How to Work in Europe as an Australian in 2026

Australians aged 18 to 35 can work in Europe on a working holiday visa: France, Italy, Ireland and now Germany take you up to 35, and Spain up to 30¹⁴⁷⁸³. Each visa lasts about a year and needs no job offer, and you can hold several, one after another. Over 35, you need an employer-sponsored permit, an EU Blue Card or an EU passport through a parent or grandparent¹⁴.

Working holidays run both ways. The Irish, French and Italian backpackers you met picking fruit in Queensland came on the same arrangements, and Australia now has them with 50 countries and regions¹⁰. The European versions are less uniform than the Australian one, though: the age limit, the money in the bank and the rules on work change at every border. This guide puts them side by side, then covers what most guides skip, from super to tax residency.

Can Australians work in Europe today?

Not on the passport alone. Australians can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area without a visa, but only to visit; working needs a national visa issued first¹¹. Since 10 April 2026, the Entry/Exit System (EES) records your face and fingerprints at the border instead of stamping your passport¹². ETIAS, the online authorisation for visa-free travellers, is not in operation and has no confirmed start date. Ireland is outside Schengen, so Irish days do not count towards your 90¹¹.

Does the EU-Australia trade deal let you work in Europe?

No. Several news sites reported that Australians "can now" live and work across Europe thanks to the EU-Australia free trade agreement. Nothing in it has changed a visa rule for Australian job seekers. Until an official text says otherwise, your routes are the ones on this page.

Which working holiday visas fit France, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Germany?

Portugal signed an arrangement with Australia, but the Australian embassy in Lisbon still says applications are not open⁹. Check with the Portuguese embassy in Canberra before you plan around it.

France, the easiest start

France's working holiday (PVT) gives you a one-year visa during which paid work is allowed as a secondary activity, without a separate work authorisation¹. You can only do it once. The catch is health: PVT holders cannot join French public health insurance even when they work, so you need private cover for illness, hospital and repatriation for the whole stay². There is also no social security agreement between France and Australia (see below).

Spain, only until 30

Spain is the one to do first if you are in your twenties. It takes Australians aged 18 to 30, caps the scheme at 3,400 places a year and accepts applications no earlier than 3 months before you enter Spain³. You need at least 2 years of higher education and Spanish at A1, shown for example by a DELE A1 certificate, an Instituto Cervantes A1 course or an interview at the consulate³. You cannot work more than 6 months for the same employer³. Apply at the Embassy in Canberra if you live in the ACT, otherwise at the Consulate General in Sydney or Melbourne³.

Italy, the expensive one

Italy asks for at least €10,000 in your own name for a full-year visa, about AUD 16,052 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026, with 30 days of transactions⁴²¹. You can work up to 6 months in total, and no more than 3 months with the same employer⁶. Medicare covers your first 6 months under the Australia-Italy reciprocal health care agreement, and private insurance must cover the rest⁴. You apply in person at the consulate for your state, not earlier than 180 days before departure, and request your permesso di soggiorno within 8 days of arriving⁴.

Ireland and Germany

Ireland's working holiday runs up to 12 months, with a 6-month limit per employer, and you apply by post to the Embassy in Canberra, never from inside Ireland⁷. Processing takes about 15 working days⁷. Germany raised its age limit for Australians from 30 to 35 on 1 October 2026, and lets you work without restrictions once the visa is issued⁸. The fee is €75, and you need insurance of at least €30,000⁸.

What if you are over 35?

You join the general non-EU routes. With a job offer, your employer files a work authorisation (France), a nulla osta (Italy) or a residence and work application (Spain). The EU Blue Card applies from €59,373 gross a year in France and €41,356.36 in Spain¹³¹⁴. France's Talent card for qualified employees starts at €39,582, but needs a master's obtained in France¹³. Spain and Italy also have remote-work visas if you keep Australian clients or an Australian employer. The procedures are in our guides to finding a job in France, Spain and Italy.

Can you claim an EU passport through ancestry?

• Ireland. If a grandparent was born on the island of Ireland, or a parent was an Irish citizen when you were born, you can join the Foreign Births Register and then get an Irish passport, which lets you work anywhere in the EU¹⁵. Adults pay €278, about AUD 446, and processing takes about 12 months¹⁵²¹¹⁶.
• Italy. Since Decree-Law 36/2025, someone born abroad with another citizenship is treated as never having been Italian, unless they applied by 27 March 2025, or a parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship, or a parent lived in Italy for 2 years before their birth¹⁷. The Constitutional Court upheld the reform on 12 March 2026¹⁷. A grandparent who became an Australian citizen generally breaks the chain.
• Italy's work entry for descendants. Australia is on the list of countries whose citizens of Italian descent can be hired outside the Decreto Flussi quotas¹⁸. You still need an Italian employer; it is a work permit, not citizenship¹⁸.
• Spain. The "ley de nietos" closed on 22 October 2025¹⁹, and Australians fall under the 10-year naturalisation rule²⁰.

