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Recertification

Home / NAATI Certification System / Recertification

Recertification

Recertification allows practitioners to demonstrate that they are actively maintaining their skills and knowledge. This supports the ongoing professionalism of the industry.
Home / NAATI Certification System / Recertification

What is recertification?

Any translator or interpreter wishing to maintain a NAATI credential must apply to NAATI to recertify every three years. We call this process “recertification”.

Recertification allows practitioners to demonstrate that they are actively maintaining their skills and knowledge. This supports the ongoing professionalism of the industry. It also assures the community that only practising professionals hold current NAATI credentials.

The recertification requirements were simplified on 2 June 2026. Read below for more information.

If you want to recertify your credentials, you must do the following:

  • Demonstrate you have completed professional development meeting NAATI’s requirements (explained further below).
  • Lodge a recertification application via your myNAATI account.
  • Pay the assessment fee.

On this page

How to recertify

Information on the recertification process, including the requirements, how to record your professional development and how to submit your application is detailed below. You should read this carefully.
 

The recertification process is described in this flowchart:

Recertification process flowchart with interactive steps

Practitioners must meet minimum professional development criteria to recertify their credential/s every three years. The professional development criteria are set by NAATI to ensure that the standard of practitioners working in the translating and interpreting sector remains high.

From 2 June 2026, work practice is no longer a separate requirement. You can gain points for your work practice in the professional development criteria.

Professional development is one of the principles of the codes of ethics all NAATI-certified practitioners are bound by (AUSIT and NZSTI Code of Ethics principle 8, and ASLITA Code of Ethics principle 2.4).
 
Professional development criteria:
  • Total of 120 professional development points (no matter how many certifications you hold). This is an average of 40 points per year.
  • Minimum of points in each of the categories below.
    • Ethics (10 point minimum)
    • Skills development (30 point minimum)
    • Professional engagement (20 point minimum)
    • Maintenance of language (30 point minimum)
Use NAATI’s professional development catalogue to figure out which categories your PD can be applied against. You can view it below.
Professional development isn’t just about completing formal paid courses or attending conferences. Did you know you can claim points for things like maintaining a membership with a professional association (such as AUSIT, ASLITA, NZSTI or Professionals Australia), mentoring new practitioners, attending networking events or even spending time in a country where your LOTE is the primary language spoken? We also allow practitioners to nominate additional activities which aren’t already listed in the catalogue.
  • Recertification fee standard $220

    Every three years

  • Recertification fee opt-out discount $150

    Every three years - if you choose to opt out of receiving physical ID products and use your digital ID instead

NAATI provides an online logbook for you to record your professional development through your myNAATI account.

Once you have recorded all of your professional development, you can submit your recertification application from the myNAATI homepage. More details on how to apply are under the ‘Apply & get support‘ tab.

NAATI provides an online logbook in your myNAATI account to record your work practice and professional development.

Once you have recorded all required activities, you can submit your recertification application from the myNAATI homepage. More details are provided in the ‘Apply and get support’ tab.

Important: All professional development activities must fall within your certification period. We cannot accept activities completed outside this period.

We recommend that you attach supporting evidence to each professional development logbook entry (such as an attendance certificate, receipt of payment, booking receipt or a reference letter from your employer); however, this is optional. Uploading supporting evidence will assist NAATI in assessing your application.

Please take care to remove any identifying client information from your documentation before you upload it. Translators should not provide copies of translations you have completed as evidence, as this would go against the ethical principle of confidentiality.

You may include an employment contract or reference letter from your employer/s instead of making separate entries for every job. You can then create a single entry about your work practice to cover the period of the contract or letter (such as the entire recertification period) and attach it as evidence.

Reference letters need to be on an official letterhead and include:

  • your name and practitioner ID
  • the language/s the work was undertaken in
  • the period covered by the letter
  • the approximate or average number of interpreting jobs/number of translated, edited or checked words.

Every year, NAATI randomly audits a sample of 5% of practitioners who have recertified. People who are audited are chosen at random and will have their recertification application and supporting evidence reviewed.

If your application is being audited and you have already completed your logbook correctly and uploaded supporting evidence, then no further action will need to be taken. If supporting evidence is not available as part of your recertification application for the auditor to look at, it will be requested from you.

NAATI will send you an automated email one year before the expiry of your credential/s to remind you to recertify. You can lodge a recertification application at any time from receiving this reminder until up to one year after the expiry of your credential/s.

Note:
  • If you have not recertified before your credential/s expire, your online directory listing will be automatically removed. Once you recertify, your listing will be added to the directory again.
  • One year after your credential/s expire, the recertification application will no longer be available via myNAATI, and you will need to apply again for NAATI certification, which may include sitting another test.

