Before you start

AUSTRAC enrolment is done online at online.austrac.gov.au. It takes around 15–20 minutes if you have your information ready. You'll need:

📋 Who needs to enrol?

The licence holder or entity that provides the designated real estate service must enrol — not individual agents. If your agency is a company, the company enrols. If you're a sole trader with a real estate licence, you enrol as an individual. Franchise groups: each franchisee enrols separately.

Step-by-step enrolment process

  1. 1
    Go to online.austrac.gov.au Navigate to AUSTRAC's Online Portal and click "Enrol as a reporting entity." You'll need to create an account if you don't already have one. Use your business email address.
  2. 2
    Select your entity type Choose the structure that matches your agency — company, partnership, sole trader, or trust. This determines what information you need to provide about owners and controllers.
  3. 3
    Enter your business details Provide your ABN, legal business name, trading name (if different), and principal address. AUSTRAC will verify your ABN against the Australian Business Register.
  4. 4
    Select your designated services Under the service category list, select "Real estate services" — specifically the buying and selling of real property. Do not select property management or leasing as these are not designated services.
  5. 5
    Provide director / partner details List all directors (if a company) or partners (if a partnership). AUSTRAC requires names and contact details. This is part of AUSTRAC's own due diligence on reporting entities.
  6. 6
    Nominate your AML/CTF Compliance Officer This is the person responsible for your agency's AML compliance. For small agencies, this is typically the principal or director. You can update this person later if needed.
  7. 7
    Review and submit Review all details, tick the declarations, and submit. You'll receive a confirmation email and an AUSTRAC reporting entity number. Keep this — you'll need it for your compliance records.
✅ After enrolment

Enrolment is just the first step. By 1 July 2026 you also need a completed risk assessment, a written AML/CTF program, and trained staff. Use SimpleAML's free app to track all of this in one place.

Key deadlines

Enrolment opened: 31 March 2026

Obligations commence: 1 July 2026 — you should be enrolled and compliant by this date

Final enrolment deadline: 29 July 2026 — this is the last day to enrol without being in breach, but don't wait until then

What if I miss the deadline?

Failing to enrol by 29 July 2026 means you are operating as an unregistered reporting entity — a serious breach of the AML/CTF Act. AUSTRAC has broad enforcement powers including civil penalties, enforceable undertakings, and referral for criminal prosecution. See our penalties guide for the full picture.

Common questions

Does each branch need to enrol separately?

No — the legal entity enrolls once, even if it operates multiple branches. However, your AML/CTF program should cover the operations of all branches.

Does my agency need to re-enrol each year?

No. Enrolment is ongoing. You do need to file an Annual Compliance Report (ACR) each year, starting in 2027 — but that's a separate process from enrolment.

I'm in a franchise group — do I enrol separately from the franchisor?

Yes. Each franchisee is an independent reporting entity and must enrol separately. Check with your franchisor about whether they are providing a group AML/CTF program template, but enrolment is always done by each legal entity individually.

Track your enrolment in SimpleAML

Once you've enrolled, log your AUSTRAC enrolment date and number in the free SimpleAML app. It tracks your full compliance checklist in one place.

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