Requirements: Australia WHV Ballot for Indonesians
Australia is changing how Indonesians access the Working Holiday Visa. The Australia WHV ballot for Indonesians will replace the yearly first-come rush with a random draw for the Subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa. As of August 2026, the ballot is approved but not yet live, so you can still apply under the current rules for now. This guide explains what the ballot is, the current status for Indonesian applicants, who can enter, how the Subclass 462 ballot works, the key dates and visa cap, and how to prepare today. The details for Indonesia are still being finalised. This guide separates what Australia has confirmed from what is still expected, so you can plan without acting on rumours. Last updated: August 2026 What Is the WHV Ballot and Why Australia Introduced It The WHV ballot is a random selection system for the Subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa. Instead of applying the moment a quota opens, you register first. Australia then draws registrations at random and invites the selected applicants to apply. The ballot decides who may apply. It does not grant the visa. Australia introduced the ballot to manage very high demand. Under the old first-come system, Indonesian applicants needed a government support letter called the SDUWHV (Surat Dukungan Usulan Working Holiday Visa). The 2025 SDUWHV portal opened on 15 October 2025 with 5,500 places. Within 24 hours it recorded more than 1.4 million access attempts, and it crashed on 16 October. The quota filled and closed on 19 October, only four days after opening. Many Indonesians call this yearly rush “perang visa,” or visa war. A ballot removes speed from the process, so a fast internet connection no longer decides who gets a place. Current Status for Indonesians: Approved but Not Yet Live This is the part that causes the most confusion, so read it carefully. Australia has agreed to the ballot, but the ballot is not open yet. On 15 July 2026, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite confirmed the decision at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. He backed a proposal from Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration. Australia will move the Indonesia program to a ballot and will drop the SDUWHV support letter at the same time. As of 19 August 2026, the Home Affairs status of country caps page lists Indonesia as CHECK BALLOT STATUS, not paused. A footnote on that page confirms two points. First, applications from Indonesian passport holders will be managed through a ballot. Second, registrations for the ballot are expected to open later in 2026. Home Affairs will publish the opening date on its Working Holiday Maker latest news page once details are confirmed. Important: the ballot registrations are not open yet. Unlike China, India, and Vietnam, Indonesia’s entry on the caps page is not yet an active ballot link, which confirms you cannot register at this time. No opening date has been set, and the SDUWHV requirement has not been formally removed. Watch the official Home Affairs and Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration channels for the next step, and prepare your SDUWHV documents in case an interim round runs before the ballot opens. Indonesia becomes the fourth country to move to a ballot, after China, India, and Vietnam. It is the only one of the four to also lose a government support-letter requirement. You can read Australia’s approval of the Indonesia WHV ballot for the full announcement. Not sure whether to wait for the ballot or apply under the current rules? Book a consultation with RACC Indonesia and get a clear answer on your options before the 2026-27 round opens. Who Can Enter the Ballot The ballot applies to the first Subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa. To be eligible, you must meet the standard requirements for Indonesian applicants: The ballot affects first-time applicants only. If you already hold, or have held, a Subclass 462 visa, you apply for a second or third visa directly through ImmiAccount. You do not enter the ballot again. Selection does not lower these standards. A selected applicant who does not meet the health, character, funds, or English requirements can still be refused. You can review the complete criteria on RACC’s Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) guide. How the Subclass 462 Ballot Works Indonesia’s exact ballot rules are not finalised. The process below describes the existing Subclass 462 ballot for China, India, and Vietnam, which Indonesia is expected to follow. Confirm Indonesia’s final process on the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa pre-application process page when it launches. Register in ImmiAccount You register once during a short registration window, which usually lasts about three weeks. Log in to ImmiAccount or create an account, then enable Multi-Factor Authentication. Select New application, open the Visa pre-application registration option, and choose Registration Work and Holiday Visa (462). Select your passport country and enter your details. Your passport number, national identity number, date of birth, and email must match your passport exactly. You cannot change your passport country or national identity number after you submit. Verify your email before you submit, because you cannot submit without a verified email address. The AUD 25 Registration Fee You pay a non-refundable fee of AUD 25 to submit your registration. This fee is non-refundable in every case, including if you are not selected. A saved draft does not enter the ballot. Your status must show Received, not Draft, for your registration to join the pool. The AUD 25 ballot fee is separate from the Subclass 462 visa application charge, which you pay later only if you are selected and lodge. Confirm the current visa charge on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au, because the charge increases on 1 July each year. Selection and the 28-Day Window Home Affairs runs random selection rounds throughout the program year. The system uses no criteria to rank registrations. Your education, funds, and work experience play no role in selection. If your registration is selected, Home Affairs sends a Notification of Selection by email and your status changes to
