Surrender a property certificate or real estate agent licence

When you surrender a certificate or licence, you give it up by choice. You'll need to download and complete a form and submit it to NSW Fair Trading to do this.

Introduction

You can surrender your property agent certificate of registration, individual property licence or corporate property licence at any time, if you no longer require it. 

Surrendering a credential means you do it by choice. It is different to having a credential suspended or cancelled or being disqualified.

Note: Once you surrender a credential it means that:

  • you will not be able to legally work as a property agent or licensee
  • you will still have a public record of your credential in the Property and real estate agents public register however your record status will show as 'surrendered'
  • you cannot restore your licence and you'll need to submit a new application.

Eligibility

To surrender a credential, you'll need to be the certificate or individual licence holder, or a director of the licensed corporation.

Note: A legal representative can surrender a credential on behalf of a deceased person.

What you need

Details about the credential such as:

  • licence or certificate number
  • date of cessation (for example, your last day of work or when business activity ended)
  • bank account details (if you are eligible for a pro-rata refund).

How to surrender your certificate or licence

  • Go to NSW Fair Trading Property services forms to download the relevant form.
  • Follow the instructions on the form to submit your application.

Contact

If have any difficulty downloading or completing the PDF form, or you have questions, contact NSW Fair Trading.

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Last published: 23 September 2026