The Mutual Recognition Act 1992 permits a person holding a registration, licence, permit or authorisation to carry out plumbing work in another Australian State, Territory or in New Zealand to apply for a registration or licence to undertake that work in Victoria.
You must hold a current equivalent interstate or New Zealand registration, licence, permit or authorisation to apply for registration or a licence as a plumber in Victoria via Mutual Recognition.
Apply for Mutual Recognition using this form:
Please save and complete the application on your computer (do not handwrite as it will take longer to process).
You must not make any written or oral statement to the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) in relation to an application for registration (or for the renewal of registration) that you know, or should reasonably know, is false.
You must attach the following additional documents to your Mutual Recognition Application before submitting it:
To read more about photo and identification requirements, see 'Which registration or licence do I need?'
If your interstate accreditation is equivalent to a licensed practitioner in Victoria, we require that you provide proof that you hold the required insurance. Your insurance evidence must be a certificate of currency for public liability insurance.
It must state that it complies with all requirements of the relevant Victorian Insurance Ministerial Order.
For further information about insurance, see Plumbing Insurance Requirements. Applicants seeking registration only are not required to provide insurance evidence.
Find out more about the differences between these accreditation types at 'Which registration or licence do I need?'
Please submit your completed Mutual Recognition application (with all required attachments) by emailing us at plumbingreg@bpc.vic.gov.au.
Applications submitted sent via email must be in PDF format (all pages in a single document) and not as an image file.
Once you apply, we will contact the interstate or New Zealand regulator you are registered or licensed with to verify the information provided in your application.
We may ask you for further information via email about the information contained in your application.
To avoid delays, please complete the application correctly and attach all necessary documentation.
You will receive a decision letter from us email. This letter will advise the classes of registration that have been recognised, the level of accreditation (registration or licence) and any conditions imposed (if applicable).
You will receive a copy of your Practitioner card in the post within 3 to 4 weeks. Your accreditation details will also appear on the find and check a practitioner register.
Once your accreditation is recognised, the Building Act 1993 and its Regulations govern your conduct as a plumbing practitioner in Victoria and your ongoing eligibility to work in the Victorian plumbing industry. You should familiarise yourself with your ongoing obligations and registration/licensing requirements in Victoria.
We may impose conditions on your accreditation to achieve an equivalent accreditation in Victoria.
If you disagree with the conditions imposed, you can apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review of the decision to impose those conditions.
We may postpone or refuse your accreditation if:
If we refuse your application, you can apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review of the decision.
You will be required to pay an application fee at the time of submitting your application, unless your application is eligible for fee exemption. The application fee is non-refundable.
If your accreditation is recognised in Victoria, you will be required to pay a registration or licence fee before we can grant your application. This fee is in addition to your application fee.
See plumbing fees for more information.
As a transitional measure, we will exempt the Mutual Recognition application and accreditation fees for applicants who cannot participate in the Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) scheme due to an AMR exemption.
To be eligible for a fee exemption, you must be an interstate plumbing practitioner who:
This is a once-off fee exemption and will not apply to subsequent fees associated with maintaining the registration or licence. This exemption will be reviewed at the end of the AMR exemption period.
See Automatic Mutual Recognition for more information on occupations that are exempt from the AMR scheme.