If you have opted in to receive physical ID products, we recommend you apply before your credential expires to allow sufficient time for your new ID items (interpreter ID card and/or translator stamp) to be ordered and posted to you.

Once you have been recertified, your new products will be dispatched within 2–4 weeks if you are in Australia. Delivery timeframes for international addresses may vary.

Don’t think you meet the requirements?

Recertification is not designed as a barrier to staying in the profession. It is intended as an opportunity for you to demonstrate you are maintaining your skills and experience.

We are very willing to discuss your circumstances with you, and understand that there will be times throughout your career where you aren’t able to meet the recertification requirements.

You can apply for a 1-year extension to your credential by emailing recertification@naati.com.au if you’ve had a significant life event. Parental leave, illness or caring responsibilities are all considered if you provide some evidence.

If you otherwise don’t think you can meet the requirements, please contact us by email at recertification@naati.com.au as early as possible.

This will allow us to help you by:

  • Discussing your current professional development status and helping you to identify opportunities to fill in the gaps.
  • Allow you to explain any extenuating circumstances (including illness, work breaks or lack of work opportunities) that you have experienced.
  • Potentially extend your credential expiry date to allow you more time, or waive requirements in exceptional circumstances.

Support

You may find the answer to your question in the frequently asked questions here. 

If you still have questions after reading this webpage, please contact us at recertification@naati.com.au and we will try to assist you.

NAATI Recertification PD Catalogue

NAATI’s professional development catalogue explains the types of PD activities and points you can claim to meet the recertification requirements. View the catalogue in the viewer or table below or download a pdf version to use offline. 

Category A: Ethics
Review each activity below to check how many points you can claim, what minimum requirement applies, and whether there are any annual limits or evidence requirements.
Category Description Requirements Point Value Restrictions
A.1 Completed training on professional ethics relevant to your credential n/a 5 points per hour n/a
A.2 Delivered a training session on professional ethics 1–4 hours (min) 10 points Maximum of 20 points per year
A.3 Took part in self-directed or group activities focused on ethics (e.g. reading, writing, or discussing ethical topics) 1–4 hours (min) 10 points Written evidence must be provided (stat dec/ written report/ certificate). Maximum 10 points per activity
A.4 Taught ethics for translators or interpreters at a tertiary education institution 1+ Semester 30 points n/a
A.5 You can list other relevant PD activities not shown here – just include a short explanation of why they should count. n/a 5 points per hour Maximum of 10 points per activity
Category B: Skills development
Review each Category B activity to check the points you can claim, the minimum requirement, and any limits that apply before you submit your record.

Skills development

Category Description Requirements Point Value Restrictions
B.1 Completed a formal course unit or module at a tertiary education institution (University/ RTO/ Polytechnic/ Technical) on translating or interpreting or a related field; OR Gained a new NAATI credential via testing during the period Over 20 nominal hours 30 points n/a
B.2 Completed formal PD relating to translation or interpreting, including areas of subject matter specialisation 1 hour minimum 5 points per hour Maximum 20 points per entry
B.3 Completed formal PD to support your T&I practice, including topics such as business management, personal development, health and well-being, etc 1 hour minimum 3 points per hour Maximum 20 points per entry
B.4 Attended a T&I conference Full day 20 points per day Maximum 40 points per conference
B.5 Received mentoring as part of an official mentoring program for interpreters or translators. 6 hours minimum 20 points Maximum 20 points per recertification period
B.6 Took part in self-directed or group activities focused on skills and subject matter 1 hour minimum 5 points per hour Maximum 10 points per activity
B.7 You can list other relevant professional development activity not shown here – just include a short explanation of why it should count. 1 hour minimum 5 points per hour Maximum 10 points per activity

Technology

Category Description Requirements Point Value Restrictions
B.8 Completed formal PD activities related to technologies in translating and interpreting, such as computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools, AI tools, speech recognition, remote interpreting platforms, etc 1 hour minimum 5 points per hour n/a
B.9 Completed a NAATI-provided course on technology (Machine Translation, Machine Interpreting, Artificial Intelligence etc) n/a 20 points n/a
B.10 Obtained a certification in a translating or interpreting platform (eg CAT/CAI tool, conference interpreting platform) n/a 10 points Maximum 20 points per period
B.11 Completed training on machine translation or AI-related activities or tools (e.g. prompt engineering, AI tools, data labelling/annotation, post-editing) n/a 5 points per hour n/a

Australian & New Zealand society

Category Description Requirements Point Value Restrictions
B.12 Completed a NAATI-provided course on disability awareness n/a 20 points Maximum of 20 points per period
B.13 Completed training or attended events on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or Maori history, culture, or society n/a 5 points per hour Maximum of 10 points per period
B.14 Completed training on groups in Australian or New Zealand Society (eg LGBTIQA+, Deaf, religious, diverse populations, historically excluded groups, communities other than your own) n/a 5 points per hour Maximum of 10 points per period
Category C: Professional engagement
Review each Category C activity to check the points you can claim, the minimum requirement, and any limits that apply before you submit your record.

