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Your guide to NSW forklift licence renewals

A current forklift and high-risk work licence are required to operate a forklift in NSW. Using a forklift is considered more dangerous than other kinds of work, and performing tasks can be more challenging than others. If you do not have the proper qualifications and experience, your safety and the safety of others could be at risk.

It’s essential to ensure your forklift licence in NSW is up-to-date so that you can continue to operate this heavy machinery safely. Here, we share our guide to NSW forklift licence renewal from how to apply, to what happens if you’ve let your licence expire.

How long does a forklift licence last in NSW?

Operating a forklift is considered high-risk work, meaning a high-risk work licence is required in NSW. Your licence will expire after five years and will need to be renewed if you want to continue working with a forklift (or completing any high-risk work).

You can renew your licence up to 12 months after it expires, but you cannot operate or drive a forklift with an expired licence. Like a standard driver’s licence, heavy penalties apply if caught operating a forklift with an expired licence.

You will receive email and SMS notifications up to six months before your licence is due for renewal.

The NSW forklift licence renewal process

You can renew your forklift licence online via Service NSW, so long as you have already been issued a high-risk work licence and it is not more than 12 months past the expiry date.

Here’s what you will need to renew your licence:

• A Service NSW account (if you don’t already have one, you can create one when you start your application).
• Two proof of identity documents (options include an Australian driver’s licence, a Medicare card, an Australian passport, an Australian birth certificate, an Australian citizenship certificate or travel visa, an Australian certificate of registration by descent, or an ImmiCard). You can save these documents to your Service NSW account for next time.
• Your licence number (if you have multiple high-risk work licences, use the one that displays the classes you want to renew).
• Your payment details.

The renewal process is simple and straightforward. Simply log in to your Service NSW account and follow the prompts to renew your high-risk work licence. You will receive a confirmation email once you’ve processed your payment and submitted your renewal application.

If your licence is more than 12 months out of date, you must be retrained and reassessed

To ensure you have the skills to operate a forklift safely and efficiently, you must be retrained and reassessed by a registered training organisation (RTO) if your licence is more than 12 months out of date. All Class Training is an RTO based in Newcastle, where you can regain your forklift qualifications in just two short days. We offer training at our dedicated site in Tomago, or our trainers can provide training on-site at your workplace (depending on your requirements and team numbers). Our site has been purpose-built for hands-on, practical training exercises, so you can relearn the skills you need to operate a forklift. We keep our courses up-to-date with the latest safety requirements and techniques, so you may even learn something new to add to your skill set — plus, we have a pass rate for students of over 99%. We’re committed to seeing you succeed.

View our course calendar and contact us at (02) 4964 9406 to book your training. We’ll help you regain your forklift licence in NSW.