Before you apply

Before you apply, check that you meet our registration requirements and have all your supporting documents ready.

Ensure you meet the requirements

Check the table below to ensure your experience meets the requirements described in the limits of work. An application fee is not refunded if an application is declined. Should an application be accepted, the applicant may, in most cases, be required to carry out New Zealand (NZ) work experience under supervision of their employer. This NZ work experience requirement is to ensure the overseas applicant becomes familiar with NZ standards and work practices including the Multiple Earth Neutral (MEN) system of supply, to demonstrate they can work safely and competently.

Please take care when selecting the class of registration and make sure you have the minimum amount of recent work experience as listed in table below. If you do not have the minimum amount of work experience then you risk having your registration application declined and you will not be eligible to be issued a Limited Certificate. While you can choose more than one class of registration, each additional registration class application will incur another assessment fee.

The assessment fee is $1650.

Minimum Experience required for Registration

Registration class	Minimum amount of work experience required	Work description
Electrician	8000 hours	All electrical work (except work in a mining operation) and includes: Installing and connecting high and low voltage single phase and multiphase cables (overhead /underground) and associated fittings Installing electrical wiring and equipment in commercial and domestic buildings Installing Switchboards Installing lighting and power outlets and appliances Earthing /bonding Fault-finding Testing Certification
Electrician Mining endorsed	8000 hours including 2000 in mining operation	All electrical work of an electrician as above, but also includes work in a mining operation and includes: work done on bolted couplers and restrained couplers used or installed in a Mining Operation; and work done on installations, fittings, or appliances in explosive zones; and the connection, reconnection, or disconnection of bolted couplers and restrained couplers used or installed in a Mining Operation. Must have adequate knowledge, training, skills, and experience satisfactory to the Board of: I. The control of earth potential rise. ii. The use of relocatable mining electrical equipment. iii. The performance of safety functions required for mining activities and mining electrical equipment; and iv. Risk management
Electrical Engineer	2000 hours	Electrical work can be limited to specific area of experience and expertise. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will need to have evidence of practical “hands on” work experience including at least 1500 hours of installation wiring experience. Areas of work can range (but not limited to) examples below: High and medium voltage power generation, transmission, distribution substations, protection, and control systems. Please note that this class of registration may not be on the Skills Shortage list for Immigration New Zealand’s visa points.
Electrical Installer	4000 hours	Electrical work will be limited to specific areas of experience and expertise. Areas of work can range (but not limited to) examples below: Security systems Fire alarm systems Railway and tram systems lifts/escalators Heating /ventilating/refrigeration/air conditioning systems Renewable energy systems of electrical supply
Electrical Service Technician	3000 hours	Electrical work that is limited to servicing single and multiphase appliances and equipment including: Maintenance of equipment, appliances equipment Repair equipment Service fittings, appliances equipment Replace wiring within an appliance or electrical equipment Disconnect from and reconnect to fixed wiring, fittings, electrical appliances, equipment
Electrical Appliance Service Person (with or without endorsement to disconnect and reconnect)	3000 hours	Electrical work that is limited to maintaining, repairing and servicing 250-volt single phase domestic and commercial appliances including: Domestic and commercial whiteware Medical appliances Photocopiers Coffee machines the disconnection/reconnection of appliances from fixed wiring for the purpose of repair.
Line Mechanic Distribution	4000 hours	Electrical work that is limited to the construction installation, maintenance of electricity distribution networks (and associated infrastructure) to consumer installations including Overhead and underground electric lines Components used in line construction such as poles and insulators Live line work Faults and fault response
Line Mechanic Transmission	4000 hours	Electrical work that is limited to the construction, installation maintenance of New Zealand transmission network. This is the high voltage (66kV-400kV) national grid and associated infrastructure from electricity generating power stations to substations including: Overhead and underground transmission lines Components used in line construction such as pylons, towers, and insulators
Line Mechanic Traction	4000 hours	Electrical work that is limited to the construction installation and maintenance of traction lines and associated infrastructure (used in rail, tramway, and trolley bus traction networks) and includes: Overhead traction lines AC and DC, high and low voltage Components used in traction line infrastructure such poles towers and insulators
Cable Jointer	4000 hours	Electrical work that is limited to the installation or maintenance of high or low voltage cables (polymeric, paper insulated, oil or gas pressured, that require specialist jointing and terminating and can include but not limited to these joint types: Taped Resin filled Gel filled Oil and gas filled Heat shrinkable Lead or cast iron -bitumen filled
Substation Maintainer	3000 hours	Electrical work is limited to the maintenance of electrical fittings and equipment associated with distribution and/or transmission substations and includes: Relays and protection equipment Communication systems Load control Earthing Voltage and current transformers Busbars

