Your first steps in Australia with a Working Holiday Visa

Activating your visa

Once the Department of Home Affairs approves your WHV application, you must enter Australia within 12 months of the date it was granted. This timeframe can’t be extended or deferred. Note that it doesn’t matter what age you are when you enter Australia; it only matters that you were of an eligible age on the date you applied for the WHV.

The visa becomes active on the date you enter Australia. Once you have entered and activated your visa, you can stay in Australia for up to 12 months. You can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like in those 12 months. However, the time on your visa won’t pause when you leave the country; if you spend three months backpacking New Zealand and South East Asia, you’d only have nine months left on your WHV in Australia!

Completing the Incoming Passenger Card (IPC)

The IPC is a document providing passenger identification and a record of your entry to Australia. It will be distributed during the flight or in the arrivals terminal. You must complete it in English before passing through customs.

You will have to answer a certain number of questions relating to customs and quarantine. Be honest and if you’re not sure on the answer, play it safe and answer “yes.” For instance, people have been fined hundreds of dollars for not declaring an apple in their bag, or dirt on their hiking boots.

Australia takes biosecurity risks very seriously to make sure travellers aren’t introducing damaging pests and diseases into Australia.

Going through immigration

When you enter Australia, you need to show your passport. Two options may be available:

• SmartGates, an automatic process available for citizens from eligible countries (check the list here).
• Manual processing, where a Border Force officer checks your passport and visa.

SmartGates, the automatic process

SmartGates automatically process passengers using facial recognition technology and your ePassport to verify your identity.

First, you must enter the gate, which will close behind you. Stand on the designated spot in front of the display screen. The display screen asks you to put your passport face down on the passport reader. Look at the camera, which will take your photograph. Respond to any further instructions on the screen (e.g. if you have placed your passport incorrectly, it will tell you to take it out and try inserting it again).

If your photo and passport is matched successfully, the next set of gates will open. Take your passport and exit the gates. If the system cannot match you successfully, the display screen will direct you to a Border Force officer.

Once the gates open, your WHV is activated. Nothing will be written on your passport; all records are electronic.

Occasionally, you will be directed to a Border Force officer for an additional check, where you may be asked to show proof of funds or your documents for further inspection. Make sure to have a screenshot of your granted application in your ImmiAccount, just in case they ask to see it.

Manual processing

“Manual processing” simply means you will be face-to-face with a Border Force officer. Your passport won’t be stamped and no paper visa will be added to it, but you may be asked for proof of funds.

Showing proof of funds and proof of insurance

The Australian government specifies that you must have enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia, plus additional funds to leave Australia at the end of your stay if you arrive on a one-way ticket. A recent bank statement or screenshot of your bank account showing you have at least AU$5,000 and a return ticket/enough money to buy one are acceptable proof of funds.

WHV holders are asked for proof of funds during the application process, but a few are asked to show proof again at the border. You should carry your proof of funds with you in case a Border Force officer asks to see it.

Beyond meeting the minimum requirement, making sure you have enough money to survive in Australia is common sense. Cost of living is high, especially in big cities. And if you’re planning to take a road trip around Australia, you need to budget even more for purchasing a vehicle, gas and maintenance.

Buying travel medical insurance isn’t mandatory but the Australian government urges WHV holders to consider it. You won’t be fully covered under Australia’s public healthcare system and a simple health issue can lead to a hefty bill.

Make the smart move and purchase a comprehensive insurance policy covering medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation. Not sure where to start? Check out Globe WHV, our trusted partner since 2005.

Clearing customs

Clearing customs in Australia is a serious affair because animals, plants and certain foods from overseas could introduce damaging pests and diseases into Australia. The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources makes sure travellers aren’t carrying anything that poses a risk to Australia’s biosecurity.

After going through immigration, you have to pick up your luggage and hand over your IPC. There are random checks, so you may be waved through, asked to put your luggage into an X-ray machine, or present your luggage to a detector dog. You will also be inspected more thoroughly if you have answered “yes” to any questions on your IPC.

Make sure to read the list of food, plant material and animal products you must declare (including airline food and snacks) to avoid starting your Australian adventure with a hefty fine for forgetting to declare a loose apple!

The informative “Can you bring it in?” page is also a useful official guide to what you can and can’t bring into Australia, and what you must declare (e.g. prescription drugs, or amounts of AU$10,000 or more Australian dollars/foreign currency equivalent).

For a quicker processing time, it’s best to avoid carrying any of the items listed; try and finish your food on the plane or throw it out before entering customs!