Notifying ASIC of the appointment of an AFS authorised representative
This is Information Sheet 88 (INFO 88).
If you are an Australian financial services licensee (AFS licensee) or an authoriser appointing authorised representatives to provide financial services under section 916A or s916B of the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act), you must notify us within 30 business days of the appointment: see section 916F(1) of the Corporations Act and regulations 7.6.04AA and 7.6.08(1) of the Corporations Regulations 2001.
How can you notify us?
Notify us of the appointment of authorised representatives online using ASIC's Online services. When you lodge online, the information you submit is updated on the AFS Authorised Representatives Register immediately. This means that you can find out the ASIC number allocated to your authorised representatives straight away by searching our Professional Registers.
If you are a licensee appointing a sub-authorised representative
When you appoint an authorised representative, you must indicate whether the authorised representatives you have appointed are able to sub-authorise individuals to provide financial services on your behalf. If you do not notify us that they have your consent to sub-authorise, we will not accept any subsequent notifications of authorised representatives from them.
If you are an authoriser
If you are authorised by an AFS licensee to sub-authorise representatives, it is your responsibility to lodge the notice of appointment for the authorised representatives you appoint.
The licensee may lodge the form on your behalf, but they must specify your authorised representative number (allocated by ASIC) and ABN (if relevant).
You need not notify in some circumstances
Under section 916F (as modified by regulation 7.6.08(3)), you do not need to notify us of the appointment of your sub-authorised representatives if all of the following conditions are met:
they are your employees and included in a specified class of individuals that the licensee has consented to authorise under section 916B(5);
the financial services they are authorised to provide are limited to:
general advice on and/or dealing in general insurance products, cash management trust interests or basic deposit products and related non-cash payment facilities (see regulation 7.6.04A); and/or
personal advice on basic deposit products and related non-cash payment facilities; and
you provide information about them and their authorisation when requested.
Notifying of changes to authorised representatives
Any updates to an authorised representative's details or authorisation can be made using ASIC's Online services. You must notify us within 30 business days.
If you cease the appointment of an authorised representative, you must notify us using ASIC's Online services within 30 business days.
Important notice
Please note that this information sheet is a summary giving you basic information about a particular topic. It does not cover the whole of the relevant law regarding that topic, and it is not a substitute for professional advice. We encourage you to seek your own professional advice to find out how the applicable laws apply to you, as it is your responsibility to determine your obligations.
You should also note that because this information sheet avoids legal language wherever possible, it might include some generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases, your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.
Information sheets provide concise guidance on a specific process or compliance issue or an overview of detailed guidance.
This information sheet was reissued in April 2025.