Where do Australians find work in France, Spain and Italy?

On a working holiday, mostly in seasonal and English-friendly jobs: ski resorts in the Alps and Pyrenees, summer hospitality on the coasts, grape harvests, hostels, English teaching and au pair work. Skilled roles in tech, finance and research exist in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Milan, but usually need the local language. Search EURES and LinkedIn alongside the local boards listed in our destination guides, and go in person for seasonal work: many ski and beach employers still hire whoever turns up early in the season.

Money, super and tax while you are away

Minimum wages. At the ECB rate of 9 October 2026, AUD 1.6052 per euro, France's SMIC of €1,867.02 gross a month is about AUD 2,997, and Spain's SMI is about AUD 2,287 a month²¹²²²³. Spain pays its €1,221 minimum 14 times a year, which is €1,424.50 a month over 12²³. Italy has no legal minimum wage; sector agreements set pay.

Superannuation. You cannot cash out your super when you leave. The Departing Australia Superannuation Payment is only for former temporary visa holders, not Australian citizens or permanent residents²⁴. A European employer pays into the local pension system, not into your fund.

Social security. Australia has social security agreements with Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Germany, but not with France³⁴. A written question tabled in the French National Assembly on 23 April 2024 noted the same gap²⁵. Years worked in France therefore do not count towards Australian residence tests, and vice versa. Certificates of coverage, which keep you in the Australian system, are only for employees sent temporarily by an Australian employer²⁶.

Tax residency. If you stay an Australian tax resident during a working holiday, you still lodge a return and declare all your foreign employment income, even if tax was already withheld in Europe²⁷. If you become a foreign resident, you no longer declare your foreign income in Australia²⁸. With a HELP debt, notify the ATO within 7 days of leaving if you will be away 183 days or more in 12 months²⁹.

Driving licence. France exchanges Australian car and motorbike licences if you ask within 1 year of your residence start, but only a physical card, not a digital licence³⁰³¹. Spain has no exchange with Australia, so after 6 months of residence you take the Spanish test³². Italy has none either, and you can drive on your licence for 1 year after taking residence³³.

How do you adapt an Australian résumé to a European CV?

Your résumé is already close to the UK and Irish format; France, Spain and Italy expect a few changes. Australian résumés usually leave out photo and date of birth and list referees. In France, Spain and Italy a photo is still common but never required. Put your right-to-work status at the top ("Working holiday visa, France, valid until July 2027"), give your languages on the CEFR scale, and write the CV in the language of the ad.

Mirror the ad's keywords, since many employers screen with an ATS; our ATS CV guide shows how. For office jobs, add a short cover letter using our cover letter guide, and prepare remote first rounds with the video interview tips. When an offer comes, check it with our salary estimation guide. You can test your CV against a European job ad with the Epimoni resume analysis.

Not Australian? Read our guides for Americans and Canadians, or go back to the work abroad hub.

Your checklist, from Australia to your first 30 days

1. Work out your order from your age: Spain before 31, the others before 36³¹.
2. Check your family tree for an Irish-born grandparent or an Italian parent or grandparent who never naturalised¹⁵¹⁷.
3. Save the funds: €10,000 for Italy, €2,466 for Germany, AUD 5,000 for Ireland⁴⁸⁷.
4. Order documents: national police clearance, medical certificate and degree evidence for Spain, plus proof of Spanish³.
5. Buy private insurance covering hospital and repatriation; France gives PVT holders no public cover².
6. Before leaving: tell the ATO about HELP, decide your tax residency, and keep a physical licence for France²⁹³⁰.
7. First week: request your residence permit where required (8 days in Italy)⁴.
8. First month: get your tax and social security numbers, open a local bank account and start applying.

Frequently asked questions

Which European countries offer working holiday visas to Australians?

Among the main destinations, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Germany¹³⁴⁷⁸. Portugal has an arrangement on paper, but applications were not open on the Australian embassy's page⁹.

Can Australians work in Europe now under the EU free trade agreement?

No. The trade agreement creates no new visa and has changed no work rule. Working holidays, employer permits and the Blue Card remain the routes.

What is the age limit for a working holiday in France, Spain, Italy or Ireland?

18 to 35 for France, Italy and Ireland, and 18 to 30 for Spain¹⁴⁷³. Germany moved to 35 on 1 October 2026⁸.

Can I travel around Schengen on one country's working holiday visa?

Yes for travel, within the Schengen rules, but you can only work in the country that issued the visa¹¹.

Can I keep contributing to super while working in Europe?

Not through a European employer, which pays into the local system. Your existing super stays preserved, and Australian citizens cannot claim it on departure²⁴.

Can I swap my Australian driver licence in France, Spain or Italy?

In France yes, within 1 year and with a physical card³⁰³¹. In Spain and Italy no; you take the local test after 6 months and 1 year respectively³²³³.