Statements of Equivalence

Submit your application to NESA by mail or in person: 

• post: Replacement Certificates, NESA GPO Box 5300 Sydney NSW 2001
• visit: NSW Education Standards Authority Level 4, 117 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Office hours: 8.30am to 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.

We cannot accept applications via email.

If you are unable to submit the required certified documents with your application, please contact us to discuss your options:

• call: (02) 9367 8857
• email: replacement@nesa.nsw.edu.au

• A completed secondary equivalence application form (PDF 263.99KB).
• Certified proof of identity. If your name does not match the name on your education documents, you must also provide a certified change of name certificate or marriage certificate. Your identification should be one of the following:
  • passport
  • driver licence
  • proof of age card
  • birth certificate.
• Certified copies of the results and certificates for which you are seeking equivalence. If applicable, include certified copies of university degrees and transcripts.
• Certified copies of translations if the original documents are not in English.

If you are lodging your application in person, you can bring original documents and we will make the necessary copies. If you are applying by post, do not send original documents – post certified copies only.

Your copied documents need to be certified by a public officer or Justice of the Peace (JP) as being a true and correct copy of the original document.

A public officer is someone from the following occupations: judge, barrister, solicitor, police officer, postal manager, medical practitioner, principal of an Australian secondary college, high school or primary school.

Your document copy must be certified in Australia, and show the:

• certifier's full name
• JP identification number, professional number or business details of the certifier
• date and signature of the public officer or JP.

The fee for a statement of equivalence is $174. You can pay by:

• cash (if attending in person)
• bank cheque
• money order
• Visa or MasterCard – complete the credit card details on the application form.

We cannot accept personal cheques.

Once we have received your documents and payment, your statement of equivalence will be ready to post or collect within 15 working days.

Note: We aim to process your application as quickly as possible, however, it may take up to 15 working days.

Delays will occur if your required documents are missing/incomplete or not certified.

Yes. You can nominate a person to collect your statement from our Clarence Street office. Your nominated person will need to provide written confirmation from you together with their photo identification. Your written confirmation will need to include your full name and their full name, allowing them to collect your statement on your behalf.

Yes, if you indicate on your application that you would like a PDF copy, we will send it to your nominated email address. You will receive your original equivalency statement via post/collection (as per your application form).

No. Equivalency statements are sent using standard Australia Post service. Delivery is 3 to 5 business days within NSW and 4 to 7 business days for interstate.

No, we post within Australia only.

Please ensure the address on your application is within Australia. Alternatively, you can collect your equivalency statement on completion from our Clarence Street office.

Rebates only apply for pensioners with a Health Benefit Card or those with an equivalent income who are under financial hardship. You can find out more about this on the back of the application form.

Yes, you need all documents translated to English. You need to provide certified copies of your school certificate and transcript, plus a certified copy of your translated documents.

Certified translated documents must be made by a translation service accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Yes, we can review your university degree and transcript, however, we only provide equivalence up to NSW Year 12.

If you need a statement of equivalence to apply to university, please contact the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) on (02) 9752 0200 directly.

Other services related to qualification assessment are below:

• Applying for matriculation or university entrance 
  Contact the institution where you wish to study, or contact UAC on (02) 9752 0200
• Tertiary qualification assessment 
  Contact the Department of Education on 1300 615 262
• Interstate and overseas trade qualification assessment 
  Contact Training Services NSW on 13 28 11
• Overseas occupational and professional qualifications assessment advice 
  Contact the Department of Education on 1300 615 262
• Assessment of accountancy qualifications 
  Contact CPA Australia on 1300 73 73 73 or (outside Australia) on +61 3 7034 9770
• Teaching qualifications assessment 
  For eligibility of employment as a teacher in NSW Government schools Contact Teacher Accreditation at NESA
  • call: 1300 739 338 (within Australia) or +61 2 9268 6300 (outside Australia)
  • email: initialaccreditation@nesa.nsw.edu.au
  • post: Teachers Accreditation, NESA, GPO Box 5300, Sydney NSW 2001