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Do I need to meet the qualifications standard?

Yes, you have untilÌý1 January 2026Ìýto meet the qualifications standard.

You can meet the qualifications standard by:

• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination
• attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination, or
• if you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway, making a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and providing your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to undertake further education and training.

A degree or qualification will be considered to have been completed by 1 January 2026 if you complete all of the course requirements beforeÌýthis date, even if the degree or qualification is conferred on or after this date.

You and your authorising AFS licensee are responsible for determining if your degree or qualification meets the qualifications standard.

Do I need to complete a professional year?

No, unless you have not met the qualifications standard byÌý1 January 2026, and you are a relevant provider immediately beforeÌý1 January 2026Ìý(i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025).

Can I provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products?

Yes, provided you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products and your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

To avoid contravening the law, you should check your authorisation status and your registration status before providing any personal advice to retail clients in relation to relevant financial products. You can check these details on the .

If you have not met the qualifications standard byÌý1 January 2026, and you are a relevant provider immediately beforeÌý1 January 2026Ìý(i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025), your authorisation as a relevant provider ceases by operation of law and you cannot provide personal advice fromÌý1 January 2026. You can be reauthorised to provide unsupervised personal advice once:

• you meet the qualifications standard by:
• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination, or
• if you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway but failed to make a written declaration before 1 January 2026, making a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and providing your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to complete further education and training
• you complete the professional year, unless you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway in which case you can make a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and provide your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to complete the professional year
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

If you have not met the qualifications standard by 1 January 2026 and you are a relevant provider immediately before 1 January 2026 (i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025), you cannot meet the qualifications standard from 1 January 2026 by attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination.

Note: Where you are required to complete a professional year, your ‘appointment type’ on the Financial Advisers Register must be changed from ‘provisional relevant provider’ to ‘relevant provider’ at the completion of your professional year. Your authorising AFS licensee can do this by lodging a ‘maintain’ transaction usingÌýASIC’s online services. Your AFS licensee can then apply to register you as a relevant provider with ASIC. Once ½ñÈÕÈÈÃÅʼþhas approved your registration and updated the Financial Advisers Register, you can provide personal advice to retail clients in relation to relevant financial products. You can check your authorisation status and registration status on the . To avoid contravening the law, you should check these details before providing any personal advice.

If you have not met the qualifications standard by 1 January 2026, and you are not a relevant provider immediately before 1 January 2026 (i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice ceases on or before 31 December 2025), you can provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products once:

• you meet the qualifications standard by:
• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination,
• attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination, or
• if you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway, making a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and providing your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to undertake further education and training
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

Do I need to sit the exam?

Yes, you must sit and pass the exam. You can sit the exam at any time.

Do I need to meet the qualifications standard?

Yes, on the exam cut-off day that applies to you, your authorisation as a relevant provider ceased by operation of law.

You cannot be authorised to provide personal advice to retail clients until you have, among other things, completed a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination.

You and your authorising AFS licensee are responsible for determining if your degree or qualification meets the qualifications standard.

You cannot meet the qualifications standard by:

• attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination, or
• relying on the experienced provider pathway.

Do I need to complete a professional year?

Yes, you cannot be authorised to provide personal advice until you have, among other things, completed the professional year.

You are not eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway as an alternative to completing the professional year.

You can commence the third quarter of the professional year once you:

• complete a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination
• pass the exam
• complete the first and second quarters of the professional year, and
• are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice.

Your authorising AFS licensee should appoint you to the Financial Advisers Register as a ‘provisional relevant provider’ once you commence the third quarter of the professional year.

Can I provide unsupervised personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products?

No, you can only provide unsupervised personal advice once:

• you complete a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination
• you pass the exam
• you complete the professional year
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

Note: Your ‘appointment type’ on the Financial Advisers Register must be changed from ‘provisional relevant provider’ to ‘relevant provider’ before your AFS licensee can apply to register you with ASIC. Your authorising AFS licensee can do this by lodging a ‘maintain’ transaction usingÌýASIC’s online services. You can check your authorisation status and your registration status on the . To avoid contravening the law, you should check these details before providing any personal advice to retail clients in relation to relevant financial products.

