Returning to NSW Real Estate After a Break: Licence and CPD

Coming back to real estate after parental leave, travel, illness or a stint doing something else is more common than you'd think, and the rules are simpler than they look. It mostly comes down to one thing: how long it's been since your licence expired. Under 3 months, you can usually restore it. After that you reapply, and once you're past 12 months the reapplication gets harder. Whatever the gap, you'll owe CPD for the year you come back into.

One thing to be clear on from the start: you can't work as an agent on an expired licence. Not listing, not showing, not negotiating, until your licence is current again.

This is general information drawn from Fair Trading, Service NSW and the legislation, so check your own situation with Fair Trading on 13 32 20. And if your licence is still current and just coming up for renewal, our renewal guide covers that.

First, check where your licence stands

Look yourself up on the public register, Verify NSW, to see your licence status and expiry date. Then count how long it's been since it expired, because that decides which path you're on.

Kept it current while you were away? Skip ahead to the CPD section.

Expired less than 3 months ago: restore it

Good news: this is the easy one. If your licence expired in the past 3 months, you can restore it online or at a Service NSW centre, using the details on your renewal form. Once restored, it's treated as restored from the day it expired.

It does cost more than renewing on time, because the processing fee is higher. For a 1-year Class 2 licence lodged online, a renewal is $426 and a restore is $508. Other classes and terms are on Fair Trading's fees page.

You can't work until the restore is granted. Hold off on listing, showing or negotiating until then. If you're not sure whether something is OK while your application is in, call Fair Trading before you do it.

To restore online, Service NSW says you need to have received a renewal notice from Fair Trading. Can't find it, or can't apply online? Call Fair Trading on 13 32 20. The rest of the paperwork is in our renewal guide.

Expired more than 3 months ago: you'll need to reapply

After 3 months, restoring isn't an option unless the Commissioner has extended the window for you. That can happen if missing the renewal was unintentional or restoring is a fair and just outcome. It's worth asking about if it fits, but don't count on it.

Otherwise you apply for a new licence through Service NSW's apply or reapply service, and new-licence fees apply ($589 online for a 1-year Class 2 licence). This is also your path if you surrendered your licence when you left, because a surrendered or cancelled licence can't be restored.

Build processing time into your start date. Fair Trading aims to issue new licences within 30 working days once it has everything it needs (renewals are 14), and it says it's currently receiving a large number of applications. You can't trade until your new licence is issued.

Within 12 months of expiry

This is the easy reapplication. If you held an unrestricted Class 2 licence within the 12 months before you apply, that alone qualifies you for a new one. The same goes for Class 1. No redoing the Certificate IV, no new logbook.

Fair Trading's checklist asks for your qualification certificates and transcripts, "including your continuing professional development (CPD) training from the previous year", plus the details of your previous licence. So dig out those CPD records before you start.

More than 12 months since expiry

This is the one people worry about, so here it is plainly. Once you're past 12 months, the "held a licence within 12 months" pathway no longer applies, and you need to meet one of the other pathways.

For Class 2, that means:

• having held a certificate of registration for at least 12 months
• the required Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice units
• the Class 2 work experience logbook tasks, completed over a 12-month period

For Class 1, it's 2 years on an unrestricted Class 2 licence, a Diploma of Property (Agency Management) and the Class 1 logbook completed over 2 years.

Whether your earlier certificate time, units and logbook still count is a case-by-case question the published pages don't answer. Call Fair Trading on 13 32 20 before you enrol in anything. And if you're getting close to the 12-month mark, apply now rather than next month.

Assistant agents: certificates work differently

If you're an assistant agent, your certificate of registration has its own rules. It's issued for 4 years and can't be renewed or restored. The idea is that you finish your qualifications and move up to a Class 2 licence within those 4 years.

If it expired before you made that move, you have to stop working as an assistant agent, and you can't apply for a new certificate until 12 months after it expired.

There is an exception, and it covers the kind of disruption that often takes people away in the first place. Fair Trading can grant an extension or restoration of up to 12 months if exceptional circumstances substantially disrupted your ability to finish your qualifications in the 12 months before expiry. Examples include a medical condition, being excluded from the industry for reasons beyond your control, or a disruption to your domestic arrangements.

To apply, you need to be enrolled in the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice, provide evidence and pay the fee. Apply within 3 months of expiry if you can; after that, you also have to explain the delay. You request the form by calling 13 32 20, and each application is assessed case by case. You can't work under the expired certificate while it's being assessed.

