Register as an inbound tourism operator
An inbound tour operator needs to register in order to work in Queensland. You must fill out the application for registration as an inbound tour operator form.
Registration criteria
You must register before you can sell Queensland travel packages. This includes selling to:
- wholesalers
- retailers
- corporate buyers from overseas.
You are considered to work as an inbound tour operator if:
- at least 20% of the travel packages you sold in the last 12 months were inbound tours
- you work as an individual or as part of a group or company.
You do not need to register if you:
- operate on a not-for-profit basis
- apply your profits to a community purpose, such as a charity
- sold less than 20% of your total travel packages over the last 12 months to inbound tourists
- work directly as a tour guide.
Even if you don’t need to register, you must still comply with all travel service laws.
Eligibility
To be eligible to register, you must:
- be 18 or older
- be a suitable person
- pass the required training courses.
Suitability
You are not suitable to register if you:
- are affected by bankruptcy action
- are an externally administered body corporate
- are currently disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
- have been convicted of a serious offence within the past 5 years.
We also consider if you:
- have a criminal history
- have been an executive officer of a corporation that has gone insolvent
- have been previously disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
- are disqualified from being a company director
- are allowed to work in Australia.
Serious offences
A serious offence is anything punishable by 3 or more years in prison, including:
- offences that relate to administering justice or public authority
- violent offences (including threats to use violence)
- fraud and dishonesty
- drug trafficking
- extortion
- arson
- unlawful stalking
- an offence of a sexual nature.
We look at offences under Queensland, interstate and federal laws.
Non-citizens
If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you need to:
- give us a certified copy of your passport
- have a visa that allows you to work in Australia.
If you have special conditions on your visa, you must give us a written statement:
- from an officer of the Department of Home Affairs
- that explains how the conditions affect your right to work.
Lodgement
You may only submit your form:
- in person
- by mail.
Identification
When you lodge the form, you will need to attach formal identification. These documents must be original or certified copies.
Your identification must be a certified copy of 1 of the following 4 documents:
- Birth certificate or extract
- Passport
- Driver’s licence
- Citizenship certificate
Fees
You will need to pay the required fees when you lodge your application.
Criminal history check
To confirm your suitability, we will submit your application for a criminal history check. This will be thorough and may be time consuming.
Processing time
The processing time is 4–6 weeks. This can take longer if your application is not complete. This might be because of:
- missing information
- unpaid fees.
We will contact you if you submitted an incomplete application. You will need to complete the application before we can proceed. Otherwise, we may withdraw your application.
Refunds
Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to a partial refund if:
- you withdraw your application
- we refuse your application.
You may also get a refund on the fee for your criminal history check if it hasn’t been started yet.
Training
There are no training requirements for this registration.