At-a-Glance Overview of AUSTRAC Enrolment
- Meaning: Enrolment is the process of providing AUSTRAC with your business details so you can be recognised as a reporting entity if you provide designated services. AUSTRAC states you must enrol if you provide designated services.
- Key Tranche 2 dates: Enrolment opens on 31 March 2026. Tranche 2 obligations start on 1 July 2026.
- Legal hooks: AUSTRAC’s reform enrolment guidance references AML and CTF Act sections 51B(1) and 236B(2), and the Amendment Act 2024.
- Why it matters: AUSTRAC expects Tranche 2 entities to be enrolled and ready to report suspicious matters by 1 July 2026.
Enrolment with AUSTRAC
AUSTRAC is clear that if you provide one or more designated services under the AML and CTF Act, you must enrol with AUSTRAC and comply with the Act’s obligations.
For Tranche 2 businesses, enrolment is not just a form. It is the point where you formally enter the regulated population and become visible to the regulator. It is also the trigger for getting your internal governance, training, and reporting readiness into a steady operational rhythm.
When you need to enrol under the AML reforms
AUSTRAC’s reforms pages confirm the staged timetable.
- The new Rules commence in stages.
- Enrolment opens for newly regulated sectors, meaning Tranche 2, on 31 March 2026.
- AML and CTF obligations start for Tranche 2 entities on 1 July 2026.
AUSTRAC also states that enrolment for all new designated services opens from 31 March 2026 and cannot be done earlier, and that you must submit your application no later than 28 days after the day you start providing a designated service.
What AUSTRAC expects from newly regulated entities
AUSTRAC’s “preparing for the changes if you’re newly regulated” page sets out what AUSTRAC expects by 1 July 2026. This includes having an AML and CTF program, an AML and CTF compliance officer, training staff, and being ready to engage with customers and report suspicious matters.
AUSTRAC also repeats these expectations in its regulatory expectations and priorities, including that by 1 July 2026 Tranche 2 entities should be enrolled, have a program, appoint a compliance officer, train staff, and be ready to report suspicious matters.
This is important for SEO and for real world planning because many Tranche 2 businesses search for “AUSTRAC enrolment deadline”, “how to enrol with AUSTRAC”, and “Tranche 2 AML compliance timeline Australia”. The regulator’s message is consistent. You should prepare well before the go live date.
How to enrol in practical terms
AUSTRAC’s “Enrol or register” guidance explains that you need to sign up for a user account to enrol a new business and then complete the relevant AUSTRAC business profile form, with the ability to save progress. It also states, specifically for Tranche 2 industries, that they do not need to enrol yet and that enrolment opens on 31 March 2026 with an expectation to be enrolled by 29 July 2026.
AUSTRAC’s reforms guidance on enrolment anchors the legal basis and key dates and is intended to be updated as AUSTRAC finalises systems and forms.
Enrolment examples for Tranche 2 sectors
Example 1: Real estate business providing regulated brokering activity
A real estate business maps its services and identifies that it provides a designated service under the reformed Act. It prepares its AML and CTF program and enrols once the window opens, ensuring it is enrolled within the required timeframe after it starts providing the designated service.
Example 2: Accounting firm providing professional services designated services
An accountancy firm identifies its designated services, assigns a compliance officer, trains staff, and enrols so it can meet the 1 July 2026 operational readiness expectations.
Example 3: Law firm with mixed service lines
A law firm confirms which work types are in scope, separates workflows for designated service matters, and enrols so its regulated work is covered by an AML and CTF program, staff training, and reporting processes.
Best practice for AUSTRAC enrolment readiness
- Start with designated service mapping. Enrolment only makes sense once you are confident you provide a designated service, because the AML and CTF Act applies to providers of designated services.
- Prepare your operating model before you enrol. AUSTRAC expects that by 1 July 2026 you have a program, compliance officer, trained staff, and suspicious matter readiness. If you wait to build these after enrolment, you will be under immediate pressure.
- Treat enrolment as a governance milestone. Use it to formalise accountability, approvals, and escalation pathways.
- Document your implementation plan. AUSTRAC states it does not expect perfection immediately but does expect realistic and effective plans and proactive efforts to manage risk.
Common challenges
- Businesses delay service mapping and then scramble at enrolment opening.
- Firms enrol, but do not have staff training and escalation workflows working in practice.
- Groups with multiple entities do not clarify which entity is providing whichdesignatedservice, leading to inconsistent enrolment data.
Final Notes on Enrolment
Enrolment is your entry point into AUSTRAC regulation. For Tranche 2 compliance, the winning approach is simple. Map services early, build practical controls, and use the enrolment window from 31 March 2026 to ensure you are genuinely operationally ready for 1 July 2026.
“Bookmakers sit at a natural convergence point for cash, speed and anonymity. AUSTRAC’s focus reflects the reality that wagering platforms can be misused as value transfer mechanisms if risk controls are not actively applied.”
FAQs: Who Needs to Enrol with AUSTRAC
Can Tranche 2 businesses enrol before 31 March 2026
No. AUSTRAC states enrolment for all new designated services opens from 31 March 2026 and cannot be done earlier.
When do AML and CTF obligations start for Tranche 2
AUSTRAC states obligations start on 1 July 2026 for Tranche 2 entities.
What should we have in place by 1 July 2026
AUSTRAC expects an AML and CTF program, a compliance officer, trained staff, and readiness to report suspicious matters.
