Australian Working Holiday Visa for German Citizens: 2026 Guide

Germans who want to work and travel in Australia use the Working Holiday visa, subclass 417. Home Affairs lists Germany on the 417 passport list, for applicants aged 18 to 35. This guide is built around four practical questions: 417 or 462, onshore or offshore, does volunteering count, and how long you can stay with one employer.

Independent information only. We are not part of, or affiliated with, the Department of Home Affairs. Rules can change, so confirm them on the official pages before you lodge.

417 or 462? The short answer for a German passport

Australia has two working holiday programmes. Germany belongs to the first one, the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417). The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) is for a different group of countries, and Germany is not in it.

This matters because the 462 has extras that do not touch you. Home Affairs sets a yearly limit, or "cap", on first 462 visas for applicants from certain countries. The 417 pages set out no such cap, and the first-417 eligibility list has no English test, education requirement or letter of support. Our 417 vs 462 explainer sets the two side by side.

Onshore or offshore: where you must be

"Onshore" means in Australia. "Offshore" means anywhere else. The rule depends on which visa you are applying for.

First 417: offshore only. Germans must be outside Australia when they lodge and when Home Affairs makes the decision. You also have to declare your current location correctly on the form. If you come to Australia on another visa, such as a Visitor visa, while you wait, Home Affairs cannot grant the 417 until you leave.

Second and third 417: either. You choose your location when you apply, and it must stay the same at grant time. Apply from Australia and you must be in Australia for the grant. Apply from Germany and you must be outside Australia for the grant. If you are in Australia when you apply, you need a substantive visa, or your last one must have expired less than 28 days ago. Only an onshore applicant can get a bridging visa linked to the application.

The processing guide adds a note worth knowing. Home Affairs says it is "prioritising onshore Working Holiday visa applications", so offshore applications "may take approximately three (3) months to be finalised in some cases". Recent 417 decisions took 2 days for 50% and 58 days for 90%. Do not book your flight before the grant.

Working on the 417: the six-month rule and its exemptions

You can do any kind of work on a 417. The usual limit is 6 months with the same employer, under condition 8547. Since 1 January 2024, Home Affairs says you can stay longer with one employer, without asking permission, if you work in:

• different locations for that employer, as long as no single location goes past 6 months;
• plant and animal cultivation, anywhere in Australia;
• natural disaster recovery, anywhere in Australia;
• a critical sector anywhere in Australia: agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care, childcare, or tourism and hospitality;
• fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, construction or mining, but in Northern Australia only.

Home Affairs says these exemptions apply "until the Government makes further decisions". Our condition 8547 guide explains how permission requests work for other jobs.

You must pay tax on what you earn (working holiday tax guide). If you earn over a certain amount, your employer must pay superannuation, and you can claim it when you leave Australia (how to claim super).

Does volunteer work count toward a second year?

Only in two cases. Specified work must normally be paid in line with Australian legislation and awards. Home Affairs makes an exception for recovery work:

• Bushfire recovery in declared bushfire-affected areas, done after 31 July 2019.
• Natural disaster recovery after floods, cyclones or other severe weather, done after 31 December 2021 in declared areas.

That work can be paid or voluntary. For volunteer recovery work, any day you worked counts as one day. If your claim rests on natural disaster recovery work, Home Affairs says to choose "flood recovery - paid" or "flood recovery - volunteer" under "Employment type" in the ImmiAccount form. Ordinary unpaid volunteering, such as on a farm, does not meet the paid-work rule.

You need 3 months of specified work (at least 88 calendar days) on your first visa for a second 417. A third needs 6 months (at least 179 calendar days) on your second visa. The second and third 417 pages keep Germany at 18 to 35, so each of those applications must also go in before you turn 36. Details: second-year guide and third-year guide.

Health checks and insurance

Germany is on Home Affairs' list of countries with a low risk of tuberculosis. For temporary visa applicants from a low-risk country, the general rule is no health examinations unless special circumstances apply. Two special cases are relevant to working holidaymakers:

• If you are likely to work at an Australian childcare centre, including preschools and creches, you generally need a medical examination and chest x-ray, plus a serum creatinine/eGFR test if you are 15 or older.
• If you plan to work as a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic, the list grows to include HIV and hepatitis B and C tests.

Germany is not on Services Australia's list of countries with a reciprocal health care agreement for visitors, so Medicare is not a fallback. Home Affairs strongly recommends health insurance and says you pay all your own healthcare costs. See our working holiday insurance guide.

Short trips before or after your working year

A German passport qualifies for both the free eVisitor (subclass 651) and the ETA (subclass 601), which has an AUD20 service charge in the app. Neither lets you do paid work for an Australian employer. One timing trap: an eVisitor granted after your 417 grant ends the 417 and its work rights. Our eVisitor guide for German citizens covers visiting on its own.

Costs and paperwork

• First 417: AUD840. Second or third 417: AUD1,000 each.
• Funds: usually about AUD5,000 for your first stay, plus your fare out of Australia.
• Identity: your passport pages and a birth certificate showing both parents' names.
• German documents: get them translated into English. A translator outside Australia does not need accreditation, but each translation must give the translator's full name, address, phone number, and language qualifications and experience, in English. You do not need certified copies.

You apply on your own. A partner cannot be added to your application, and dependent children cannot come with you at any point. The full subclass 417 guide walks through the ImmiAccount steps.

German applicants' questions

Is Germany a 417 or a 462 country?

Germany is a 417 country, for ages 18 to 35. Germany is not on the 462 list.

Can I apply for my first working holiday visa while I am in Australia?

No. A first 417 must be lodged and decided while you are outside Australia. Second and third 417s can be lodged from either place.

Does volunteering count as specified work?

Only volunteer recovery work in declared bushfire or natural disaster areas. Other specified work must be paid in line with Australian legislation and awards.

Can I work for one employer for more than six months?

Yes, without permission, in the exempt cases above, such as tourism and hospitality or plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia. Otherwise the usual limit is 6 months.

Can my partner come on my 417?

Not on your application. Home Affairs says you apply on your own and cannot include family members.

More for German travellers: Australian visa guide for German citizens and every working holiday country in 2026.