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Verifying a Victorian trade licence has one wrinkle no other state has: for interstate workers, there may be no card to check at all.
Under Automatic Mutual Recognition, an electrician licensed in another state notifies through ESVConnect and receives a Victorian licence number. No physical card is issued. If you are waiting to be shown one, you will wait indefinitely, and the person is legitimately licensed.
Verification in Victoria is against the register, always.
Verify the licence type. Victoria has eleven categories. The three that matter for most hires:
Also present: Licensed Electrical Inspector, Supervised Worker's licence, Electrician (Supervised) Worker's, Switchgear Worker's, Lineworker's, Employers of electrical workers registration (EMP), Spotter's registration, and the Occupier's licence, which is renewal-only.
For interstate candidates, check whether they came in under AMR or full Mutual Recognition. Queensland is a partial exception - only the A Grade equivalent uses AMR; other Queensland classes need a full application. New Zealand workers always need full Mutual Recognition.
And check for permanent relocation. Anyone moving to Victoria permanently must convert to a full Victorian licence. AMR covers someone whose principal place of work remains their home state. Most genuine interstate hires are relocations.
Verify registered or licensed. This is the Victorian distinction and it decides what the person can do for you.
A registered plumber can carry out work in their class. They cannot supervise apprentices or other plumbers, and they cannot issue compliance certificates. Registration lasts up to three years.
A licensed plumber can carry out work, design, supervise, and issue compliance certificates. Licences run 12 months and require insurance.
Verify the class. Seven main classes - drainage, gasfitting, mechanical service, roofing stormwater, sanitary, irrigation non-agricultural, water supply - plus specialised, restricted and additional classes including fire protection and refrigerated air-conditioning.
Note for HVAC employers: mechanical service and refrigerated air-conditioning are plumbing classes in Victoria. That work may need a plumbing credential on top of any refrigerant handling licence.
The regulator is now the Building and Plumbing Commission, which replaced the Victorian Building Authority. Older documentation still says VBA.
Same as everywhere - ARCtick is national. Verify the class against the work. RAC01 for commercial and industrial. RSS03 is split systems under 18kW only. Recovery licences are recovery only. And your business needs its own Refrigerant Trading Authorisation.
SAA accreditation, not CEC, since the scheme changed in 2024. Verify the type - Install, Design, Design & Install, or GCBS for batteries - and verify the underlying Victorian electrical licence separately.
HJ Recruitment verifies licences and tickets on every candidate before they reach a client shortlist.
Sources- Energy Safe Victoria - Electrical licence types- Energy Safe Victoria - Interstate electrical workers- Building and Plumbing Commission - Which registration or licence do I need- Building and Plumbing Commission - Plumber classes and categories