Professional engagement

Category Description Requirements Point Value Restrictions
C.1 Active member of T&I professional associations AUSIT, ASLITA, or NZSTI. n/a 20 points per year n/a
C.2 Held a committee role in AUSIT, ASLITA or NZSTI (e.g. president, secretary, PD coordinator). n/a 10 points per year n/a
C.3 Active member of a T&I professional association excluding AUSIT, ASLITA & NZSTI (e.g. Professionals Australia, AALITRA, CITAA etc.) n/a 10 points per year n/a
C.4 Attended an industry info session or completed a survey that offered PD points. 1 hour minimum 10 points Maximum 20 points per recertification period
C.5 Took part in professional networking activities to share ideas and resources, including group chats, forums or discussion groups (e.g. WhatsApp, Slack) Must be verifiable through a group summary, attendance log, or written reflection (e.g. a brief statement of topics discussed). 5 points per activity Maximum 10 points per recertification period
C.6 You can list other relevant PD activities not shown here – just include a short explanation of why they should count. n/a 10 points Maximum of 10 points per activity

Industry leadership

Category Description Requirements Point Value Restrictions
C.7 Taught translating or interpreting in a tertiary institution. n/a 20 points per semester/term n/a
C.8 Worked as a NAATI examiner. n/a 20 points per year n/a
C.9 Completed Examiner training provided by NAATI. n/a 5 points per hour n/a
C.10 Delivered a presentation at a T&I event, or published work in an industry publication. Minimum 30 minutes or 1,000 words 10 points n/a
C.11 Participated as a mentor in a formal mentorship program connected to the profession 6 hours minimum 20 points n/a
C.12 Created and shared resources for T&I – such as glossaries, course materials, multimedia content, or peer-reviewed editing – or conducted research in the field. n/a 10 points Maximum of 20 points per recertification period
Category D: Maintenance of language
Review each Category D activity to check the points you can claim, the minimum requirement, and any limits that apply before you submit your record.

Maintenance of language

Category Description Requirements Point Value Restrictions
D.1 Completed training at a tertiary institution or language school in LOTE, English, Auslan, linguistics or Deaf studies Over 20 hours 30 points n/a
D.2 Completed work practice during recertification period Up to 50,000 words (translator) or up to 100 hours (interpreter) 5 points n/a
50,000-70,000 words (translator) or 100-250 hours/assignments (interpreter) 10 points n/a
70,000 -150,000 words (translator) or 250 - 350 hours (interpreter) 15 points n/a
150,000 -250,000 words (translator) or 350 -450 hours (interpreter) 20 points n/a
250,000+ words (translator) or 450+ hours (interpreter) 25 points n/a
D.3 Spent time in a country or region where the certified language/s are primarily spoken. NOTE: Shorter stays can be combined and claimed at the end of the recertification period. 1-4 weeks 10 points Maximum 20 points per period
4+ weeks 20 points Maximum 20 points per period
D.4 Regularly read, listened to, created or watched content in a language other than English, or English or Auslan for the Deaf community – including (but not limited to) physical or digital books, newspapers, magazines, websites, radio, podcasts, or television Must be in the language or languages that you are credentialed in 10 points Maximum 20 points per recertification period
D.5 Attended community or professional events where the main language used was your certified LOTE or Auslan 2+ events during the recertification period. Must be in the language or languages that you are credentialed in 10 points Maximum 10 points per year
D.6 Took part in a LOTE cultural or sporting group, or contributed to LOTE media like newsletters, radio, or community TV. Must be in the language or languages that you are credentialed in 10 points Maximum 10 points per year
D.7 Taught a LOTE or Auslan course at a tertiary institution or language school. 1 school term 10 points n/a
1 semester or more 20 points n/a
D.8 Created and shared learning or reference materials in LOTE (e.g. articles, glossaries, guides, or media content). Must be in the language or languages that you are credentialed in 10 points Maximum 10 points per year
D.9 You can list other relevant PD activities not shown here — just include a short explanation of why they should count. Must be in the language or languages that you are credentialed in 10 points Maximum of 10 points per activity
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