Renewal of registration

Teachers who hold full registration are required to make an application each year to renew their registration. This includes completing renewal modules – professional learning and professional practice – and making declarations regarding suitability to teach. If this applies to you, the modules will show in your MyVIT account.

Teachers with full registration have demonstrated that their professional practice against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) at the proficient level. To maintain full registration, you are required to renew your registration annually. 

To successfully renew your registration, you will need to make declarations

• that you have practised for at least 20 days as a teacher / educational leader (or undertaken equivalent practice)
• that you have completed at least 20 hours of professional learning activity that references the APST.

Read more about renewal and understanding the professional learning requirements.

If you do not complete your annual registration requirements by 30 September, a late fee will be applied and you will be given a three-month grace period until 31 December to complete your tasks. During this time, you will remain registered and able to work as a teacher in a Victorian school or as an early childhood teacher in an early childhood service while you hold registration (other than non-practising).

If you do not complete your annual registration requirements by 31 December, you will be removed from the Register of teachers (either by expiry or suspension). If this occurs, you will not be able to work as a teacher in a Victorian school or as an early childhood teacher in an early childhood service.

If you have an expiry date later than 31 December and fail to complete your annual registration requirements, you will be suspended and you will be removed from the register of teachers. 

This could apply to you if you hold permission to teach (PTT) or provisional registration.

If you are suspended, you cannot undertake the duties of a teacher. You can apply to have the suspension revoked through your MyVIT account if you complete the outstanding requirements and provide a satisfactory written explanation for your failure to complete these by the due date.

If you have an expiry date before 31 December and fail to complete your annual registration tasks, your registration will expire and you will be removed from the Register of teachers.

If you have been removed from the register and you wish to resume teaching you will need to log into your MyVIT account to re-apply for registration (and meet all the current registration requirements). You will not be able to resume teaching until your application has been assessed and approved by VIT.

If you no longer wish to be a registered teacher / early childhood teacher, please login to your MyVIT account and complete a cessation of registration form.

Teachers with an expiry date of 30 September will remain on the Register of teachers for a three-month grace period, and are able to teach until 31 December.

If you hold provisional registration or permission to teach (PTT), you will have a payment expiry date and an approval expiry date which are different. All teachers have a payment expiry date of 30 September.

Provided you show on the Register of teachers as holding current / practising registration, you can continue to use your registration to teach.

If you do not wish to maintain your registration or apply for non-practising registration, you can log into your MyVIT account and complete a cessation of registration form. You will be given the option to choose what date you wish you cease your registration (up to 31 December), and you will continue to receive VIT communications and be able to teach until that date. 

Once you cease your registration, you will be unable to undertake the duties of a teacher. If you wish to teach again, you will need to log into your MyVIT account, submit a new application for registration and fulfil all current registration requirements. Please note: fully registered teachers who cease their registration for more than 5 years and wish to re-register as a teacher, may only be eligible to apply for provisional registration.  

You can complete all annual registration requirements online (usually within 10 minutes) by logging into your MyVIT account from August.

If you do not complete your annual registration requirements by 30 September, a late fee will be applied and you will be given a three-month grace period until 31 December to complete your tasks. During this time, you will remain registered and able to work as a teacher in a Victorian school or as an early childhood teacher in an early childhood service.

If you do not complete your annual registration requirements by 31 December, you will be removed from the Register of teachers (either by expiry or suspension). If this occurs, you will not be able to work as a teacher in a Victorian school or as an early childhood teacher in an early childhood service.

Please ensure your MyVIT account is linked to an email address you will have access to while travelling. If you need to update your email address, please do so prior to travelling by logging to your MyVIT account and clicking on ‘Change email’. Type in your new email address and then click ‘Next’.

If you cannot remember your password, and do not have access to the email address you set up your account with, please contact VIT.

Registered teachers don't need a card to prove they are registered to teach. Employers can be satisfied that if their name appears on the register of teachers, then they hold valid VIT registration. If your name is displayed in red, you hold non-practising registration and are not able to undertake the duties of a teacher / early childhood teacher.

