Compare licensing rules
Pick up to three states or countries to see their rules side by side.
| Australia | |
|---|---|
| Status | Licence required |
| Regulator | State and territory regulators, e.g. NSW Police Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED) |
| Who holds the licence | Individuals and agencies |
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Training | Certificate III in Investigative Services (CPP30619) in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA (Victoria recommends 170 face-to-face hours) |
| Fees | Queensland (single function, unrestricted class 1): $376.20 for 1 year or $744.60 for 3 years, plus fingerprinting $113.30 and criminal history check $47.35. NSW Class 2 operative licence $160 (1 year), $400 (3 years), $640 (5 years) plus $40 fingerprinting, per an older SLED fact sheet |
| Processing time | Queensland: usually 4 to 6 weeks (Office of Fair Trading) |
| Renewal | Queensland: 1 or 3 years; WA: 3 years; NSW operative licences: 1, 3 or 5 years |
| Reciprocity | Interstate licence holders can use mutual recognition; WA offers a temporary licence of up to one year to equivalent interstate licensees. |
| Recording calls | Depends on the setting |
| GPS trackers | State surveillance devices laws restrict installing a tracking device without the consent of the person or vehicle owner (e.g. Surveillance Devices Act 2007 NSW). |
Reference information, not legal advice. Each profile lists its sources and the date it was checked.