Subclass 462 Work and Holiday Visa: Complete 2026 Guide

462 vs 417: What Is the Difference?

The Subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa and the Subclass 417 Working Holiday visa both allow a 12-month working holiday and both can be followed by a second and third visa after specified work. The key difference is which passports are eligible. From 1 July 2026 the 417 is available to passport holders of Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom (Migration (Arrangements for Subclass 417 (Working Holiday) Visa) Instrument 2026). The 462 is available to passport holders of the countries listed in the next section.

The 462 also has requirements the 417 does not: an education requirement set country by country, at least functional English, and, for some countries, a letter of support from your own government. A first 462 cannot be granted to someone who has previously been in Australia on a 417.

Eligible Countries for the 462 Visa

Under the Migration (Arrangements for Subclass 462 (Work and Holiday) Visa) Instrument 2026, in force from 1 July 2026, the countries whose passport holders may apply for a 462 are: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, the United States, Uruguay and Vietnam.

Passport holders of China, India and Vietnam applying for their first 462 must first be selected in a pre-application ballot before they can lodge (LIN 24/058). Most 462 arrangements also carry an annual limit on places, and Home Affairs publishes current availability for each country.

**Country cap status, as at 12 October 2026.** Home Affairs' status-of-country-caps page (last updated 12 October 2026) lists most countries as open for first 462 applications. Brazil and Mongolia were shown as paused, China, India and Vietnam as ballot-managed, and Indonesia as ballot-managed too. A paused cap can reopen later in the same program year, a closed cap cannot, and the page asks you to allow up to 48 hours for changes to show. Check the page on the day you plan to lodge, because statuses change during the year.

**Indonesia.** Home Affairs says first 462 applications from Indonesian passport holders will move to a ballot under an Australia-Indonesia agreement. Registrations are expected to open later in 2026 and no opening date has been published. Holding an Indonesian Government Letter of Support (SDUWHV) from an earlier program year does not reserve a place or give priority.

Core Eligibility Requirements

For a first 462, the Migration Regulations and the 2026 instrument require you to: hold a valid passport from an eligible 462 country; be aged at least 18 and no more than 30 when you apply (the instrument sets 30 as the upper age for every 462 country); be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted; not have previously been in Australia on a 417; hold the educational qualification set for your country (for example, secondary school qualifications for the United States, tertiary qualifications for Thailand, and tertiary qualifications or at least 2 years of undergraduate study for most other countries); have at least functional English; have enough money for your fare out of Australia and for personal support during your working holiday; not be accompanied by dependent children; and meet health and character requirements.

Applicants from Ecuador, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia, Thailand and Turkey must also provide evidence of their own government's support for the visa. Applicants from the other 462 countries are exempt from that requirement.

What You Can Do on the 462 Visa

A 462 granted outside Australia lets you enter Australia within 12 months of the grant and then stay for 12 months from your first entry, travelling in and out as often as you like during that time. While you hold it: you can work, but condition 8547 means you must not work for any one employer for more than 6 months without prior written permission from the Department; and condition 8548 means you must not study or train for more than 4 months in total. Access to Medicare depends on whether Australia has a reciprocal health care agreement with your country.

Extending to a Second or Third 462

You can apply for a second 462 if, while holding your first 462, you carried out at least 3 months of specified Subclass 462 work. For a third 462, you need at least 6 months of specified Subclass 462 work carried out while holding your second 462 (or a bridging visa from your second 462 application), all on or after 1 July 2019. In both cases the work must have been paid in accordance with Australian legislation and awards, and not for an excluded employer. The industries and postcodes that count as specified Subclass 462 work are set by the Department, which publishes the current list. Second and third 462 applications can be made inside Australia (holding a substantive visa, or having held one in the previous 28 days) or outside Australia, and you cannot hold more than three 462 visas in Australia in total.

Keep detailed records of your specified work — payslips, your employer's ABN, dates, and the location of the work — as you declare it in the application and the Department assesses it.

Tax and Superannuation on the 462

462 visa holders working in Australia pay income tax and are entitled to superannuation. The superannuation guarantee rate is 12% of ordinary time earnings (Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992, as in force from 1 July 2026). After you leave Australia and your visa has ceased, you can apply to the ATO for your super as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). Amounts attributable to contributions made while you were a working holiday maker are taxed at 65% when paid as a DASP (Superannuation (Departing Australia Superannuation Payments Tax) Act 2007, section 5(3)). You will need a tax file number to work — apply for one through the ATO after you arrive.

Can I apply for a 462 visa from inside Australia?

Not for your first 462. The Migration Regulations require you to be outside Australia when you apply for, and are granted, your first 462. A second or third 462 can be applied for inside Australia, provided you hold a substantive visa or held one in the 28 days before applying, and it is then granted while you are in Australia.

Can I bring my partner on the 462 visa?

No. The 462 has no secondary applicants, so every applicant must meet the primary criteria in their own right. Your partner would need to apply for their own 462 (if eligible) or another visa. You also cannot be accompanied by dependent children.

Is the 462 a pathway to permanent residence?

Not directly. The 462 is a temporary working holiday visa with no direct pathway to permanent residence. Work experience gained during a 462 may be relevant to later skilled or employer-sponsored visa applications, depending on the criteria of that visa.

What counts as regional work for the second 462?

The regulations call it "specified Subclass 462 work": work in the industries and postcodes the Department specifies, which it publishes as a current list. You need at least 3 months of it on your first 462 for a second visa, and 6 months on your second 462 for a third. The work must have been paid in accordance with Australian legislation and awards and not done for an excluded employer.