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Australian Securities and Investments Commission

Australia authorised representative appointment pack

A practical evidence pack map for appointing, maintaining, supervising, sub-authorising, and ceasing authorised representatives under an AFSL, including ASIC Connect, register checks, relevant-provider overlays, and 30-business-day notifications.

Route focus

An authorised representative appointment pack should prove who is authorised, which financial services are covered, whether sub-authorisation is allowed, how ASIC is notified, how the public register is checked, and when FAR appointment/registration or professional standards also apply.

Who this helps

  • - AFS licensees appointing individuals, companies, partnerships, or trustee groups as authorised representatives
  • - Authorised representative candidates checking what the appointment does and does not permit
  • - Corporate authorised representatives sub-authorising directors or employees
  • - Compliance teams maintaining Authorised Representatives Register and FAR records

Licence scope

  • - Decide whether the person or entity needs its own AFSL, authorised representative status, employee/director representative treatment, relevant-provider/FAR appointment, or a combination.
  • - Map the specified financial services, products, client types, locations, adviser names, representative numbers, sub-authorisation permissions, and licensee authorisations.
  • - Separate authorised representative appointment from AFSL grant, responsible manager evidence, relevant-provider professional standards, ASIC registration, and RG 146 training.
  • - Design supervision around the actual service: advice, dealing, fund distribution, general advice, referral, corporate authorised representative activity, or retail personal advice.

Pre-draft questions

  • - Is the appointee an individual, body corporate, partnership, trustee group, employee/director, licensee, or related-body-corporate arrangement?
  • - Which financial services and products will be specified in the written authorisation, and do they stay within the licensee's AFSL authorisations?
  • - Will the authorised representative be allowed to sub-authorise, and if so which individuals need sub-authorisation and supervision?
  • - Does any individual also provide personal advice to retail clients on relevant financial products, requiring FAR appointment and separate ASIC registration before advice?
  • - Who owns ASIC Connect appointment, maintain, cease, fee, register-verification, complaint, incident, and offboarding controls?

Evidence pack

Appointment authority

  • - Written authorisation file covering appointee identity, ABN/ACN where relevant, representative number, financial services, products, client types, effective date, limits, sub-authorisation consent, and revocation rights.
  • - AFSL scope tie-out showing that the authorised representative's services do not exceed the licensee's authorisations, licence conditions, product scope, or retail/wholesale limits.
  • - Employee/director versus authorised representative memo, including partnership, trustee group, insurer-binder, and multiple-licensee consent questions where relevant.

ASIC Connect and registers

  • - ASIC Connect account, ASIC key, linked AFSL, appoint transaction, fee plan, 30-business-day notification owner, maintain transaction owner, and cease transaction owner.
  • - Professional Registers Search verification after appointment, update, or cessation, including authorised representative number, authorised services, licensee, sub-authorisation status, and public-facing details.
  • - FAR overlay for relevant providers: representative number, FAR appointment, separate ASIC registration, products authorised, qualifications/training fields, and register checks.

Supervision and operating controls

  • - Due diligence file covering fit and proper, competence/training, conflicts, complaint history, outside activities, insurance/compensation arrangements, cybersecurity, records, and financial promotions.
  • - Supervision plan for advice files, general advice scripts, dealing/distribution workflow, complaints, breach reporting, marketing approvals, product scope, and client communications.
  • - Offboarding plan for revocation, cease transaction, client handover, record retention, website changes, register checks, and relevant-provider registration cessation where applicable.

People and governance

  • - An authorised representative acts under the licensee's AFSL; it is not the same as holding a separate AFSL.
  • - Employees and directors of the licensee are representatives but may not need authorised representative appointment; retail personal advice can still require FAR appointment and ASIC registration.
  • - A body corporate authorised representative will usually need to sub-authorise directors and employees before they provide financial services.
  • - The licensee should supervise the representative's actual work, not just record the appointment in ASIC Connect.

Forms and submission

  • - Use ASIC Connect to appoint, maintain, and cease authorised representatives and to appoint/register financial advisers where relevant.
  • - Notify ASIC within 30 business days of appointment, relevant detail changes, or cessation, and check the register after each transaction.
  • - If the representative is also a relevant provider, complete FAR appointment and separate ASIC registration before personal advice to retail clients begins.

Timeline risks

  • - A late or inaccurate appointment/update/cessation can leave public-register records wrong and create licensee supervision issues.
  • - Sub-authorisation limits, corporate appointee structures, multiple-licensee consent, and product-scope mismatches can delay launch.
  • - Relevant providers who are appointed but not separately registered cannot lawfully provide retail personal advice.

Questions to ask advisers

  • - Does the person need authorised representative status, relevant-provider status, both, or neither?
  • - Which written authorisation limits should be narrower than the licensee's full AFSL scope?
  • - What register checks prove the appointment, FAR status, products, and licensee relationship are visible and accurate?
  • - How will the licensee supervise complaints, advice quality, marketing, offboarding, and sub-authorised individuals?

Common mistakes

  • - Assuming an authorised representative has its own AFSL.
  • - Letting the representative provide services outside the licensee's authorisations or written appointment.
  • - Forgetting 30-business-day maintain or cease transactions after details change or authorisation ends.
  • - Checking only FAR when the Authorised Representatives Register also matters, or checking only the AR register when relevant-provider registration also matters.

Disclaimer

Information on LicenseCompare is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, financial, tax, investment, or professional advice. Licensing requirements depend on facts and change over time. Always consult official regulator materials and qualified professional advisers.