Work and Travel Australia
Do you want to stay longer in Australia and earn extra money at the same time? Then Work and Travel Australia could be just the thing for you. We explain how to get a Working Holiday Visa for Australia and what the requirements are.
Work and Travel Australia: visa
Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417):
First Working Holiday Visa
You can apply for this visa if you want to travel to Australia for the first time for a Work and Travel stay. You can remain in Australia for up to one year with this visa and even leave and re-enter as many times as you want. However, you are only allowed to engage in short-term work. Specifically, this means that you are only allowed to work for an employer for a maximum of six months. After six months at the latest, you will have to look for a new job.
Note: This Working Holiday Visa is only valid for certain countries, including Germany and France. If you are from Austria or Switzerland, then the Work and Holiday Visa is the right one for you.
650.00 AUD (395.40 euros)
approx. 50 days
Working Holiday Visa requirements
You must meet the following requirements for the Working Holiday Visa:
- Age: You must be between 18 and 30 years old.
- Financial security: You must have at least 5,000 AUD (around 3,000 euros) as financial security. In addition, you are required to have enough money for a return ticket.
- Online application: You have to submit your application online.
- Health requirements: You must meet these health requirements.
- Character requirements: You must be able to show an impeccable police clearance certificate.
- International health insurance (optional): During your stay in Australia, you will have to pay for any medical care costs yourself, so you should take out international health insurance. However, this is not mandatory for your visa.
Document checklist
Do you meet the requirements for Work and Travel Australia? Then you will need these documents:
- Passport
- Proof of financial security
- Police clearance certificate
- Translations of documents other than your passport
Applying for a Working Holiday Visa
- Prepare documents: First, prepare all the documents you need for your application.
- Submit your application online: You can now submit your application and all the necessary documents online.
- Processing: You will receive confirmation of receipt once your application has been received. Now you will have to exercise a little patience while your application is being processed.
- Decision: Once your application has been processed, you will receive written notification of the decision. Have you been granted the Working Holiday Visa? In that case, it will contain the following information: visa number, start date, conditions. The Australian government recommends that you carry a copy of this letter with you during your stay.
You are now allowed to enter Australia within the next 12 months of your visa being issued. You will not need an additional eVisa.
For your Australian Working Holiday Visa, you will need to have all documents translated into English. However, the documents do not necessarily have to be certified.
Please note that translations for Australia must include the following information in English about the translators:
- First and last name
- Address and telephone number
- Qualification and experience in the translated language
Be sure to pass this information on to the translation agency handling your translation to ensure a smooth process.
Reapply for a working holiday
While it is not possible to extend your Working Holiday Visa, you are free to apply again and stay in Australia for a second and third time for up to 12 months.
In addition, the following requirements apply:
- You must be outside Australia when you reapply.
- Second Working Holiday Visa: You must have worked for at least three months in a specific field of work specified by the Australian government during your first stay.
- Third Working Holiday Visa: You must have worked in one of these areas of work for at least six months.
These areas of work are:
- Tourism and hospitality in Northern or Remote and Very Remote Australia
- Plant and animal cultivation in regional Australia
- Fishing and pearling in regional Australia
- Tree farming and felling in regional Australia
- Mining in regional Australia
- Construction in regional Australia
- Bushfire recovery work in declared bushfire-affected areas carried out after 31 July 2019
- Recovery work in flood, cyclone, or other severe weather-affected areas carried out after 31 December 2021
- critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors anywhere in Australia after 31 January 2020
More information on Australia
FAQs: Work and Travel Australia
You have to apply for your Work and Travel visa online from the Australian government.
You can apply for an Australia Working Holiday Visa up to three times. However, for a second visa, you have to have worked for at least three months in a field of work specified by the Australian government. Find out more on the Australian Government website.
German citizens can apply for the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417). If you are from Austria or Switzerland, you can apply for the Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462).
Once you have all the documents, all you have to do is submit your application online. The processing then takes about 50 days.
You will receive a response within about 50 days as to whether you have been granted the visa. After that, you can enter Australia within the 12 months following issue of the visa and stay for up to 12 months.
You can apply for the Working Holiday Visa up to three times under certain conditions.
A Work and Travel visa for Australia costs 650.00 AUD (395.40 euros). You will also need to cover the costs for translations of, for example, the police clearance certificate.
It is not possible to extend the Australian Working Holiday Visa. However, under certain conditions, you can apply for the visa a second and third time.
The Working Holiday Visa costs 650.00 AUD (395.40 Euros), plus costs for documents and their translations. You will also need international health insurance and flight tickets. In addition, you will need 5,000 AUD (around 3,000 euros) as financial collateral.
Author
Katharina Weckend, Content & SEO Manager
Katharina joined lingoking as a Content and SEO Manager in 2024. She handles our content and SEO strategy and writes texts for our website, guide and other lingoking media. “I am happy I get to pass on knowledge in our lingoking guide and help break down language barriers.”
Translation
Dr. Tracey Kimmeskamp
A native of Northern Ireland, Tracey has lived in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet for over 20 years. She has been working with lingoking as a translator since 2016, all the while diligently training for her dream career in mochi quality control.
