Register as a subagent

A registered subagent can do regulated work as the employee of a field agent. If you don’t have a registration, you must submit an application for a subagent registration certificate.

You can also apply online for a registration certificate by selecting Fair Trading  – New Individual Application form.

Authorised activities

A registered subagent is authorised to work for a field agent in:

• finding and recovering goods (repossession)
• collecting debts face to face
• serving documents (process serving).

Alternatively, you can work as a collection agent if you only:

• collect debts (and do not repossess goods or do process serving)

and

• contact debtors over the phone or in writing.

You do not need a licence to perform evictions or vacant repossessions of real property. You must have a field agent licence or subagent registration to do any other type of work as a debt collector or process server.

Find out about collection agent work.

Eligibility

To be eligible to register, you must be 18 or older.

Suitability

You are not suitable to hold a subagent registration if you:

• are currently disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
• have been convicted of a serious offence within the past 5 years.

We also consider if you:

• have a criminal history
• were the subject of a successful claim fund action
• have had your licence or registration certification cancelled or been suspended from holding one
• have been previously disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
• are disqualified from being a company director
• are an insolvent under administration
• are incapable of satisfactorily doing the job of a registration certificate holder
• are unsuitable because of your character
• are allowed to work in Australia.

Serious offences

A serious offence is anything punishable by 3 or more years in prison, including:

• violent offences (including threats to use violence)
• fraud and dishonesty
• drug trafficking
• extortion
• arson
• unlawful stalking, intimidation, harassment or abuse
• offences of a sexual nature.

Insolvent under administration

If you are an insolvent under administration, you must give us written details of the following:

• how you became an insolvent under administration (if this was your business, advise the type of business)
• what steps you took to avoid going into insolvency
• how much you owe to each creditor (list them all by name and amount)
• whether you faced any charges relating to the insolvency.

You will also need to include a letter from your current employer that:

• is on their company letterhead
• outlines your role within the company
• tells us if you will be in a position to influence how they manage their business.

Non-citizens

If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you need to:

• give us a certified copy of your passport
• have a visa that allows you to work in Australia.

Lodgement

When you lodge the form, you will need to attach formal identification.

These documents must be an original or certified copy of 1 of the following 4 documents:

• Birth certificate or extract
• Driver licence
• Passport
• Citizenship certificate

You will need to pay the required fees when you lodge your application.

Criminal history check

To confirm your suitability, we will submit your application for a criminal history check. This will be thorough and may be time consuming.

If you were born in New Zealand or have a New Zealand passport, you need to get a copy of your criminal history or a letter indicating you have no criminal history from New Zealand. For more information, visit the New Zealand Ministry of Justice website.

You don’t have to pay any fees to get a New Zealand criminal history check. We can only accept original documents dated within one month of the date you send them to us. Please note it takes 20 working days to process a request for a New Zealand criminal history check.

Photographs

You will need to attach 2 passport-sized photos of yourself.

They must be certified by a person who:

• is 18 or older
• has known you for at least 12 months
• is not your spouse or de facto partner
• is not any other family member (by blood or marriage).

Processing time

The processing time is 4–6 weeks. This can take longer if your application is not complete. This might be because of:

• missing information
• unpaid fees.

We will contact you if you submitted an incomplete application. You will need to complete the application before we can proceed. Otherwise, we may withdraw your application.

Refunds

Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to a partial refund if:

• you withdraw your application
• we refuse your application.

You may also get a refund on the fee for your criminal history check if it hasn’t been started yet.

Training

You do not need any training for this registration.