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To become a registered provider under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act), or a registered training organisation (RTO) under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (NVR Act), you need to demonstrate capability and commitment for becoming a quality education and training provider.  

To ensure quality VET so that students, industry, governments and the community can have confidence in the integrity of national qualifications, we apply a rigorous assessment process to applicants wanting to enter the VET market. 

Follow our information below to help prepare your application.

To prepare to become an RTO, you need to:  

  1. understand the requirements for registration  
  2. undertake business planning and choose your training products  
  3. develop your organisation’s policies, procedures, systems and tools so you are ready to become a quality education and training provider  
  4. gain access to all the required resources  
  5. prepare your application form    
  6. prepare evidence to submit with your application.  

When submitting your application for registration please include the full scope of training package qualifications, accredited courses and units of competency that your RTO seeks to deliver within your first 24 months of operation. You will not be permitted to adjust this scope until you have successfully delivered your first 24 months of approved scope.  

Initial RTO registration guide  

We recommend using our guide to initial RTO registration when preparing your application.  

This guide explains:  

  • eligibility requirements  
  • provider responsibilities and obligations  
  • registration requirements, including:  
    • compliance with the relevant regulatory and legislative requirements  
    • resourcing requirements, and  
    • required supporting evidence  
  • information about our application form, and  
  • how we assess applications for initial registration.

Application form  

Initial RTO registration form – use this form to become a registered training organisation (RTO) that delivers VET courses for domestic students (Australian citizens, permanent residents and temporary visitors who are not on student visas).  

Applications may be submitted together if the organisation is seeking more than one type of registration. The table below describes which forms are required for different types of applications.  

Forms required for different types of application

Type of application   

Who should submit this type of application   

  

Application forms  

Initial RTO registration   

Organisations wanting initial RTO registration to deliver VET courses to domestic students   

Initial RTO registration application form   

Initial RTO and ELICOS Registration  

Organisations wanting initial RTO registration and initial ESOS registration to deliver both VET and ELICOS courses.  

Initial RTO registration application form and Initial ELICOS registration application form

Evidence requirements  

All applications must be accompanied by:  

Choosing training products  

When submitting your application, you should ensure that you include all training products your organisation intends to deliver during the first 2 years of its registration.  

Newly registered RTOs are not permitted to apply to add training products to their approved scope until they have been registered for a period of 24 months or more. This is to ensure new RTOs focus on providing quality training or assessment for the products they are initially approved to deliver, and so that ASQA may ensure that the RTO has demonstrated understanding of the educational integrity and commitment required to operate in the VET sector prior to expanding its course offerings.

Next steps  

To prepare to become an Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) or English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) provider, you need to:  

  • understand the requirements for registration  
  • undertake business planning and choose your training products  
  • develop your organisation’s policies, procedures, systems and tools so you are ready to become a quality education and training provider  
  • gain access to all the required resources  
  • prepare your application form    
  • prepare evidence to submit with your application.  

Initial registration guides  

We recommend using our guides to initial ESOS and ELICOS registration when preparing your application.  

These guides explain:  

  • eligibility requirements  
  • provider responsibilities and obligations  
  • registration requirements, including:  
  • compliance with the relevant regulatory and legislative requirements  
    • resourcing requirements    
    • required supporting evidence  
  • information about our application forms  
  • how we assess applications for initial registration.    

Application forms  

Initial ESOS registration form - use this form to become a provider that delivers VET courses to overseas students (students in Australia on a student visa). This includes existing RTOs who want to become ESOS Providers    

Initial ELICOS registration form - use this form to become an ESOS provider who delivers ELICOS.  

Applications may be submitted together if the organisation is seeking more than one type of registration. The table below describes which forms are required for different types of applications:    

Type of application   

Who should submit this type of application   

Application forms   

Initial ESOS registration    

Existing RTOs who want to become ESOS providers so they can deliver VET courses to overseas students    

Initial ESOS registration application form 

Initial ELICOS registration   

Existing RTOs who want to become ESOS providers so they can deliver ELICOS courses to overseas students or non-RTOs who want to only deliver ELICOS courses.   

Initial ELICOS registration application form

Initial RTO and ELICOS registration   

Organisations wanting initial RTO registration and initial ESOS registration to deliver both VET and ELICOS courses.   

Initial RTO registration application form and Initial ELICOS registration application form   

Evidence requirements  

All ESOS or ELICOS registration applications must be accompanied by:  

  • completed initial ESOS or ELICOS registration application form/s  
  • a signed Principal Executive Officer (PEO) statutory declaration
  • fit and proper person declaration forms for:  
    • The CEO or PEO  
    • executive officers  
    • high managerial agents  
    • any person/s who exercises a degree of control or influence over the management or direction of the registered training organisation.  
  • a financial viability risk assessment
  • comprehensive evidence to demonstrate commitment and capability to become a quality provider. More comprehensive information about the required supporting evidence for different types of applications can be found in our initial registration application guides.

Choosing training products  

If you are applying for ESOS registration at the same time as applying to become an RTO, you should ensure that your application includes all training products your organisation intends to deliver during the first 2 years of registration.  

Newly registered RTOs are not permitted to apply to add training products to their approved scope until they have been registered for a period of 24 months or more. This is to ensure new RTOs focus on providing quality training or assessment for the products they are initially approved to deliver, and so that ASQA may ensure that the RTO has demonstrated understanding of the educational integrity and commitment required to operate in the VET sector prior to expanding its course offerings.  

Next steps