Applying for this Visa

This page provides information to help you understand and apply for this visa.

Travel to Australia

You must not make arrangements to travel to Australia until you are advised that your visa has been granted.

Your visa is linked to the passport number you used in your application and you must use the same passport to travel to Australia.

If you do obtain a new passport, you must advise the department of the new passport details before you travel to Australia. Otherwise, you may experience significant delays at the airport and could be denied permission to board your plane. When advising us about the new passport information, please provide the reason why you obtained a new passport and a scanned copy of the new passport's photograph page.

If this is not possible, or you are uncertain about which pages to scan, you will need to provide us with the following information as it is shown in your new passport:

• name
• date of birth
• passport number
• issue date of the new passport
• expiry date of the new passport
• country of issue
• issuing authority/place of issue.

See: Contact Us

How to apply

Applicants from Thailand can apply for a Work and Holiday visa by completing a paper application form.
See: Form 1208 Application for a Work and Holiday Visa (192KB PDF file)

Visa application charge

You must pay a non-refundable visa application charge when you lodge your visa application.
See: Fees and Charges

Application checklist

The application checklist details the information and supporting documents that you must provide with your application. Complete applications are likely to be processed more quickly. Incomplete applications may be delayed or, in some cases, refused.
See: Application Document Checklist (48KB PDF file)

Where to lodge your application

Applicants from Thailand may lodge their visa application by post, courier or in person at the Australian Visa Applications Centre, or the Visa and Immigration Office in Bangkok.
See: Contact Us – Thailand

Applicants must be outside Australia when they apply and when the visa is granted.

Activating your Work and Holiday visa

Your 12 month visa stay period starts when you enter Australia. If you are granted an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), Crew Travel Authority (CTA) or a Maritime Crew Visa (MCV) while you hold a Work and Holiday visa you will hold both visas. When you enter Australia you will automatically enter on your Work and Holiday visa. You will not be able to apply for another Work and Holiday visa.

When you have started the stay period on your Work and Holiday visa, it cannot be delayed or deferred.

If you do not want to start your 12 month stay on your Work and Holiday visa, and you plan to transit through Australia or enter on an ETA, CTA or MCV, you should consider cancelling your Work and Holiday visa. You will then need to apply for an alternative visa before you travel to Australia. Information about visa options when transiting through Australia is available from the department's website.
See: Transiting through Australia

To request cancellation of your Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa contact the Immigration office where your visa was processed.
See: Immigration Offices Outside Australia

You may apply for another Working Holiday visa in the future but you will need to pay another visa application charge.

Note: If you wish to travel to Australia on an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), Crew Travel Authority (CTA) or Maritime Crew Visa (MCV) before activating your Working Holiday visa, you should first cancel your Working Holiday visa. Cancelling your Working Holiday visa after obtaining an ETA, CTA or MCV will also cancel the ETA, CTA or MCV.

Other information to help you prepare your application

More information is available on the department's website about:

• certifying and translating documents
• communicating with the department
• using a migration agent
• authorising another person to receive information from the department
• receiving assistance with your application.

See: Information to Help Prepare Your Application

After you lodge your application

After the department has reviewed your visa application, you will be contacted about the status of your application. You should not travel to Australia without receiving advice that your visa has been granted.
See: After you lodge your application