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NSW Resources

Apply or renew a practising certificate

Learn how to apply or renew a practising certificate. And how we determine whether you are competent to be issued with a certificate or can gain mutual recognition for interstate or NZ certificates.

Regulator Portal - Mining Worker's section to apply

Mining Worker's section can be accessed via the Resources Regulator portal to enable workers to apply for examinations, certificates of competence and practising certificates online.

A help guide for navigating the portal is available here (PDF, 758.08 KB).

Assistance is also available by phoning the Mining Competencies and Authorisations team on 1300 814 609 (option 2 and then option 3) or emailing mca@regional.nsw.gov.au.

Application process for a new Practising certificate

The Practising certificate fact sheet (PDF, 80.43 KB) provides an overview of the system of practising certificates and eligibility requirements.

Please follow the steps below to apply:

  1. Request a login to the Resources Regulator Portal if you do not have one. We recommend you use a personal email address that may not change, unlike a work email address.
  2. Login and complete the Apply for a Practising Certificate form in the Mining Workers Portal (section) under Practising Certificate.
  3. Applications can take between 2 to 6 weeks to process, depending on your application and the total number received. 
  4. If your contact details have changed while your application is being processed, please update your details in the Regulator Mining Workers Portal. The online form is available under Practising Certificate.

Before applying for a practising certificate complete it is recommended to read the relevant guidance material before submitting your application so it is complete and avoid unnecessary delays in our processing of it.

Quarry manager practising certificate

Tier-2 quarries

To apply for a Tier-2 Quarry manager practising certificate you must complete and submit the supporting information application form below below as part of your online application via the Resources Regulator portal:

The Guide to the quarry manager practising certificate for Tier-2 with conditions (PDF, 159.62 KB), provides information on eligibility, how to apply and how we determine whether you are competent to be issued with a certificate.

Three-tiered approach for quarries

The Resources Regulator has a three-tiered approach to what is required for a person to apply and be granted a Quarry Manager practising certificate.

View the Fact sheet: Quarry Managers Practising Certificates three-tier approach (PDF, 159.07 KB) to understand what tier may apply at the quarries at which you want to exercise the statutory function. The tier of the quarry will determine how you apply for a practising certificate:

Tier 1

Requirement: Quarry Manager certificate of competence

Application process status: Ongoing

Further information:  Applying for a practising certificate (refer to portal) or Guide to exams (to obtain a competence certificate)

Tier 2 — all quarries

Requirement: Experience and qualifications

Application process status: Ongoing

Further information: 

Tier 2 — specific quarries

Requirement: Varies according to amendment applied for but includes experience and possibly qualifications or examinations

Application process status: Transitional until 30 September 2024. New certificates are no longer available, only amendments to existing.

Note: it is a condition on specific quarry location(s) quarry manager practising certificates to obtain the gazetted qualifications by 1 October 2024.

Further information:

Tier 3

Requirement: Mine operator can be exempt from nominating a person with a Quarry Manager practising certificate. The person must be competent as determined by the mine operator for the site(s).

Application process status: Not required

Further information: Fact sheet: Quarry Managers Practising certificates three-tier approach (PDF, 159.07 KB)

To find out what tier may apply at the quarries you want to practise at, refer to the mine operator who is to nominate you. The mine operator may know the quarry(s) tier level by using the information available on the Practicing certificate requirements for Quarry Managers page and the Fact sheet: Quarry Managers Practising certificates three-tier approach. (PDF, 159.07 KB)

Apply for renewal, change, variation or replacement

Renewal

If your practising certificate is expiring in six months or less, you can apply for a renewal of your certificate. This process may take up to 6 weeks. A renewed certificate is usually granted to commence on the date after your current one expires.

Please follow the steps below to apply:

  1. Request a login to the Resources Regulator Portal if you do not have one. We recommend you use a personal email address that may not change, unlike a work email address. If you already have a work email address to login on to the portal for mine purposes, then you continue to use that.
  2. Login and complete the Renew a Practising Certificate form in the Resources Regulator Mining Workers Portal under Practising Certificate.
  3. When applying you are required to declare you have met the conditions on your certificate, including maintenance of competence (no log required to be submitted), and your contact details with us are up to date.
  4. If you have not met your conditions, then answer No and a box will appear for you to type why not and what you plan to do to comply in future. For the maintenance of competence condition, provide a copy of your log.  
  5. If your contact details have changed, please update your details on the Resources Regulator Mining Workers Portal. The online form is available under Practising Certificate.