Prepare your supporting documents

You will need to provide the following documents in your application:

certified copies of your certificates/qualifications (don’t submit original documents)
The witness must be a person authorised to witness a statutory declaration. Oaths and Declarations Act 1957(external link)(external link) - Legislation website.
certified copies of your work-history statements from your employer(s)
a certified copy of proof of Identity – passport personal identity page
a photo that meets the criteria for your ID card
payment details (credit/debit card)

Proof of your identity

This can be a certified copy of your passport personal identity page. The witness must be a person authorised to witness a statutory declaration.

Oaths and Declarations Act 1957(external link)(external link) - Legislation website

Qualifications

All submitted qualifications must be certified by a person authorised to witness statutory declarations.

If you are applying for Electrician registration with overseas qualifications, you may be exempt from some registration requirements. Exemptions only apply to Electrician registration, all other licence classes require completion of EWRB approved courses and examinations.

If you are applying for Electrician registration with overseas qualifications, you will be advised if you are exempt from any registration requirements. An independent assessment of your overseas qualification may also be required.

If you are applying for Electrical Engineer registration, please ensure that you also submit a qualification assessment letter from NZQA or Engineering NZ. Please note that this class of registration may not be on the Skills Shortage list for Immigration New Zealand’s visa points.

If the information on your qualification, certificate, registration or licence is not in English, you must include a certified English translation.

Work history statements from supervisor/employer(s)

If you are applying for EWRB registration with an overseas registration assessment, you must provide work history statements in the form of detailed references.

Your references must demonstrate sufficient experience in the area you seek registration. Please do not apply if you have not completed the required hours, as your application will be declined. References must be on letterhead, dated and signed by your supervisor or employer. Your previous experience must match our requirements in the limits of work description for the licence class you are applying for.

An Electrical Engineer or Electrical Technician, may carry out different work throughout the world. Your previous work experience must be demonstrated to us so we can determine if your experience makes you suitable for registration. You may attach a position description to your reference. If you provide a position description, it must be referred to in your reference to demonstrate you personally performed those duties.

If you are unable to obtain a reference with details of the work you did and you only have certificates of work, you may submit both work certificates AND a Statutory Declaration. The Statutory Declaration must be signed in front of an authorised person. The declaration should include detail of the type of work you did to supplement your work certificates.

Please note that falsifying work references is fraud if you are applying for registration based on those references.

Additional information

If you are an electrical worker planning to immigrate to New Zealand, we want to ensure you understand our registration and licensing requirements, and whether you may meet them, before you emigrate. We do NOT need character references, minor qualifications (gained prior to your main qualification) or transcripts and certificates of attendance at upskilling courses. These are not relevant to the assessment process.

Your qualifications and experience will be assessed against the criteria for registration and must meet the rules of the Electrical Workers Registration Board with regard to Proof of identity and authentication of overseas documents.

If you provide copies of documents, you must have these certified by an authorised person, such as a Justice of the Peace (JP).

If details on the copy are not clear, or there is doubt about its authenticity, we may ask you for original documents. We will return all original documents to you once we have decided your application.

Next steps

Apply for a registration assessment