This page is for two different people. If you are checking whether someone is registered, go straight to the official BPB public register. If you are an experienced builder or supervisor preparing your own NT application, you will need the right registration category plus the qualifications, projects, references and business documents required for it.
Are you checking a builder?
Use the official Public Register of Building Practitioners. You can search by registration number, name, company, suburb, category or status.
If you have the registration number, use it first. Otherwise, search the exact person or company name and narrow the results where needed.
Open the full record and check:
- the person or company name
- registration number
- category
- current status
- any scope or conditions shown
Do not rely only on a similar name in the search results. The register confirms the details and scope displayed on the record, but it may not settle whether a particular job is covered in every circumstance. If the full record is unclear or you cannot find the builder, check the spelling and filters, then confirm the position with the Building Practitioners Board, BPB.
Are you applying for your own NT registration?
The public register does not tell you whether your experience will be accepted for a new application. That is assessed separately by the BPB.
You may be an experienced residential builder moving to the NT, a supervisor ready to register in your own name or a business that needs the correct contractor arrangement. Start with three plain-English questions:
- Which residential or commercial building jobs do you plan to undertake?
- Are you applying as an individual or through a company?
- Do you already hold an interstate registration that may support mutual recognition?
Those answers help identify the right registration category and application form. NT options include individual and company applications, residential and commercial categories, restricted and unrestricted scopes and mutual recognition.
Show the projects and responsibility behind your experience
The BPB application material can ask for qualifications, practical experience, project details, references, declarations, insurance and business or financial information, depending on the category and applicant.
Useful project evidence explains:
- what was built and where
- when you worked on it
- what you personally managed, supervised or completed
- who can verify your role
- how the project relates to the registration sought
A general résumé that says “builder for ten years” does not show which type of work you carried out or what level of responsibility you held.
The current individual residential building contractor form asks for at least three years of relevant practical experience within the previous ten years, including at least one year in the NT. That is category-specific, not a rule for every NT application. Other categories and entity types may have different requirements, so use the current BPB form for your situation.
If you already hold an interstate registration
Mutual recognition may provide a different route, but interstate registration does not automatically transfer to every NT category or scope. The interstate registration, NT work scope, applicant details and current mutual-recognition form still need to line up.
Before starting a standard application, check whether your existing registration supports a mutual-recognition application. This can save you from preparing the wrong form and supporting documents.
A simple preparation list
- the building work and responsibility you want in the NT
- the likely individual, company or mutual-recognition application
- current qualifications and interstate registrations
- projects that show relevant practical experience
- people who can verify your role on those projects
- insurance, declarations and business information required by the current form
- consistent names, dates and work details across the application
The BPB makes the registration decision. Its forms, determinations and current guidance are the source of truth for the application requirements.
Prepare your own NT registration application
Builders Licence Success checks the likely NT category, helps describe the projects and responsibilities each referee can verify, identifies whether mutual recognition may apply and prepares the application material for lodgement.
Read the NT builder registration guide or see NT builder registration support for service details.
Moving an interstate registration to the NT or applying in your own name for the first time? Check your NT registration application. Tell BLS which registration you hold now, whether you are applying as an individual or company and which NT building category you need.
FAQ
Is the public register the same as applying for registration?
No. The register checks practitioners who already appear in the system. A new applicant must use the current BPB application process for the relevant category.
What if I cannot find a builder in the register?
Check the spelling, company name and filters. If the position remains unclear, contact the BPB rather than treating an unsuccessful search as the final answer.
Does interstate registration automatically transfer to the NT?
No. It may support mutual recognition, but the BPB assesses the application and determines the NT registration outcome.
Does BLS approve NT registration?
No. The NT Building Practitioners Board makes the final decision. BLS helps prepare the application and supporting documents.