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Short answer: usually yes, with a notification rather than a new licence. But Queensland is specifically the state with an exception, and if the person is actually moving house the answer changes.
This matters commercially right now because of where the two markets sit. SEEK's data as at 1 September 2026 puts Brisbane electricians at $100,000-$120,000 and Melbourne at $85,000-$100,000. The traffic runs both ways: Victorian employers looking interstate for candidates, and Melbourne electricians looking north at a $20,000 gap.
Victoria participates in AMR. An electrical worker licensed in a participating jurisdiction does not need to obtain a separate Victorian licence to do the work they are already licensed for.
Notification is still mandatory. They register through ESVConnect or submit an AMR notification form. On approval they receive a Victorian licence number. No physical card is issued, which surprises people - there is nothing to photograph, so verification has to be done against the register rather than a card.
This is the part most summaries get wrong.
A Queensland A Grade equivalent can use AMR after notifying. That is the common case and it works.
Other Queensland licence types cannot. They need a full Mutual Recognition application through ESVConnect, with copies of the interstate credentials and prescribed fees.
Queensland has six worker licence classes - electrical mechanic, electrical fitter, electrical linesperson, electrical jointer, restricted electrical work, and the training permit. Only the one equivalent to Victorian A Grade takes the easy path.
Picture a Victorian employer who finds a strong Brisbane candidate and assumes AMR applies because "he's a licensed sparky in Queensland". If that candidate holds an electrical fitter licence rather than electrical mechanic, the assumption is wrong twice over - wrong about the AMR route, and wrong about the scope of work he can do at all.
Check the licence class first, then the recognition route.
AMR is built for someone whose principal place of work stays in their home state. Anyone relocating to Victoria permanently must convert to a full Victorian licence.
This is the one employers trip on, because a genuine interstate hire is almost always a relocation. If you are recruiting a Queensland electrician to move to Melbourne and work for you there, that is a conversion, not a notification. Build the time into your start date rather than discovering it in week one.
Not covered by AMR. Full Mutual Recognition application, with credentials and fees.
If you are the employer:
If you are the electrician:
Your licence travels further than you think, and the notification route is quick. But if you are moving states rather than travelling for work, you are converting, not notifying - and worth starting before you resign, not after.
HJ Recruitment places permanent electrical, plumbing, HVAC and refrigeration, fire and solar tradespeople across Australia, including interstate moves.
Sources- Energy Safe Victoria - Interstate electrical workers- WorkSafe Queensland - Classes of electrical licences- SEEK - Electrician salary, Brisbane