What CPD you owe when you come back

If you kept your licence current while you were away

CPD is a condition of holding a licence or certificate, and you complete it every CPD year (1 July to 30 June), whether or not you're working. The only relief is a written exemption from Fair Trading. There's no automatic pause for leave or time away.

For 2026–27, the CPD year runs 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Salespeople and buyer's agents need 7 hours of interactive training from an approved provider, covering 4 compulsory topics. (Other areas of practice have their own topics.) Our 2026–27 CPD requirements guide lists them. Extra CPD from an earlier year doesn't carry over as credit for licence holders.

If you're coming back partway through the CPD year

Coming back in October doesn't reduce what you owe for the year. There's no pro-rata.

The one exception, from Fair Trading's CPD page, is a licence or certificate that starts less than 90 days before the end of the CPD year. That includes one restored after being expired since 1 July. For 2026–27, that means on or after 1 April 2027, and it's exempt for that year. Fair Trading still expects you to keep your knowledge and skills up to date for the work you do.

For example: say your Class 2 licence lapsed in August and you restore it in October. It's treated as restored from the day it expired, so plan on doing the full 2026–27 CPD by 30 June 2027.

Assistant agents normally complete at least 3 Certificate IV units each CPD year. If your certificate starts, or is restored after being expired since 1 July, 3 to 9 months before the end of the year, the minimum is 1 unit.

Missed CPD can hold up getting your licence back

Under the Act, if you didn't meet a CPD condition of your licence, you don't have the qualifications needed to have it restored, unless Fair Trading decides otherwise in your case. So if you stepped away partway through a CPD year without finishing that year's CPD, sort it out or talk to Fair Trading before you apply.

Hang on to your old certificates of completion. Licence holders must keep CPD records for 3 years and certificate holders for 4. Our guide to keeping CPD evidence audit-ready shows a simple way to file them.

Getting your CPD done

Compulsory topics have to be interactive: face-to-face (up to 40 people) or an interactive webinar (up to 25), with an assessment. Self-paced online study on its own doesn't count. If you're juggling a return to work with family, a live webinar means no travel, and it still counts. More in can I complete NSW CPD online?

Coming back on a Class 1 licence? You also need a 5-hour Fair Trading accredited forum and, in most sales areas including residential sales and buyer's agency, AUSTRAC's AML/CTF course. See Class 1 vs Class 2.

A simple plan for your first week back

1. Check your status and expiry date on Verify NSW.
2. Work out your path: restore (under 3 months), reapply (3 to 12 months) or call Fair Trading (over 12 months, or an expired certificate).
3. Don't take on agency work until your licence or certificate is current.
4. Book this CPD year's compulsory topics and dig out last year's certificates of completion.
5. Tell your new principal or LIC where you're at so they can add you to the agency training plan.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to restore an expired real estate licence in NSW?

You can apply to restore it within 3 months of the expiry date, online or at a Service NSW centre. A restored licence is treated as restored from the day it expired. After 3 months you'll need to apply for a new licence, unless Fair Trading has extended the restore period for you.

What if my NSW real estate licence expired more than 12 months ago?

You can still apply for a new licence, but you can no longer qualify simply by having held one in the last 12 months. You'll need to show you meet the qualification and work experience requirements for the licence class, so call Fair Trading on 13 32 20 before you apply or enrol in any training.

Do I have to do CPD while I'm not working in real estate?

Yes, if your licence or certificate of registration is still current. CPD is a condition of holding it, and it applies every CPD year whether or not you're working. Fair Trading can exempt you in writing, but there's no automatic pause for leave or time away.

Do I need to complete the full year of CPD if I come back mid-year?

Usually, yes. There's no pro-rata reduction. The exception is a licence or certificate that starts, or is restored after being expired since 1 July, less than 90 days before the CPD year ends. For 2026–27 that means on or after 1 April 2027, and it's exempt for that year.

Can I restore an expired certificate of registration?

Generally, no. A certificate of registration lasts 4 years and can't be renewed or restored. The exception is an extension or restoration of up to 12 months if exceptional circumstances stopped you finishing your qualifications and you're enrolled in the Certificate IV. Otherwise you have to wait 12 months after expiry to apply for a new certificate.

Welcome back

If you're coming back within a year, this is mostly a paperwork and timing job, not a start-again one, as long as you move early. When you're ready to book this year's CPD, the next live intake details are on our CPD course page.