AML certification versus an in-house training attestation

People search “aml certification” when a principal wants something to file, or a staff member wants a credential. AUSTRAC's AML/CTF training guidance is about training the people whose work is relevant to your obligations, at the start and on an ongoing basis, in a way that fits the role. It is not a public register of certified practitioners. Checked on 2 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. This page does not reproduce that guidance. Who the reforms cover is on /tranche-2.

What a certificate usually is

A course provider, a professional body, or a webinar host can hand you a certificate of completion. That document says the person sat that course. It does not say AUSTRAC has enrolled the firm, approved the program, or accepted the firm as compliant.

• A course badge. Evidence the person finished that course. Useful when the content matches the role. Not a licence to be the compliance officer.
• Not enrolment. Enrolment is the firm's application to AUSTRAC. A personal badge does not lodge it.
• Not the program. The written program is approved inside the firm. The writing list is what Tranche 2 firms put in writing.
• Not the customer check. Identity and entity verification are a different job. The public list is on FreeAML pricing.

What the in-house attestation is

The in-house attestation is the firm's own register entry. AUSTRAC expects you to know who completed training and when the next round is due. In a small practice the entry is short. It is the record a reviewer can read without opening a vendor portal.

A third-party certificate can sit behind that entry, as evidence the session happened. The attestation is still the firm's sentence: this person, this date, this practice. Who must attend when they are not a specialist is AML training for non-specialist staff. Whether one webinar can be the whole program is AML/CTF training versus a one-off webinar.

How a completion record is used

The FreeAML firm suite is A$0, including the modules at Trainings. A staff member finishes a module and the quiz. The completion record confirms that module was finished. FreeAML does not issue an AML certification. The record is not an accreditation. The principal still attests, in the firm's register, that the training fits this practice. The product does not appoint the compliance officer. That role in a one-person firm is the sole trader compliance officer.

Customer verification is separate and client-pays. The firm emails the client a link. On the public list a personal KYC check is A$20 and a company or trust KYB check is A$40. Confirm the live amounts on FreeAML pricing. Training the team does not, by itself, verify the customer. Send the link only where the program says the matter is in.

Frequently Asked Questions