pre-application ballot where one applies, having previously entered Australia on a subclass 462 or 417 visa (for a first visa), not having completed the required specified work (for a second or third visa), or providing incorrect or false information. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review at the Administrative Review Tribunal may be available, but whether it is available depends on the type of decision and the applicant's circumstances, including whether the applicant was inside or outside Australia. The decision record or refusal letter states whether review rights exist and the deadline for applying. Time limits for applying for review are strict and are set by law, and a fee generally applies. The Tribunal's standard fee for reviews of migration decisions made under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958 is published on its website, with a 50 per cent reduction available in cases of financial hardship; part of the fee may be refunded in certain outcomes. Applicants generally confirm the current fee, time limit and their review rights directly with the Tribunal. This is strictly factual information, is not a prediction about any application, and is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs breakdown: government charge and other expenses

The government Visa Application Charge (VAC) for a first Work and Holiday visa is AUD840. For a second Work and Holiday visa the charge is AUD1,000, and for a third Work and Holiday visa it is also AUD1,000. From 1 July 2026 a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Because applicants apply on their own and cannot include family members, this visa does not attract additional applicant charges for adults or children, and there is no subsequent-entrant charge. There is also no second-instalment VAC for this visa. The cost payable depends on the date the Department receives the application, so if the charge rises between lodgement and receipt the newer amount is payable. A surcharge may apply when the charge is paid by credit card or PayPal. The Department generally does not refund the VAC if an application is refused, is unsuccessful or is withdrawn; refunds are limited to specific circumstances. Beyond the government charge, applicants may need to pay for other things that are not part of the VAC, such as health examinations, police certificates and biometrics collection. Health insurance is strongly recommended and is a further out-of-pocket cost. Any service, agent or platform fee is separate from, and additional to, the government Visa Application Charge described here, and is never part of the amount paid to the Australian Government. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.