Please note: The VIT has stopped producing physical registration cards and transitioned to digital registration cards. The register of teachers, Employer portal and digital registration cards are all linked to VIT’s teacher registration system and update immediately upon a change in registration, and therefore the only safe and accurate methods to prove a teacher’s registration status.

If you show on the register of teachers as holding current/practising teacher registration, you can undertake the duties of a teacher in a school, or use your registration to undertake child-related work in lieu of a Working with Children (WWC) clearance (previously called a Working with Children Check or WWCC).

If you show on the Register of teachers as holding current/practising early childhood teacher registration you can undertake the duties of an early childhood teacher in an early childhood service, or use your registration to undertake child-related work in lieu of a WWC clearance.

If you show on the Register of teachers (in red) as holding non-practising registration, you can use your registration to undertake child-related work in lieu of a WWC clearance. You must not undertake the duties of a teacher in a Victorian school, or early childhood teacher in a Victorian early childhood service.

If you use your teacher registration in lieu of a WWC clearance to undertake child-related work other than teaching, you must notify Working With Children Check Victoria (WWCCV).

After the initial set up of your new digital registration card, it will always be available to access in the Service Victoria app via your smartphone.

Once your annual registration application has been approved, your digital card will be instantly updated with your new registration details (e.g. new expiry date).

Remember that your registration is valid until 31 December of the current year, and you don’t need a card in order to teach. Employers can be satisfied that if your name appears on the register of teachers, then you hold valid VIT registration. If your name is displayed in red, you hold non-practising registration and are not able to undertake the duties of a teacher / early childhood teacher.

Once you have completed your annual registration requirements including making payment, you’ll notice that your expiry date changes to the following year on the register of teachers.

If you hold provisional registration or permission to teach (PTT), you will have a different payment expiry date and approval expiry date. All teachers have a payment expiry date of 30 September.

If you have an approval expiry date earlier than 31 December, you will not be invoiced an annual registration fee until you have been approved for a further period of registration.

Where a fee is payable for a period less than 12 months, or between 13 and 14 months, we will calculate it on a pro rata basis.

Provisional registration

Provisional registration is granted for a period of two years from the date of approval. Your digital registration card will either reflect the end of your two-year provisional registration or your payment expiry date - whichever comes first.

If you are provisionally registered and card expiry / the date on the register of teachers is coming up in the next three (3) months, you need to either apply for full registration or reapply for provisional registration.

Permission to teach (PTT)

PTT is granted for a fixed period of time, and does not have a grace period. The approval date on the register of teachers reflects the last day you can work in the approved teaching position. Your digital registration card will either reflect the end of PTT registration or your payment expiry date - whichever comes first.

If you hold PTT and your card expiry / date on the register of teachers is coming up in the next 3 months, and a school wishes to employ you beyond this date, you and the school should begin the process of applying for a subsequent grant of PTT. Please refer to the latest PTT policy for eligibility requirements.

Full registration

Registration application fees are charged on a pro rata basis. In general, if you apply for registration before July, your payment expiry date will be 30 September of the current year. If you apply for registration between July and December, your payment expiry date will be 30 September of the following year.

Upon payment, you will be prompted to view or download a copy of your receipt. You can view and download your payment history at any time through your MyVIT account by navigating to the 'view applications' tile. Click the down arrow (on the far right side) of the relevant application and select ‘View receipt’. 

To request a copy of pre-2020 invoices for tax-purposes, please contact VIT.

To renew your registration as a teacher, you need to maintain recency of practice by engaging in teaching, equivalent practice or educational leadership during the renewal period.

Roles which are considered equivalent practice or educational leadership need to meet certain criteria to be able to be used to renew your teacher registration.

If you declare that you are undertaking equivalent practice, you must be able to provide evidence that there is a clear relationship between your role and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Undertaking equivalent practice should allow you to practice proficiently if you return to teaching in a school or an early childhood service.

Equivalent practice should involve

• delivery of approved curriculum
• assessment of learning levels and learning needs of learners
• modification of teaching practice to accommodate this
• reporting of achievement
• feedback on learning
• review and reflection on professional practice to improve learning.

If selected for audit, you will be asked to provide evidence of how your role meets each of the above standards.