Vary or revoke condition(s)

Holders of a quarry manager practising certificate can apply to vary or revoke a condition of their certificate via the Resources Regulator portal > Mining Workers Portal > Practising certificates > Re-issue a certificate and attach at the bottom the application the Supporting form for online application (DOCX, 131.04 KB).​​​

Replacing lost certificates

If you have lost your paper version of a practising certificate, you can apply for a replacement by submitting an application via the Resources Regulator Portal. Click on Mining Workers portal > Practising Certificate > click on Re-issue a certificate. Note: holders who have lost an electronic copy of their practising certificate can obtain a copy of it by logging on to the Resources Regulator portal > Mining Workers portal.​

Change of details

If you are the holder of a practising certificate and your personal, contact or work details have changed, you need to inform us of the changes in accordance with the conditions of your practising certificate by submitting a change of details notification via the Resources Regulator portal. Click on Practising Certificate > click on Update contact details.

Mutual recognition of interstate or New Zealand certificates for WHS statutory functions

Applying for mutual recognition of an interstate or New Zealand certificate to obtain a practising certificate or Automatic Mutual Recognition to carry out the equivalent occupation in NSW. Qualifications prescribed for statutory functions are not recognised as a certificate.

The holder of a statutory certificate can notify the Regulator under the provisions of the Mutual Recognition (NSW) Act 1992 for Australian states or territories, or the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition (NSW) Act 1996 for New Zealand for registration in NSW in 2 different ways depending on where your principal place of residence and work is. For example, the principal place of residence and work for a fly-in fly-out worker living in State A who travels to State B to work, but who does not relocate to State B permanently, would be State A.

Regardless of the type of mutual recognition you obtain, all interstate workers must comply with NSW regulations and codes while working in NSW. This includes maintenance of competence.

1. Substantive registration (NSW practising certificate issued)

If you are or intend to have your principal place of residence and work in NSW, then you must notify/apply for a NSW practising certificate for the equivalent WHS statutory function that your interstate or NZ certificate enables you to carry out.

While waiting for a response to your application within 30 days, you can practise in the equivalent occupation(s). But if your application is refused then a mine operator can no longer nominate you to carry out the function.

If you are granted mutual recognition in NSW, you will be issued a practising certificate for five years (or a shorter period if determined by the Regulator). Your practising certificate will be subject to a condition requiring you to participate in the maintenance of competence scheme. You are not required to continue to hold your certificate in the original state in order to continue holding the NSW practising certificate.

To notify/apply, go to the Resources Regulator portal. You must pay a fee when submitting your notification and include payment details in the application.

The following fact sheets provide information for substantive mutual recognition and the associated certificate fees.

  • Fact sheet: Notification for mutual recognition of statutory functions
  • Fact sheet: Fee schedule for certificates

2. Automatic Mutual Recognition – AMR (electronic registration only)

If you are or intend to only temporarily reside and work in NSW, then you can apply for AMR through the nsw.gov.au website.

Privacy statement - Automatic Mutual Recognition

The Resources Regulator acts as a Local Registration Authority (LRA) as part of the Automatic Mutual Recognition program. Under this program, the collection of certain personal information is required. For more information on how we manage your information as part of this program, please visit the Managing your information – Automatic Mutual Recognition web page.

The Resources Regulator also uses information of people registering under automatic mutual recognition to:

  • Verify for a person or organisation with written consent from the holder for this purpose that they hold automatic mutual recognition
  • To audit people registered that they are completing the required maintenance of competence learning for NSW practising certificate holders (refer maintenance of competence webpage)
  • As part of compliance and enforcement activities if a person is involved by way of exercising a statutory function under automatic mutual recognition.

For further information on privacy please refer to the Privacy statement of the Department of Regional NSW.

Note: mining occupations are exempted from AMR until 30 June 2024, so you can only apply for it after this date. Contact the Mining Competencies and Authorisations Unit mca@regional.nsw.gov.au or 1300 814 609 (options 2 and then option 3) for more information. 

Application fees

Fees are payable at the time of lodgement of your application via a link within the schedule of fees for certificates below. Details of payment must be recorded in your application form.

Further information

Further information regarding practising certificates on the overview page and the certificate condition to maintain competence on our maintenance of competence page.

Our statutory functions guide outlines the statutory positions in NSW mining and petroleum industries that are required to hold a practising certificate.

Additional resources: