462 Visa Australia: Work and Holiday Requirements, Work Rights & Cost
VEMVisa | Australian Working Holiday Maker Program
A current guide to the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), including eligibility, work rights, specified work, second and third visa rules, costs and processing-time checks.
Checked 1 July 2026: Home Affairs currently lists the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) charge at AUD 840. The first-visa rules, country caps, ballot arrangements and supporting-evidence requirements are passport-country specific. Recheck them in the official visa pages before lodging.
The 462 visa, formally the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), lets eligible young adults take an extended holiday in Australia while undertaking short-term work and study. It is a temporary cultural-exchange visa, not employer sponsorship and not a direct permanent-residency visa.
This guide answers the main questions behind searches for 462 visa, working holiday visa, 462 visa Australia, work and holiday visa Australia, 462 visa requirements, 462 visa work rights, 462 visa cost, second 462 visa, third 462 visa, specified work 462 and 462 visa processing time. It provides general information, not advice for a particular passport country or application.
The 462 visa is designed for an extended holiday supported by short-term work, not a permanent job arrangement.
What is a 462 visa in Australia?
The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) permits eligible passport holders to stay in Australia for 12 months, work while holidaying, study for up to four months and travel in and out of Australia while the visa remains valid. Some people may later qualify for a second and then a third 462 visa, each with a separate 12-month stay.
Subclass 462 is one of two Working Holiday Maker visas. The other is the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417). The correct one depends on the passport used to apply, not on personal preference. The 462 route usually has additional country-specific requirements such as English language evidence, educational qualifications, a letter of government support or a country cap.
Important distinction: the 462 visa lets you work to help fund your holiday, but it does not itself create a direct route to permanent residency. A later application for a skilled or employer-sponsored visa must independently meet that visa’s requirements.
462 visa requirements for a first Work and Holiday visa
The following are the core requirements. Exact evidence varies by passport country, so use the Department’s country-specific checklist rather than assuming another traveller’s document list will be accepted.
Age and passport
Be 18 to 30 years old inclusive and hold a passport from an eligible Work and Holiday partner country or jurisdiction.
Country-specific evidence
Meet the English, education and government-support requirements that apply to the passport country used for the application.
Funds and family situation
Have enough money for your initial stay and onward travel, and do not bring dependent children with you on this visa.
Health and character
Meet the health and character requirements and provide health examinations or police certificates if the Department requests them.
For a first 462 visa, applicants generally need to be outside Australia when they apply and when the visa is decided. Location details in the application must be correct. Home Affairs warns that it may not grant the visa if the applicant’s location has been recorded incorrectly.
Country caps and ballot: some countries have an annual first-visa cap, and China, India and Vietnam use a pre-application ballot for a first 462 visa. For the 2026–27 program year, ballot registrations for those three countries closed on 25 June 2026. Check the official Work and Holiday Maker news and country-cap page before planning flights, funds or a lodgement date.
Country-specific evidence can include English, education and government-support requirements.
462 visa work rights and the 6-month employer limit
A 462 visa holder can work in any occupation or industry while in Australia. However, visa condition 8547 generally limits work with any one employer to a maximum of six months. The rule applies to full-time, part-time, casual, shift and voluntary work.
The six-month rule is not always a straight ban. Home Affairs lists exemptions, including work in different locations for the same employer where no one location exceeds six months, plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia, natural-disaster recovery anywhere, and certain critical sectors such as agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care, childcare, tourism and hospitality. Additional Northern Australia exemptions apply in named industries.
Before staying with one employer past six months
Check whether the job and location fall within a current exemption.
Do not assume that changing employment agencies, contracting arrangements or a business affiliate resets the rule.
If no exemption applies, request written permission before continuing where you have valid grounds, such as a pending ongoing-work visa application or work critical to the employer.
Check the actual grant letter and VEVO record for your visa conditions.
Every worker in Australia has basic workplace rights regardless of citizenship or visa status. Keep payslips, roster records, tax information and evidence of any specified work. A contract cannot remove minimum workplace protections.
Second and third 462 visa: how the extension pathway works
A 462 visa cannot be “extended” as the same visa. An eligible person applies for a second or third Work and Holiday visa, each granting a new 12-month period.
Visa stage
Usual specified-work rule
Critical check
Second 462 visa
At least 3 months of eligible specified subclass 462 work while holding the first visa.
Confirm the industry, postcode, dates and evidence against the official specified-work guide before relying on the work.
Third 462 visa
At least 6 months of eligible specified subclass 462 work while holding the second visa, subject to the current rules.
Do not count first-year work toward the third-visa requirement or assume all work on another visa counts.
Home Affairs defines “three months” and “six months” for this purpose and gives detailed rules on how to count specified work. A job that appears seasonal or regional is not automatically qualifying work. Evidence must show the activity, location, dates, employer and payment arrangement.
Keep specified-work evidence as you go rather than attempting to rebuild it shortly before the next application.
Specified work for 462 visa extensions
For subclass 462, specified work is defined by the type of work, the location or postcode, and sometimes the period in which the work was performed. The Department’s list is more precise than the broad label “farm work”.
Industries commonly covered
Depending on the precise rules, this can include plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, tourism and hospitality, construction and eligible natural-disaster recovery.
Location matters
A listed job may only count in Northern Australia, regional Australia, remote or very remote Australia, or a declared disaster-recovery area. Check the exact postcode.
