Applying for a Working Holiday Visa

If you're aged between 18 and 30, and from a country with a reciprocal working holiday arrangement with Australia, you can live and work in Australia for up to 12 months.

Visa Criteria

  1. You must hold a passport from one of the following countries:
    Belgium Flag Belgium
    Canada Flag Canada
    Cyprus Flag Cyprus
    Denmark Flag Denmark
    Estonia Flag Estonia
    Finland Flag Finland
    France Flag France
    Germany Flag Germany
    Hong Kong Flag Hong Kong
    Ireland Flag Ireland
    Italy Flag Italy
    Japan Flag Japan
    South Korea Flag South Korea
    Malta Flag Malta
    Netherlands Flag Netherlands
    Norway Flag Norway
    Sweden Flag Sweden
    Taiwan Flag Taiwan
    United Kingdom Flag United Kingdom

    Note that US citizens and other passport holders can obtain a 4-month special program visa. If you are interested in a special program visa, we recommend that you contact CCUSA for more information on their WADU program.

    From the WADU website: The Work Adventures Down Under (WADU) program allows you to do pretty much any job you like in Australia or New Zealand, the only visa restriction is that you can only do any one job for a maximum of 6 months at a time, so you have to move around jobs. (Note participants from the USA have slightly different time restrictions.) The Work Adventures Down Under program will help to arrange your visas, insurance and flights. You will be met upon arrival and taken for your first three nights accommodation and orientation session with our other arriving WADU participants from various countries around the World. We offer you a support system whilst you're in Australia via our partner agency who have local offices in Sydney and Auckland - with internet access, housing notice boards, job search assistance, mail forwarding, and a free call help number, which is all included in your program. Please see our website the CCUSA website and select your home country to see if you can qualify for this program and to view more detailed information.

  2. Aged between 18 and 30 inclusive.

  3. Single or married without children

  4. You will need to show that:
    • Your main reason for coming to Australia is for a holiday, and any work you do is to suppport yourself whilst on holiday
    • You have a good chance of finding temporary work to supplement your holiday funds
    • You have a return ticket or sufficient funds for a return fare and the first part of your stay; and
    • You intend to leave Australia at the end of your authorised stay

How do I apply?

You must apply for a working holiday visa from outside Australia. In particular, you can't come to Australia on a visitor/tourist visa and then apply for a working holiday visa. If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you must apply from within your own country:
Cyprus Flag Cyprus
Hong Kong Flag Hong Kong
Japan Flag Japan
South Korea Flag South Korea
Malta Flag Malta
Taiwan Flag Taiwan
Most applications for working holiday visas are now lodged electronically via the DIAC website.

Visa Conditions

  • The visa allows you to stay in Australia for 12 months, starting from the date of initial entry to Australia.
  • You may leave and reenter Australia any number of times during this 12 month period
  • You can study or train in Australia for up to 3 months
  • You are permitted to work in Australia, but you cannot work for longer than 3 months with any one employer
More information on visa conditions is on our working holiday conditions page.

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