GENERALGLOSSARY OF TERMS
ACCESSING MY REGISTRATION
LODGING A RENEWAL AND / OR CHANGES
FEES AND ONLINE PAYMENTS
NOTIFICATION OF THE OUTCOME OF MY LODGEMENT
SAVED TRANSACTIONS
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR REGISTRATIONS
SECURITY
PLANS FOR LICENSING SERVICES IN NSW
This Web site is the first phase in the delivery of a NSW Government initiative to provide comprehensive online services for NSW Government licences, registrations, certificates and permits. This Web site will allow online lodgement of renewals and change of particulars for:
The option to include registering a new business name on the Web site will be assessed in the later phases of this project. To register a Business Name you must complete and lodge an Application for Registration of a Business Name form. If the application form is lodged at a Fair Trading Centre (office hours are 8.30 am to 5.00 pm) registration is generally completed on the spot. If the application form is lodged through the mail there is approximately a 5 to 10 day waiting period until you receive a Certificate of Registration.
Renewals and other changes not involving the name of the proprietor can be lodged online, all other changes must be made on the appropriate paper form. Applications for Registration and Change to proprietors will be included in later phases of this project.
It is compulsory for proprietors to notify the Office of Fair Trading of any changes in the proprietor details of a business name within one month of the change occurring. To do so complete and lodge an Application to Change Persons Form. All ceasing, commencing and continuing proprietors must sign the form. There is no fee to lodge this form. A certificate showing the new details will be issued after the form is received and processed by the Office of Fair Trading.
Paper forms are available at Fair Trading Centres or forms can be downloaded from the Business Licence Information Service (BLIS) Web site that is accessible from the Related Sites page in this Web site.
The Contact Us page on this Web site contains the contact details for help and the option to send an email message to the Office of Fair Trading for help.
As close as possible to 24 hours a day.
As a first time user you will need to create a Username and password, using a reference number provided by the Office of Fair Trading.
You will receive a reference number on the renewal form mailed to you by the Office of Fair Trading. You may also request a reference number to be mailed to you by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page on this Web site.
In the interests of your security, the Office of Fair Trading will mail the reference number to you. Generally you can expect to receive the reference number within five working days. If there appears to be an undue delay please contact the Office of Fair Trading by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page on this Web site.
The reference number can only be used once. It is made obsolete after you have used it to log on to the Web site.
Select the Logon menu item, logon with the first time option and create a username and password. You will need a reference number and business name registration number to logon as a first time user. You will receive a reference number on the renewal form mailed to you by the Office of Fair Trading. You may also request a reference number to be mailed to you by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page on this Web site.
If you have just received your renewal and have not used the reference number to set up a user name, then use the reference number provided on the renewal form to logon to this Web site. You may also request a reference number to be mailed to you by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page on this Web site. After obtaining your reference number, choose the Logon Link Tab and enter the information requested on the page to logon to this Web site.
When logging on, click the Forgot Password button and provide correct answers to the question that will be asked. You will then be able to create a new password.
You will need a current reference number for each registration or licence that you wish to link to your Username. Enter your username and password. Select Link Licence/Registration. Enter the Registration & Reference Number.
You should logon using the Username.
Contact the Office of Fair Trading by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page on this Web site.
Yes. More than one registration can be lodged in one session. From April 2003 you will be able to make one payment for multiple lodgements.
Renewals can be lodged online approximately eight weeks prior to the renewal date. If more than three months have elapsed since the renewal date then contact the Office of Fair Trading by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page on this Web site.
The Web site will offer a renewal option from a date approximately eight weeks prior to the registration renewal date. A renewal option will not be offered if a renewal is already processed or being processed by the Office of Fair Trading or if the registration is not current.
Yes. A renewal and a change to particulars can be lodged at the same time.
The renewal form is printed and mailed out up to eight weeks prior to the renewal date. If a change of particulars or a renewal is lodged subsequent to the printing of the renewal form then the registration details on the Web site can be different to the details on the renewal form.
No, please follow the instructions in the letter from the Office of Fair Trading.
The approved changes will be shown online after the Office of Fair Trading has processed the lodgement. For Business Name Registrations the processing time is within 5 working days if all information has been provided.
You can visit the Office of Fair Trading Web site using the Related Sites link on this Web site for a complete list of licence fees.
The fee for lodgement online is the prescribed fee less a discount. The discount is 10% of the processing fee component or $5 whichever is the greater amount.
Visa, MasterCard and Bankcard.
The settlement date will be the same day that the payment was made up to 6 pm or else after 6 pm the settlement date will be the following day. The payment will appear on your credit card statement based on the settlement date and your credit card statement start and end dates.
The ANZ receipt number for your payment is displayed on the Payment Confirmation page after your payment has been accepted. If you wish to find out the ANZ receipt number for your credit card payment then contact the Office of Fair Trading by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page.
In the first instance, contact your credit card provider.
Online payments can be reversed in the usual way by contacting your credit card provider. If you reverse the payment that you have made online, the renewal and/or change in particulars made in relation to that credit card transaction may also be reversed. This could have implications for the continuation of your registration.
