The second working holiday visa, explained properly
Last checked: 15 August 2026
A second Working Holiday Maker visa gives you another 12 months in Australia. To get it you must have done at least three months — defined as 88 calendar days, weekends and rest days included — of specified work while on your first visa, been paid properly for it, and still be inside the age limit when you apply.
One big exception: UK passport holders applying on or after 1 July 2024 don't need the specified work at all, for second and third visas alike.
What the 88 days actually means
You need the same number of workdays a full-time worker would do across 88 calendar days. Five days a week for three straight months does it. Part-time counts too, it just takes proportionally longer, and you can split the work across any number of employers and periods. What you can't do is compress it: the work never fits inside fewer than 88 calendar days, and one calendar day never counts twice, however long the shift. The detail is in the counting rules in the specified work guide.
What work counts, and where
The postcode decides. Hospitality and tourism work counts in Northern Australia and remote-listed postcodes — the north coast from Gladstone up, the NT, the northern WA towns, plus remote-listed places like Port Lincoln, Esperance and Rottnest Island. Farm work counts across a much wider regional map, including all of Tasmania. We map every eligible town on the list.
The work must be paid at legal rates. Volunteer work and unpaid trials don't count.
The cost went up, and more than you think
From 1 July 2026 the application charge is AUD 1,000 for almost everyone applying for a second 417 or 462. The regulations set AUD 840 for someone who has never held that visa before, and AUD 1,000 for an applicant who has — and a second-visa applicant has, by definition. Budget $1,000.
How and when to apply
Apply once the 88 days are done — from inside or outside Australia, but wherever you are when you apply is where you must be when it's granted. The full requirements are on the second Working Holiday visa page.
Recent processing has been quick: as of Home Affairs data updated 4 August 2026, half of 417 applications were decided in under a day and 90% within 25 days. Indicative only — don't book flights on it.
The second visa, answered
Do UK citizens need to do the 88 days?
No. UK passport holders lodging on or after 1 July 2024 are granted second and third Working Holiday visas without meeting the specified work requirement — the exemption applies when you apply on a UK-issued passport. (checked 15 August 2026)
How much is the second working holiday visa?
AUD 1,000 from 1 July 2026. The base charge is AUD 840, but a higher AUD 1,000 tier applies to anyone who has previously held the same visa subclass — which is every second-visa applicant. It was AUD 670 before July 2026. (checked 15 August 2026)
When should I apply for the second year visa?
As soon as your 88 days are done and evidenced — payslips are what the department looks at. You can apply from inside or outside Australia; whichever side you're on when you apply is where you need to be at grant. (checked 15 August 2026)
Can I extend my first working holiday visa instead?
No — working holiday visas are never extended. The second visa is the extension: a fresh 12 months with its own application and fee. (checked 15 August 2026)
The rest of the 88-day rules are in the specified work guide. What get88 actually does is on the homepage. And since age at application is a requirement, check the age limit guide too.