Working Holiday Visas for Australian Citizens Over 30

Most countries only offer working holiday visas to eligible people aged between 18 and 30 years old (inclusive). But if you’re an Australian citizen aged over 30, there are a still a few countries that may offer you a working holiday visa. This allows you to live, work and travel in another country for at least a year!

Six of the 43 countries offering working holiday visas to Australians have an age limit above 30. This will soon increase to eight countries with Italy and the UK set to increase their age limits from 30 to 35.

Portugal currently offers working holiday visas to Australians aged 18-31 years old. Canada, France, Ireland and Denmark welcome backpackers aged 18-35. And the USA does not have an age limit – although you would need to be a university or TAFE student (or a recent graduate) to apply for the USA.

The usual rules still apply. For example, you wouldn’t be eligible for most working holiday visas if you have dependent children. But you don’t necessarily have to miss out just because of your age. If you meet all the other criteria, there are several working holiday visa options for 31-35 year-old Australians!

You’ll find more information below about working holiday visas for Australian citizens over 30 in each eligible country…

Contents

Working holiday visas for Canada

Vancouver, Canada. Photo by Adi kavazovic on Pexels.com.

The International Experience Canada (IEC) program is open to Australians (and people from many other countries) aged 18-35 years old who don’t have a criminal record and will not be accompanied in Canada by dependent children.

The main requirements to become an IEC candidate are:

Aged between 18-35 years old (inclusive) at the time of application
Have a valid passport which won’t expire during your stay in Canada
Have at least CAD$2,500 (approx. AUD2,550) to cover your initial expenses in Canada
Have health insurance to cover the duration of your stay
Have a return plane ticket to Canada or enough money to buy one

Another great thing about Canada’s working holiday program is that visas are valid for two years.

Working holiday visas for Ireland

Cobh church, Ireland — Cobh, Ireland. Photo by Jason Murphy on Unsplash.

Ireland is another country offering working holiday visas to Australian citizens aged 18-35 years old (inclusive, at the time of application).

The Irish working holiday visa is valid for 12 months and is relatively easy to apply for. The only other visa condition is that you would need at least AUD5,000 in savings, or AUD2,500 if you have already booked a return flight from Australia to Ireland.

Working holiday visas for France

galeries lafayette building — Paris, France. Photo by MaDrgerretta on Pexels.com

France’s working holiday visa is also open to 18-35 year-old Australian citizens. Valid for up to 12 months, the other main conditions are that you’d need proof of savings and a return flight booked from Australia to France. But as with Canada, this visa is not available if you have dependent children.

Working holiday visas for Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com.

For some reason, Portugal advertises working holiday visas as being available to Australians aged 18-31 years old, inclusive. This gives Australians an extra year to apply for a Portuguese working holiday visa, compared to most other countries.

The Portuguese Work and Holiday visa has a few more eligibility conditions, though, than Ireland, France or Canada. These include:

Hold tertiary qualification/s or have successfully completed at least two years of university study
Speak at least a functional level of Portuguese
Have sufficient savings to travel to/from Portugal and support yourself initially
Hold travel & health insurance to cover your entire stay

Again, you would not be eligible if you have a criminal record or dependent children.

Working holiday visas for Denmark

Since October 2022, Denmark also now offers working holiday visas to Australian citizens aged 18-35 (previously 18-30).

This is a relatively simple visa to apply for, with the main requirements being that you have sufficient savings and a booked flight home (or enough money to buy one). The visa is not available if you’re travelling to Denmark with dependent children.

The USA Summer Work Travel Pilot Program

New York, USA. Photo by Jermaine Ee on Unsplash.

In lieu of traditional working holiday visas, the United States offers a “Summer Work Travel Pilot Program” under its J-1 visa category. This allows full-time Australian students to live, work and travel in the USA for up to 12 months.

This program does not have a prescribed age limit. However, one of the requirements is that you need to be currently enrolled as a full-time university or TAFE student in Australia – or have recently graduated during the past year.

Move visa-free to Switzerland or New Zealand

While Switzerland and New Zealand do not offer formal working holiday visas to Australian citizens, both nations allow Aussies to live and work in their respective countries for an unlimited amount of time, without requiring a visa and with no age limit.

Sargans train station, Switzerland — Australians can move to Switzerland without requiring a visa. Photo by Matt Graham.

There are a few conditions. For example, Australians moving to Switzerland need to have enough savings to support themselves and still need to apply for a residency and/or work permit from the local canton before arriving. But there is no requirement to apply for a formal visa from the embassy or consulate.

Most Australians can travel to, live and work in New Zealand without restrictions under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement.

Italy & UK will soon increase their working holiday age limits

London Tube station — London, UK. Photo by Michele Mex on Pixabay.

The UK currently offers Youth Mobility Scheme (T5) visas to Australian citizens aged 18-30 years old. These visas are valid for two years.

But in June 2021, the Australian and UK governments signed and in-principle agreement to expand their reciprocal working holiday agreement to cover 18-35 year-olds, who will soon also be allowed to stay in the other country for three years!

While this is great news for the future, the new agreement has not yet come into effect. This could happen sometime in 2022 or 2023, but no fixed date has been announced yet. Until this happens, the current visa rules will continue to apply.

Italy will also soon increase its working holiday visa age limits from 30 to 35 years old. In the other direction, Australia already began offering 417 visas to Italians aged up to 35 from 1 July 2022. But it’s not yet clear when Italy will implement the age increase in the other direction.

Digital nomad visas are another alternative for over-30s

Tbilisi, Georgia — Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia which offers digital nomad visas. Photo by Matt Graham.

If you’re over 30 years old and would like to live and work in another country for a year, an alternative could be to apply for a digital nomad visa.

Digital nomad visas have become increasingly more common since 2020. They’re designed for people working remotely who have a reliable income stream from an overseas source.

With this type of visa, you probably won’t be allowed to work for a local employer in the country where you are living. But you will be allowed to stay and live in your chosen destination for up to a year, and generally won’t have to pay local taxes on the income you’re earning from overseas.

The list of countries offering digital nomad visas is quite different to the list of countries offering working holiday visas to Australians. But there is a little bit of overlap. For example, Estonia, Portugal, Norway and the Czech Republic offer both types of visas to Australian citizens.

If you work remotely, a digital nomad visa also opens up the possibility to live in countries including Mexico, Georgia, Mauritius, the UAE and many Caribbean nations which don’t have reciprocal working holiday visa arrangements with Australia!