Evidence matters
Keep payslips, bank transfers, tax records, employment documents, rosters, location evidence and, where relevant, an employer statement that accurately describes the work.
Industry labels alone are not enough: verify the location, dates and exact role against Home Affairs guidance.
How to apply for a 462 visa Australia
1. Confirm your correct WHM subclass
Check whether your passport is eligible for subclass 462 or subclass 417. Do not select a visa based on a job advert, friends’ experience or a social-media checklist.
2. Check the country setting before preparing documents
Review age, country cap, ballot status, English evidence, education evidence, letter of support and location requirement for the passport used to apply.
3. Gather evidence
Prepare your passport, financial evidence, country-specific English/education documents, health or character documents if required, plus translations where needed.
4. Lodge through ImmiAccount
Use accurate information, including your physical location. For ballot countries, wait for a valid ballot selection before lodging a first visa application.
5. Save records after grant
Keep the grant letter and use VEVO to check conditions. If you hope to apply for a second or third visa, begin collecting specified-work evidence from day one.
462 visa cost in 2026
As of 1 July 2026, Home Affairs lists the 462 visa application charge at AUD 840. That is the visa charge, not the complete travel budget.
Budget item
Current guide
What to check
Visa application charge
AUD 840
Confirm again through the official estimator immediately before lodge because charges can change.
Ballot registration
AUD 25 for the first-visa ballot where it applies.
China, India and Vietnam currently use the pre-application ballot. Registration does not guarantee selection or visa grant.
Evidence of funds
Not a fee.
Have sufficient funds for the initial stay and onward travel. AUD 5,000 is commonly used as a benchmark in current guidance, but check your country checklist.
Other possible costs
Variable.
Health examinations, police certificates, biometrics, English evidence, translations, payment surcharges, flights and health insurance where needed.
Use the Visa Pricing Estimator before paying. The estimator is an estimate, so the final application amount can still depend on the application details and the date the Department receives it.
462 visa processing time
There is no dependable fixed number of days for every 462 application. Home Affairs publishes combined Working Holiday Maker processing information for 417 and 462, and states that timings differ between the subclasses. The Department also warned on 2 July 2026 that it was receiving high numbers of WHM applications and some cases may take longer than usual.
For the current indicator: check the Home Affairs visa processing-time guide, then allow additional time for a country cap, ballot process, English/education verification, health checks or a request for more information. Book travel only when the relevant visa status permits it.
Can a 462 visa lead to permanent residency?
No, the 462 visa does not have a direct pathway to permanent residency. Time spent in Australia on a working holiday does not itself produce PR eligibility. A later transition requires a separate visa application and separate eligibility, such as a genuine employer-sponsored role under the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), a regional employer pathway under the subclass 494 visa, or an eligible skilled visa Australia pathway.
Experience obtained while holding a 462 may or may not help a future skills assessment, nominated occupation, employer sponsorship or points claim. It needs to be assessed against the rules of the future visa, rather than assumed to count because it was Australian work.
Plan a compliant Working Holiday visa application
Before lodging, check the passport-country setting, cap or ballot position, document checklist, intended travel date and any specified-work plan. Getting the first settings right is cheaper than repairing a mismatch after a refusal.
What is the difference between a 462 visa and a 417 visa?
Both are Working Holiday Maker visas, but they apply to different passport-country arrangements. The 462 visa generally has additional English, education and country-specific requirements. Use the official visa finder and country page to identify the correct route.
Can I work full time on a 462 visa?
The visa permits work while holidaying, including full-time work, but condition 8547 generally limits you to six months with one employer unless an exemption applies or written permission is granted.
How do I get a second 462 visa?
You normally need at least three months of eligible specified subclass 462 work completed while holding the first visa, as well as meeting the other current second-visa requirements.
How much is the 462 visa fee?
As checked on 1 July 2026, the visa application charge is AUD 840. The official estimator should be checked before lodging because visa charges can change.
Can I bring my children on a 462 visa?
No. A 462 visa applicant must not be accompanied by dependent children. A partner may need to make a separate application or hold another suitable visa, depending on the circumstances.
Is the 462 visa a pathway to PR?
Not directly. It can be a period of travel and work in Australia, but any permanent-residency route must be assessed and applied for separately.
Mr. Phong Cao is a licensed migration agent by MARA (MARN: 1577877). He is also a member of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA: 12648), one of the most reputable organizations in the field of immigration in Australia. In addition, Mr. Phong Cao holds a QEAC certification in study abroad consulting (QEAC: K580) and Australian real estate investment (RA85931). With over 12 years of experience in Australian immigration, he provides comprehensive solutions for studying and settling in Australia.
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2 thoughts on “462 Visa Australia: Work and Holiday Requirements, Work Rights & Cost”
Valerie Soemadi says:
My daughter is a US citizen currently in Australia on a Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462), see attached. She arrived in Australia on October 3, 2022 so he visa will expire on October 3, 2023.
She would like to remain in Australia until December 2023 in order to travel around Australia. How can she change her visa status from Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) to a tourist visa? I assume the tourist visa would be Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601 or 600)
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My daughter is a US citizen currently in Australia on a Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462), see attached. She arrived in Australia on October 3, 2022 so he visa will expire on October 3, 2023.
She would like to remain in Australia until December 2023 in order to travel around Australia. How can she change her visa status from Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) to a tourist visa? I assume the tourist visa would be Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601 or 600)
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