Introduction
If you're a commercial agent who has face-to-face contact with customers (known as a field agent), you must hold a licence to collect debts, repossess goods and serve legal documents on behalf of a client.
Commercial agents who are not field agents do not need a licence.
Field agents who already hold a Commercial Agents and Private Inquiry Agents (CAPI) licence, will need a new commercial agent licence before the CAPI expiry date or 1 July 2023, whichever is sooner.
You can apply for a 1, 3 or 5-year licence.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you need to:
- be aged 18 years or over
- be a fit and proper person to hold a licence.
You are not eligible if you:
- are an undischarged bankrupt or taking benefit of bankruptcy laws
- have an exclusion order that prohibits you from carrying out commercial agent activity
- have a NSW commercial agent licence that is currently cancelled, disqualified or suspended
- are a controlled member of a declared organisation within the meaning of the Crimes (Criminal Organisations Control) Act 2012
- have been convicted of a relevant offence within the last 5 years that resulted in a prison sentence or a fine of $500 or more. Relevant offences include violence, harassment, intimidation, weapons, drugs and dishonesty.
What you need
- a MyServiceNSW Account
- you can create one when you start your application
- you may need details from 2 proof of identity documents (such as Australian driver licence, Medicare card, passport)
- your previous Commercial Agents & Private Inquiry Agents (CAPI) licence number (if applicable)
- your contact details
- a copy of your current National Police Check Certificate in PDF, JPG or PNG format
- a current credit card for payment.
Note: Finger/palm prints are not required to be taken for a commercial agent licence application.
How to apply
- Check your eligibility
- Gather your supporting documents.
- Select the 'Apply online' button.
- Log in, or create your MyServiceNSW Account.
- Follow the prompts to apply for a commercial agent licence.
NSW Fair Trading will contact you if more information is required.
If your application is successful, you'll be asked to visit a Service NSW Centre to have a photo taken for your licence card. You'll receive your card up to 21 days later.
Privacy
To apply for a commercial agent licence with NSW Fair Trading, you’ll need to create or log in with a MyServiceNSW Account.
By logging in you consent to sharing your name and email address in your MyServiceNSW Account with NSW Fair Trading, a division of the Department of Customer Service.
The Commercial Agent licences – privacy collection notice explains how your personal information will be handled once it is shared by Service NSW.
More information
- From 1 July 2022, regulation of the commercial agent industry moved from the NSW Police Force to NSW Fair Trading. For full details, visit the Fair Trading website.
- Commercial agents who held a current CAPI licence on 30 June 2022, may be eligible for a refund for the remaining period of their licence. The Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED), NSW Police Force, will contact CAPI licensees.
- Private inquiry agents (now known as private investigators) will continue to be regulated by the NSW Police Force, under the Security Industry Act 1997.