Do I need to sit the exam?

Yes, you must sit and pass the exam before you can become a relevant provider again. You can sit the exam at any time.

Do I need to meet the qualifications standard?

Once you have passed the exam, you can be authorised to provide personal advice and you have untilÌý1 January 2026Ìýto meet the qualifications standard.

You can meet the qualifications standard by:

• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination
• attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination, or
• if you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway, making a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and providing your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to undertake further education and training.

A degree or qualification will be considered to have been completed by 1 January 2026 if you complete all of the course requirements before this date, even if the degree or qualification is conferred on or after this date.

You and your authorising AFS licensee are responsible for determining if your degree or qualification meets the qualifications standard.

Do I need to complete a professional year?

No, unless you have not met the qualifications standard byÌý1 January 2026, and you are a relevant provider immediately beforeÌý1 January 2026Ìý(i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025).

Can I provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products?

You can provide personal advice to retail clients once:

• you pass the exam
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

Note: You must be appointed to the Financial Advisers Register as a ‘relevant provider’ before your AFS licensee can apply to register you with ASIC. You can check your authorisation status and your registration status on the . To avoid contravening the law, you should check these details before providing any personal advice to retail clients in relation to relevant financial products.

However, if you have not met the qualifications standard byÌý1 January 2026, and you are a relevant provider immediately beforeÌý1 January 2026Ìý(i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025), your authorisation as a relevant provider ceases by operation of law and you cannot provide personal advice fromÌý1 January 2026. You can be reauthorised to provide unsupervised personal advice once:

• you meet the qualifications standard by:
• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination, or
• if you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway but failed to make a written declaration before 1 January 2026, making a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and providing your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to undertake further education and training
• you complete the professional year, unless you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway in which case you can make a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and provide your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to complete the professional year
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

If you have not met the qualifications standard by 1 January 2026 and you are a relevant provider immediately before 1 January 2026 (i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025), you cannot meet the qualifications standard from 1 January 2026 by attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination.

Note: Where you are required to complete a professional year, your ‘appointment type’ on the Financial Advisers Register must be changed from ‘provisional relevant provider’ to ‘relevant provider’ at the completion of your professional year. Your authorising AFS licensee can do this by lodging a ‘maintain’ transaction usingÌýASIC’s online services. Your AFS licensee can then apply to register you as a relevant provider with ASIC. Once ½ñÈÕÈÈÃÅʼþhas approved your registration and updated the Financial Advisers Register, you can provide personal advice to retail clients in relation to relevant financial products. You can check your authorisation status and registration status on the . To avoid contravening the law, you should check these details before providing any personal advice.

If you have not met the qualifications standard by 1 January 2026, and you are not a relevant provider immediately before 1 January 2026 (i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice ceases on or before 31 December 2025), you can provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products once:

• you pass the exam
• you meet the qualifications standard by:
• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination,
• attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination, or
• if you are eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway but failed to make a written declaration before 1 January 2026, making a written declaration confirming that you satisfy the definition of ‘experienced provider’ and providing your AFS licensee(s) with a copy as soon as practicable to rely on the experienced provider pathway without needing to undertake further education and training
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

Do I need to sit the exam?

Yes, you must sit and pass the exam before you can become a relevant provider in Australia. You can sit the exam at any time.

Do I need to meet the qualifications standard?

Once you have passed the exam, you can be authorised to provide personal advice to retail clients and you have untilÌý1 January 2026Ìýto meet the qualifications standard.

You can meet the qualifications standard by:

• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination, or
• attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination.

A degree or qualification will be considered to have been completed by 1 January 2026 if you complete all of the course requirements before this date, even if the degree or qualification is conferred on or after this date.

You can apply to Treasury to have any foreign qualification you hold counted towards the qualifications standard.

You are not eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway to meet the qualifications standard.

Do I need to complete a professional year?

No, unless you have not met the qualifications standard byÌý1 January 2026, and you are a relevant provider immediately beforeÌý1 January 2026Ìý(i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025).

