Working Holiday Visa: Checklist upon arrival in Australia

Your Working Holiday Visa has been applied for and approved! Now you can prepare to travel to Australia for a year. And I can tell you, it's going to be great.

To travel and work in Australia you can prepare the necessary from the Netherlands, but there are a number of things you need to arrange upon arrival in Australia.

Checklist upon arrival in Australia

When you arrive in Australia there are a number of things you need to arrange. From a SIM card to a bank account. You can simply go to your accommodation first to recover and the next day you can tick everything off this checklist.

When applying for a SIM card, bank account, TFN and Super, they ask for a residential address. Check with your hostel to see if they are okay with this. They really appreciate this and then it would usually be possible. In the hostel where I was staying (Fremantle Prison YHA) in Fremantle (Perth) they found it good thing I used the hostel address. This way I didn't have to request a postal address and this saved me time and money.

1. Apply for a SIM card
2. Apply for TFN
3. Open a bank account
4. Open a superannuation account
5. Apply for a Medicare card

1. Apply for a SIM card

Applying for an Australian SIM card is the first thing you need to arrange when you arrive in Australia. This gives you an Australian telephone number. You really need this for everything. Not only to be accessible to new friends and (potential) employees, but also to agencies, banks and pretty much everything else.

Take your passport with you when you go out to apply for a SIM card. They need this for ID checks in order to apply for a SIM card.

There are several providers, but the most popular provider is Telstra. Here you can take a pre-paid SIM, with which you can top up data whenever you want. And with this card you can make unlimited calls to other Australian numbers. In addition, Telstra has the largest coverage in Australia, while in many places there is poor or no coverage in the country.

They also have WiFi spots in many places. You can then use these WiFi spots to save data, because scrolling around on Insta and TikTok will quickly empty your data bundle. This way you use less data and have lower costs.

2. Request a Tax File Number (TFN).

If you plan to work in Australia, you will need a Tax File Number (TFN). A TFN is a personal identifier for the Australian tax system. You can request a TFN online and it will be sent to you digitally within 28 days. So if you want to make money in Australia, you need a TFN.

Apply for TFN

3. Open a bank account

If you are going to Australia for a long(er) period of time, it is wise to open an Australian bank account. By having this account, you can pay for everything within Australia. The companies you can work for want to deposit the money into an Australian bank account. And the biggest advantage is that you do not have to pay non-stop transaction costs when you withdraw money from the wall with a Dutch bank card.

To open a bank account in Australia you need an Australian telephone number (see Applying for a SIM card).

Some good banks:

• Commonwealth (I have this myself)
• Westpac
• ANZ
• NAB

It takes about a week before you receive the debit card at the address where you are staying. This could be a hostel, for example (check with them to see if they are okay with that).

At Commonwealth Bank you can pay directly with your phone and you do not have to wait a week for your debit card. This might also work at other banks, but I have no experience with that.

Transfer money to Australian account

Do you want to transfer money from your Dutch account to your Australian one? Then I find the best way to do that via WISE. This saves you transaction costs that are higher at regular banks than via WISE. And if you register via the WISE link above, you will receive a fee-free transfer of up to A$1,000. This way you have Aussie dollars and you can use your Australian account.

4. Request SuperAnnuation

In Australia, just like in the Netherlands, you build up a pension if you are employed somewhere. Even if you work as a backpacker in Australia. Here it is not called a pension, but Super (SuperAnnuation).

It is not mandatory to request this, because you can also do it afterwards. However, I can recommend that you do this immediately. Most companies want to know which Super you have when you start working in Australia.

I use AustralianSuper and it works well for me.

5. Apply for a Medicare card

Medicare is an Australian health insurance policy that is free and covers basic care. This is only possible if you register for it. It is not mandatory to do this, but it is recommended. You can apply for Medicare in these 4 steps:

1. Check if you are entitled to Medicare
2. Download a Medicare Enrollment Form.
3. Take the completed form, your passport, visa and one other form of identification (such as driver's license) to the nearest Medicare office
4. If your application is approved, you will receive your Medicare card by post. This usually takes a maximum of 10 working days.

These are the five things you need to arrange when arriving in Australia. By arranging these things immediately, you can then travel and work in Australia.

Would you like to know more about Australia? Then read all my tips about Australia.