Later-visa ballots are a separate announced change
Home Affairs announces ballots for Working Holiday Maker years two and three as part of a progressive rollout. The summary does not provide registration dates or detailed application rules. Do not copy the China, India and Vietnam first-462 ballot timetable into a second- or third-visa plan.
The current second-417 and second-462 instructions still describe their separate specified-work requirements and application criteria. The second-417 page retains the UK-passport specified-work exception. Read the exact live later-visa page before committing to work or an application; this policy note does not establish a future selection chance or reserve a place.
The current second-462 page says processing for most WHM applications is being normalised and the expected average is around three months. That is not a decision deadline for your application. Use the exact visa in the processing tool and wait for the written grant before making flight, work or study commitments.
Official progressive policy rollout · Current second-417 criteria and UK exception · Current second-462 criteria and processing notice · Use a processing estimate carefully →
Find your country’s education and support row
Choose from all current first-462 passport countries, check the ballot and cap steps, and save a private checklist.
Passport eligibility is different from residence
Home Affairs publishes separate passport-country lists for the first Working Holiday visa (417) and first Work and Holiday visa (462). For example, the current 417 list includes the United Kingdom and Germany, while the 462 list includes India, Papua New Guinea and the United States. Living in one of those countries with a different passport does not make that passport eligible. A second citizenship or special passport type needs its own check on the live visa page.
Do not choose a subclass solely from another traveller's experience. Open the first visa's eligibility tab, confirm your exact passport and check whether you have previously entered Australia on either Working Holiday Maker subclass; that history changes which application, if any, is available.
First 417: passport and prior-visa rules · First 462: passport and prior-visa rules · Two passports? →
Follow the steps for your travel passport
Our guides explain differences that the broad 417 and 462 comparison cannot, including a passport-type exclusion, a local document, a cap or a biometrics step. These are the passport guides with Working Holiday Maker coverage, not the complete Home Affairs eligibility lists.
First Working Holiday 417: United Kingdom · Canada · Germany · France · Ireland · South Korea · Japan · Taiwan · Hong Kong SAR and BN(O) distinctions.
First Work and Holiday 462: China · India · Vietnam · Indonesia · Malaysia · Singapore · Türkiye · Spain · United States · Papua New Guinea · Thailand.
If your passport is not listed here, choose it in the passport and residence planner and check Home Affairs' full first-visa list before proceeding.
417 age limits vary; first 462 is 18–30
For first 417, Home Affairs lists an 18–30 limit for some passports and 18–35 for others. The first 462 page states 18–30 inclusive. From 1 July 2026, the 417 age limit increased to 18–35 inclusive for Republic of Cyprus, Finland, Germany and Republic of Korea passport holders; check the live list for your passport. The age is tested when you apply, using the Australian Eastern time deadline described on the official page, so check it before making a last-day application. A later birthday while an application is being decided is a different issue.
The first 462 page also sets passport-specific education requirements and functional-English evidence, and some passport countries need a government-support letter. These are separate from choosing a 462-eligible passport. Read the table for your passport and gather only the documents required for your case. Compare first-462 English evidence routes and test dates → Both routes also require money for the stay and departure, health and character requirements; check the live instructions rather than copying an old document list.
417 age and evidence · 462 age, education, English and support · July 2026 417 age update · Germany 417 guide → · South Korea 417 guide →
Check the current age range for your passport
The first-417 page lists these 19 eligible countries or jurisdictions and age ranges as reviewed on 27 September 2026. You must be a citizen with the listed valid passport, not merely resident in that country. Home Affairs uses the Australian Eastern time deadline before the 31st or 36th birthday. The table does not check earlier 417/462 entry, funds, dependent children or your other requirements.
| Passport country or type | Age at application | Passport distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 18–30 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Canada | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Cyprus | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Denmark | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Estonia | 18–30 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Finland | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| France | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Germany | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Hong Kong SAR passport | 18–30 inclusive | This is the Hong Kong SAR passport row; BN(O) is included in the UK row. |
| Ireland | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Italy | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Japan | 18–30 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Malta | 18–30 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Netherlands | 18–30 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Norway | 18–30 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| South Korea | 18–35 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Sweden | 18–30 inclusive | Confirm citizenship and the exact eligible passport. |
| Taiwan passport | 18–30 inclusive | Official and diplomatic Taiwan passports are excluded. |
| United Kingdom passport | 18–35 inclusive | Home Affairs includes British National (Overseas) passport holders. |
Verify the live first-417 passport and age list · Choose passport and residence →
Selection lets you apply; it is not a visa grant
For a first 462, China, India and Vietnam passport holders currently need a pre-application ballot and a random selection before they can lodge. The 2026–27 registration period for those three countries closed on 25 June 2026; Home Affairs says selections can continue through 30 April 2027. Check its live ballot page for your own registration, selection notice and the deadline to apply if selected. Paying a ballot registration fee or receiving a selection does not establish visa eligibility or guarantee a grant.