You are not eligible to rely on the experienced provider pathway as an alternative to completing the professional year.

Can I provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products?

You can provide personal advice once:

• you pass the exam
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

Note: You must be appointed to the Financial Advisers Register by an AFS licensee as a ‘relevant provider’ before your AFS licensee can apply to register you with ASIC.

However, if you have not met the qualifications standardÌýbyÌý1 January 2026, and you are a relevant provider immediately beforeÌý1 January 2026Ìý(i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025), your authorisation as a relevant provider ceases by operation of law and you cannot provide personal advice fromÌý1 January 2026. You can only be reauthorised to provide unsupervised personal advice once:

• you meet the qualifications standard by completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination
• you complete the professional year
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

If you have not met the qualifications standard by 1 January 2026 and you are a relevant provider immediately before 1 January 2026 (i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice did not cease on or beforeÌý31 December 2025), you cannot meet the qualifications standard from 1 January 2026 by attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination. You are also ineligible to meet the qualifications standard or the professional year standard by relying on the experienced provider pathway.

Note: Your ‘appointment type’ on the Financial Advisers Register must be changed from ‘provisional relevant provider’ to ‘relevant provider’ at the completion of your professional year. Your authorising AFS licensee can do this by lodging a ‘maintain’ transaction usingÌýASIC’s online services. Your AFS licensee can then apply to register you as a relevant provider with ASIC. Once ½ñÈÕÈÈÃÅʼþhas approved your registration and updated the Financial Advisers Register, you can provide personal advice to retail clients in relation to relevant financial products. You can check your authorisation status and registration status on the . To avoid contravening the law, you should check these details before providing any personal advice.

If you have not met the qualifications standard by 1 January 2026, and you are not a relevant provider immediately before 1 January 2026 (i.e. your authorisation to provide personal advice ceases on or before 31 December 2025), you can provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products once:

• you pass the exam
• you meet the qualifications standard by:
• completing a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination, or
• attaining qualifications that are equivalent to the education and training standard via an existing provider pathway as set out in Part 3 of the Determination
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

You can apply to Treasury to have any foreign qualification you hold counted towards the qualifications standard.

Do I need to sit the exam?

Yes, you must sit and pass the exam before you can become a relevant provider in Australia. You can sit the exam at any time.

Do I need to meet the qualifications standard?

Yes, you must complete an approved degree or qualification to be eligible to be a relevant provider, but this does not have to be completed before sitting the exam.

You can apply to Treasury for your qualifications to be assessed, but the assessment will not change the requirement to complete an Australian bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination.

You can enrol in an approved Australian qualification and have your qualifications assessed by your higher education provider for recognition of prior learning (advanced standing) as part of your enrolment.

Do I need to complete a professional year?

Yes,Ìýyou must complete a professional year to be eligible to provide unsupervised personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products.

You can commence the third quarter of the professional year once you:

• complete a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination
• pass the exam
• complete the first and second quarters of the professional year, and
• are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice.

Your authorising AFS licensee should appoint you to the Financial Advisers Register as a ‘provisional relevant provider’ once you commence the third quarter of the professional year.

Can I provide unsupervised personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products?

No, you can only provide unsupervised personal advice once:

• you complete a bachelor or higher degree, or equivalent qualification, approved by the Minister as set out in Schedule 1 of the Determination
• you pass the exam
• you complete the professional year
• you are authorised by an AFS licensee to provide personal advice, and
• your application for registration is approved by ASIC.

Note: Your ‘appointment type’ on the Financial Advisers Register must be changed from ‘provisional relevant provider’ to ‘relevant provider’ at the completion of your professional year. Your authorising AFS licensee can do this by lodging a ‘maintain’ transaction usingÌý. Your AFS licensee can then apply to register you as a relevant provider with ASIC. Once ½ñÈÕÈÈÃÅʼþhas approved your registration and updated the Financial Advisers Register, you can provide personal advice to retail clients in relation to relevant financial products. You can check your authorisation status and registration status on the . To avoid contravening the law, you should check these details before providing any personal advice.