The receipt for your online payment is the ANZ receipt number and details as shown on the Payment Confirmation page.
If the application for renewal is not granted all but the processing fee component is refunded. The refund may be provided by sending a cheque to the proprietor or by issuing a credit amount to the credit card that made the online payment.
No. A pro-rata refund is not provided if you cease before the registration expiry date.
No. You cannot pay in instalments or part payments.
Yes. The Web site is accessible when you are overseas and you can pay using a credit card that is acceptable for the payment.
Multiple clicks on the “Pay Now” button will be ignored while your payment is being processed.
A certificate of registration for a renewal that was lodged online will be posted within 5 working days of the lodgement if all information has been provided.
You will know the outcome of your lodgement within 5 working days of the online lodgement if all information has been provided.
If you lodge online then your registration certificate will be mailed to you. You cannot print a certificate online or download your certificate from the Web site.
You are able to save your renewal and or changes to particulars then pay and lodge them at a later time.
This Web site works best with a minimum of Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 4.7 browser.
Change your browser print setting to Landscape.
Any information that you have entered on the Web site will be saved for you to resume at a later time.
A cookie is a very small text file that can be downloaded automatically to your machine when you access a Web site. Cookies are typically used to personalise a Web site and can therefore store some personal information. In the interests of ensuring the protection of your personal privacy, this Web site has followed the policy of not using cookies for any reason.
Under the Business Names Act 2002, if you conduct business under a name other than your own name the name you use is required to be registered. This enables the Office of Fair Trading to maintain a public register of registered businesses within NSW so that consumers may obtain information on the ownership and other details of businesses with which they deal.
No. The registration only covers N.S.W.
3 years.
Approximately eight weeks before the business name is due to be renewed, Fair Trading will issue a renewal to the nominated proprietor at their Address for Service of Notices. If the renewal is not lodged one month after the expiry date a Expiry Notice is sent to the same address. The business name can be renewed by accessing this Web site or by lodging the signed Renewal/Expiry Notice with the prescribed fee by mail or over the counter. If the business name has not been renewed it will be removed from the register three months after the expiry date of the registration.
You must complete and lodge a Form 5 - Application to Cancel Registration of a Business Name. There is no fee required to lodge this form.
The personal details you enter on this Web site in the User Profile page are secure. The User Profile details are used by the Username you have created to record the lodging party for online lodgement.
The business name details that include your full name and residential address are available on the Web site only to the Username that you create. The business name details are also recorded on the Office of Fair Trading’s Public Register. Any person can search the Public Register by lodging an application and paying the prescribed fee.
This Web site uses a well established online payment mechanism provided by ANZ called eGate. The Office of Fair Trading and the NSW Government do not keep a record of the credit card details used for online payments on this Web site.
The padlock indicates that the Web site is in a secure session using Secure Socket Layer 128 bit encryption technology.
After logging on you can select the Change Password menu option to change your password.
You should not disclose your reference number, username or password to any other person. You will be responsible for any transactions made on your registration record using your reference number, username or password.
After logging on you can select the Change User Profile menu option to change your User Profile details.
No. The Username you have created uses the User Profile details for recording the lodging party for online lodgement. You must change the details on your registration by entering the changes in the Web pages that display the registration details.
Contact the Office of Fair Trading by telephoning the relevant number provided on the Contact Us page.
This Web site is the first phase in the delivery of a NSW Government initiative to provide comprehensive online services for NSW Government licences, registrations, certificates and permits. Services for NSW business and occupational licence holders will come on line progressively, providing an additional option to traditional counter, telephone and postal services. You can visit the NSW Government Licensing Project using the Related Sites link on this Web site for further details.
ABN
Australian Business Number introduced by the Commonwealth Government to provide a unique
identifying number for the vast majority of businesses. It is an eleven-digit number and
is used for certain dealings with the ATO and other departments and agencies.
BANKING BUSINESS DAY
Means any day on which banks in Sydney are able to effect settlement through the Reserve
Bank of Australia.
PASSWORD
Password is a secret code required for accessing a Username and is set up by the creator
of the Username. A Password needs:
PERSON
Person includes an individual, a firm, a body corporate, an unincorporated association or
an authority.
REFERENCE NUMBER
Reference number is a unique number that is attached by the Office of Fair Trading to
a business name registration to enable a proprietor to logon to the Web site,
create a Username and password and renew and change certain particulars online for the
registration associated to the reference number. Reference numbers are provided on
registration renewal forms. Reference numbers can
also be requested from the Office of Fair Trading on an ad hoc basis.
UNAUTHORISED TRANSACTION
Means a transaction not authorised by the user. It does not include transactions carried
out by the user or by anyone performing a transaction with the user’s consent.
USER
Someone who uses a computer program.
USERNAME
Username is a code to enable renewals and changes to particulars for one or more
registration or licence on the Web site. To create a Username you need a reference number
associated to your registration. You will receive a reference number on the renewal form
mailed to you by the Office of Fair Trading. You may also request a
reference number to be mailed to you by telephoning the relevant number
provided on the Contact Us page. You initially logon as a first time user and create a
Username and password. A Username needs: