Paper COES
The Electricity Safety Act 1998 and Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019 require a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) to be issued for all electrical installation work.
It is the duty of the Responsible Person (REC Technical Nominee, A Grade Licence holder, REL holder or Switchgear licence holder) and LEIs to understand the legislation. All provisions of the Act and Regulations pertaining to COES and electrical inspections are mandatory.
Failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence and licensed workers who do so may be subject to disciplinary action which could result in the suspension or cancellation of their licence.
A guide to using Paper COES
ESV has produced the following information to assist the electrical industry in lodging and issuing Paper COES as specified by the Electricity Safety Act and the Electricity Safety (General) Regulations.
- REC/LEW lodge a Paper Certificate of Compliance
- LEI lodge a Paper Certificate of Inspection
- REC/LEW lodge a periodic Certificate of Electrical Safety
Paper COES can only be lodged through ESV’s IVR (interactive voice response) system on 1300 360 366.
Types of Paper COES
There are three types of certificates:
1. Prescribed
2. Non-prescribed
3. Periodic
Purchasing paper COES
Refer to the COES fees page for current COES fees.
Paper COES purchases
- Prescribed and Non Prescribed COES – ESV authorised COES agents i.e. authorised electrical wholesalers. Refer to the list below.
- Periodic COES – can only be purchased from Energy Safe Victoria.
- Mail/Email – send a completed COES order form with credit card/cheque details to:
Energy Safe Victoria
PO Box 262
Collins Street West VIC 8007
- Mail/Email – send a completed COES order form with credit card/cheque details to:
COES agents
- Active Electrical
- Aerial Industries
- AWM
- CNW Pty Ltd
- Delta Electrical Distributors
- Electrical Inspections Victoria Pty Ltd
- Lawrence & Hanson/Auslec
- Lecky’s Electrical Wholesale
- Middendorp Electric Co
- Rexel
- Titan Trading
Lodging Paper COES
Paper COES can only be lodged through the IVR phone system (interactive voice response) on 1300 360 366. Lodgement of paper COES through Online Services is no longer be available.
Have your User ID and PIN at hand along with the Certificate/s to be lodged.
NOTE: Use only the telephone keypad to enter information. DO NOT attempt to speak the numbers into the telephone.
- Call 1300 360 366 – the service is available 24 hours, 7 days.
- Enter your 6-digit User ID and your 4-digit PIN.
- Select option 1—Lodge Certificate.
- Enter the ‘Certificate number’, followed by the # key.
- Enter the electrician’s User ID who performed the work.
- Enter the correct information for the remaining prompts.
Distribution of Paper COES
This process applies to:
- RECs who are also the LEIW
- REC as employer of LEIW
- a LEIW who completes electrical installation work for no profit or gain
- a LEIW employed by a company to perform work at the company’s premises
- REL holder (non-prescribed only).
Once a paper COES has been lodged, the Responsible Person must send all copies of the paper COES to the relevant parties identified on each copy of the COES.
All Energy Safe Victoria copies of Paper COES must be sent to:
PO Box 262,
Collins Street West
VICTORIA 8007
The tables below advise the relevant parties each copy of a COES must be sent to.
Prescribed COES
COES page | Recipient |
Original | Customer |
2nd copy (white) | Energy Safe Victoria |
3rd copy (Blue) | Licensed Electrical Inspector |
4th copy (Yellow) | Electricity Supplier |
5th copy (Green) | Responsible Person |
Non-prescribed COES
COES page | Recipient |
Original | Customer |
2nd copy (white) | Energy Safe Victoria |
3rd copy (Green) | Responsible Person |
Periodic COES
COES page | Recipient |
Original | Customer |
2nd copy (Blue) | Energy Safe Victoria |
3rd copy (Green) | Responsible Person |
Key links
- Prescribed and non-prescribed electrical installation work
- Multiple electrical installation certificate requirements
- Defect list
Contact us
For advice and information about COES or using ESVConnect for COES, contact our COES team in the following ways:
- Fill in our contact form
- ‘Ask A Question’ in ESVConnect
- Email: coes@energysafe.vic.gov.au
- Call our COES team on 03 9203 9700 – select option 3.
Jump to:
- A guide to using Paper COES
- Purchasing paper COES
- Lodging Paper COES
- Distribution of Paper COES
- Key links
- Contact us
Looking for something else?
- A practical guide to using Certificates of Electrical Safety (COES)
- ESVConnect, Online services and GasTrac
- ESVConnect COES
- COES fees
- Multiple electrical installation certificate requirements
- Charging customers fees for COES
- Electrical installation defects
- Prescribed and non-prescribed electrical work