Examples of settings which could include equivalent practice roles include

• TAFE, higher education institutions or other tertiary institutions
• outdoor education centres, zoos / museums / aquariums, hospital schools, CERES or with juvenile offenders in correctional facilities
• educational consultants working directly with teachers and/or schools and early childhood services (e.g. preschool field officers, early intervention teachers)
• activity group leaders in an early childhood service
• tutoring as part of the Victorian government Tutor Learning Initiative
• Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) registered home schooler.

If you declare that you are undertaking educational leadership, you must be able to provide evidence that your role supports or improves the professional knowledge and practice of teachers in schools and/or early childhood services. Your workplace setting must have a relationship with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Educational leadership may involve such things as

• providing leadership in a school or early childhood service
• developing resources and materials for use by teachers in schools or early childhood services
• research into teaching and learning, and the dissemination of that knowledge to teachers and/or other educational leaders
• policy development to support and improve teaching and learning
• working with teachers, either individually or collectively, to support and improve their professional knowledge and practice.

Teachers working as educational leaders may have leadership roles in schools or early childhood services. Examples of settings which could include educational leadership roles include

• in a regional office
• in a local council or kindergarten cluster group
• in an organisation providing services and/or support to schools and early childhood services
• in an education union such as the Australian Education Union (AEU) or Independent Education Union (IEU)
• with the Department of Education (DE), Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) or Independent Schools Victoria (ISV)
• with a professional teaching association
• undertaking research into teaching and learning or education-related issues
• as an educational consultant or as a leader in the area of teacher professional development.

If you determine that your role does not equate to equivalent practice or educational leadership, you can apply for non-practising registration.

Moving to non-practising registration 

Teachers who are not currently teaching can apply for non-practising registration. Once they have moved to non-practising registration, the teacher will not be permitted to work as a teacher in any school or early childhood setting until they return to teaching from non-practising registration.

Non-practising registration allows you to maintain your suitability to be a teacher through a current and satisfactory Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) but does not require you to maintain your professional practice. You can stay non-practising for as long as you wish, provided you pay the annual fee and update your NCCHC when required. However, you cannot teach in any Victorian school or early childhood service while you hold non-practising registration.

To apply for non-practising registration during your annual registration application, complete the following in the ‘recency of practice’ module

1. answer ‘No’ to having completed any of the days of teaching, equivalent practice or educational leadership
2. answer ‘Yes’ to apply for non-practising registration
3. complete the non-practising module
4. submit your annual registration application and pay the annual fee.

If you hold full registration, you are required to complete at least 20 days of teaching and 20 hours of professional learning each year to maintain your registration.

If you haven’t taught for at least 20 days in the past 12 months, you can pro-rata your teaching days over the latest five years. You will be provided with the option at renewal to declare you have undertaken

• 40 days in the previous two years
• 60 days in the previous three years
• 80 days in the previous four years
• 100 days in the previous five years.

If you are not currently employed as a teacher, but are working in a related field, you may also accumulate 20 days of (teaching) practice through equivalent practice or educational leadership.

Note: The professional learning requirement of 20 hours cannot be pro-rated, meaning the full 20 hours needs to be undertaken each year.

If you are unable to meet the professional practice and / or professional learning requirements above, you will be provided with the opportunity to go to non-practising registration.

Yes. Overseas / interstate teaching experience can be used to meet the annual renewal of registration requirements.

Yes. Professional learning undertaken overseas or interstate can be used to meet the professional learning renewal requirements, provided the learning can be referenced to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST).

The VIT does not have a definitive list of required professional learning activities for renewal of registration. You should consider your individual professional learning needs in relation to 

• your teaching context
• the needs of your learners; and
• the priorities of your learning environment or education sector.

You should engage in a range of activities that update your professional knowledge and practice. These may be undertaken individually or with colleagues, in your learning environment or externally, and online or face-to-face. More information on what constitutes professional learning is outlined here. 

You must be able to relate your professional development to the APST, and ensure that at least one standard in each domain is addressed.

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Your annual registration fee is due by 30 September each year.

Invoices will be sent to you from August. Please note: You are able to log into your MyVIT account and complete your annual registration tasks (including payment) before you have received your invoice. Navigate to the ‘complete annual registration tasks’ tile to complete the process.