Indonesian passport: Home Affairs' current country-cap table says first 462 applications will also be managed by a ballot. It expects registration to open later in 2026 and has not confirmed an opening date. Do not use the China, India or Vietnam registration dates for an Indonesian application; watch the live cap table and its latest-news page for the Indonesian announcement.
Already hold an Indonesian SDUWHV support letter? Home Affairs says an eligible person with a letter from a previous program year can register for the planned ballot. The letter does not reserve a visa place, give priority or remove the ballot requirement. Check the official Indonesia announcement for final arrangements. This clarification was checked 23 October 2026; no registration opening date is confirmed there.
Many other first-462 passport countries have annual grant caps. A cap can move from open to paused or closed during a program year; the US is an exception to the annual first-462 country cap on the visa page. Read the current cap table on the day you plan to lodge. Subclass 417 has its own eligible-passport and visa rules, so do not treat a 462 ballot or cap notice as a rule for 417.
Current China, India and Vietnam ballot · Live 462 country-cap status and Indonesia notice · First-462 instructions
A holiday with work has limits
Both Working Holiday Maker subclasses generally allow a 12-month first stay with short-term work. Condition 8547 generally limits work with the same employer to six months, subject to current exemptions or written permission. Condition 8548 limits study or training to four months on each visa. The official work-conditions page explains the exceptions and how the conditions apply; your written grant and VEVO show your own conditions.
If your main goal is a long course or an ongoing full-time job, compare the Student or suitable work visa instead of assuming a Working Holiday Maker visa fits. For a second or third Working Holiday Maker visa, specified-work rules can matter and differ from the first-visa application. UK passport holders using that passport for a 417 application lodged on or after 1 July 2024 have a specified-work exception; the other criteria still apply. Check the exact later visa page before counting days or booking work.
Official 8547 and 8548 explanation · Six-month work-limit exceptions · Student 500 guide → · Other work routes → · UK passport 417 arrangements →
Check the Student 500 location rule before enrolling
A Working Holiday Maker visa generally allows up to four months of study or training on each visa. If a longer course is your main purpose, check Student 500 instead. Under Home Affairs rules effective 2 October 2026, holders of Working Holiday 417 and Work and Holiday 462 cannot lodge a Student 500 application while in Australia. Affected holders must be outside Australia when applying and when the Student visa is granted. A course offer or CoE does not change that location rule.
Before paying a course deposit or making travel plans, read your current grant and VEVO conditions, check the Student 500 eligibility and evidence for your course, and plan the application and decision locations with the provider. Do not assume that applying offshore extends your current stay or gives a bridging visa. If your circumstances are complex, seek advice from a registered migration agent or qualified legal practitioner.
Home Affairs: Student application location · Student 500 affected-visa list · Read our onshore rule explainer → · Save the private location checklist ↓
Check location, charges and the written decision
The first-visa pages set where you must be when you apply and when Home Affairs decides. A first 462 applicant selected in a ballot must apply from outside Australia; being in Australia for ballot registration does not change that location rule. If your location changes after lodging, read the chosen visa's instructions before travel. Check the current charge in the official pricing estimator, as concessions and fees can change.
Use ImmiAccount or the application channel stated on your subclass page, attach the evidence for your passport and respond to any request. Do not book non-refundable flights or take up employment until the visa is granted. After a grant, read its entry period, stay and conditions for yourself.
First-417 application steps · First-462 application steps · Current visa pricing estimator
Your first arrival starts the 12-month stay
Home Affairs says the stay period for a first 417 or 462 starts when you first enter Australia after the grant, even if you enter only for a short trip, to transit, or while also holding an ETA. Time spent outside Australia after that first entry does not pause the 12 months. Plan your first arrival around the holiday you want, check the deadline for first entry on your own grant, and travel using the passport linked to it.
You do not need to apply for another visitor visa to enter on a granted Working Holiday Maker visa. Home Affairs says a later grant of another visa, such as eVisitor 651, can cause the Working Holiday Maker visa and its work rights to cease. Its first-417 page separately explains that an ETA grant does not cause the 417 to cease, but an ETA cannot take effect at the same time as the 417. Check your own combination before applying for an additional visa.
Official first-417 travel and other-visa rules · Official first-462 travel and other-visa rules · Grant checks before travel →
Plan the first entry before it starts your stay
Use an editable checklist to compare the passport, first or later visa, application location, grant and first-arrival dates. Keep the completed copy on your own device; no email or upload is required.
Check your selection before applying
Use a private checklist for the registration ID, national ID, selection notice, 28-day deadline and visa evidence. The 2026–27 registration is closed; this worksheet is for an existing registrant or a future announced round.
Put your route in context
Choose the passport you will travel on and where you live, then select Work. Use the starting plan alongside the exact 417 or 462 page; it does not decide eligibility.