Teachers / early childhood teachers with an expiry date of 30 September will remain on the register of teachers for a three-month grace period, and will be able to teach until 31 December.

The most current fees for teacher registration can be found here.

Upon payment, you will be prompted to view or download a copy of your receipt. You can view and download your payment history at any time through your MyVIT account by navigating to the 'view applications' tile. Right-click the down arrow (on the far right side) of the most recently dated application and select ‘View receipt’. 

To request a copy of pre-2020 invoices for tax-purposes, please contact VIT. 

You may also be due for your four to five-yearly* Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC), which is required as part of your registration. If you are required to complete an NCCHC, this will be itemised on your invoice and in your MyVIT account.

Please note: VIT registration fees continue to be tax deductible and among the lowest across Australia.

* If registration was granted before 30 September, the NCCHC will be conducted as part of the annual registration process during the fourth year.

Registered teachers are required to undergo a four to five-yearly Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) in order to maintain their registration.

For example, if your NCCHC was conducted on or before 30 September 2021, you will need to complete a new check and make payment by 30 September 2025 as part of your annual registration tasks.

Please note: The VIT is unable to provide teachers with an NCCHC certificate for external purposes. This is because the VIT does not receive a copy of the certificate from the national police checking agency, rather it receives a data file that is compatible with VIT's teacher registration system.

Those seeking a current NCCHC for non-registration related matters will be required to apply for a separate NCCHC.

You can pay your fees via debit or credit card through your MyVIT account. Navigate to the ‘complete annual registration tasks’ tile to complete the process.

Your initial paper invoice will include an itemised list of what you’re being invoiced for and can be used to claim your tax.

Upon payment, you will be prompted to view or download a copy of your receipt. You can view and download your payment history at any time through your MyVIT account by navigating to the 'view applications' tile. Right-click the down arrow (on the far right side) of the most recently dated application and select ‘View receipt’. 

To request a copy of pre-2020 invoices for tax-purposes, please contact VIT. 

No. The VIT's registration system will only allow for payments to be made online (via Visa / MasterCard credit or debit card). The VIT recommends you talk with your financial institution if you do not have access to an online payment option. 

Upon payment, you will be prompted to view or download a copy of your receipt. You can view and download your payment history at any time through your MyVIT account by navigating to the 'view applications' tile. Right-click the down arrow (on the far right side) of the most recently dated application and select ‘View receipt’. 

To request a copy of pre-2020 invoices for tax-purposes, please contact VIT. 

The VIT is unable to provide teachers with an NCCHC certificate for external purposes. This is because the VIT does not receive a copy of the certificate from the national police checking agency, rather it receives a data file that is compatible with VIT's teacher registration system.

Those seeking a current NCCHC for non-registration related matters will be required to apply for a separate NCCHC.

It is your responsibility to log into your MyVIT account and update your details, including contact details, in a timely manner.

You do not need to wait until you receive the invoice to complete your registration tasks – you can log into your MyVIT account from August and complete your annual registration.

Throughout the annual registration period, we will provide invoice reminders via email and SMS. If your contact details are not current and you don’t receive the invoice or reminders to complete your annual registration, you run the risk of not receiving our communications.

Please add VIT to your safe sender list to ensure our emails get to your inbox. We encourage you to open any correspondence from VIT, as it may contain vital information about your registration.

Please ensure your MyVIT account is linked to an email address you will have access to while travelling interstate or overseas. If you need to update your email address, please do so prior to travelling by logging to your MyVIT account and clicking on ‘Change email’. Type in your new email address and then click ‘Next’.

During the annual registration period (mid-August to 31 December) fully registered teachers can only apply for non-practising as part of their annual registration tasks.

A day of teaching is approximately 7.6 hours. The hours can consist of face-to-face teaching time as well as any time spent planning for the learning or assessment of learners.

A day of teaching as a casual relief teacher (CRT) in a school setting can be determined by your payslip. If you are employed for one day as a casual relief teacher CRT, this will constitute a day of teaching. Similarly, half a day of employment will constitute half a day of teaching.