Responsible service of alcohol (RSA) training and certification

Most staff who serve or supply alcohol in Queensland licensed premises—including licensed restaurants and cafes—must have a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate.

This includes bartenders, floor staff, room service staff and under 18s.

You must complete your RSA training within 30 days of starting employment.

Minimum age to get your RSA certificate

Under 18s can serve or supply alcohol in hotels, restaurants and cafes as long as the venue doesn't have an adult entertainment permit. There are no minimum age restrictions under the Liquor Act 1992.

Regardless of age, all staff who serve or supply alcohol must have an RSA certificate.

How to get a valid RSA certificate

Many online courses don't meet Queensland's RSA certification requirements even though they charge fees and claim to give you the right certificate.

Critical issues may not be covered by unaccredited courses, exposing venues and patrons to poor or unsafe practices.

Penalties apply if staff don't have the right RSA qualification.

If you meet the following requirements, your RSA certificate will allow you to work in Queensland.

You must complete the nationally recognised course

You must complete the nationally recognised course called Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol through a registered training organisation (RTO). The current course code is SITHFAB021.

Search the list of providers on the RTO website.

You must have a Statement of Attainment

For the certificate to be valid, you need a Statement of Attainment—this is the name of the certificate from the nationally accredited course.

Some courses may issue a statement of attendance, but that's not the same as a Statement of Attainment.

If you didn't get a Statement of Attainment in the course called 'Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol', you may not have completed the right course and your RSA certificate may not be valid.

View an:

Note: In Queensland, you won't get a card with your Statement of Attainment like you might in other states.

Interstate qualifications that are valid in Queensland

You can use an interstate RSA qualification in Queensland if you have a Statement of Attainment from the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course. This is the only nationally recognised qualification.

Check your certificate—if it's not a Statement of Attainment from the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course, you must complete the nationally accredited course through an RTO.

Everyone, including international travellers and students, must complete the course within 30 days of starting employment in a licensed venue.

Some older course codes are still valid

Older courses with different course codes are still valid as long as they have the same name—Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol—and you get a Statement of Attainment.

For example, SITHFAB009A was the active course code between 2009 and 2013—if you completed that course, it's still valid.

Other older versions of the course code are SITHFAB002, SITHFAB009A or THHBFB09B, which are all still valid.

Search your course code to see if it's valid.

RSA qualifications within other courses

Many formal qualifications, such as a Certificate II in Hospitality, include the Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course as a unit of competency within that qualification. These are valid in Queensland.

View an example transcript-style Statement of Attainment that includes RSA training in a formal qualification such as a Certificate II, III or IV in Hospitality.

If your certificate shows you received a credit transfer for the Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol unit of competency, your employer, an OLGR officer or a Queensland police officer may ask for evidence of your recognised prior learning.

Valid RSA certificates don't expire

Most valid RSA statements of attainment remain valid no matter what the course code was when you completed it. This means, you only need to complete accredited RSA training once—unless you completed it before 2002.

If you completed your RSA course before 2002, it won't be valid, so you'll need to complete it again.

Exemptions to getting an RSA

The following staff are exempt from holding RSA certificates.

Licensees and approved managers with an RMLV certificate

Individual licensees and approved managers who hold a current RMLV certificate don't need an RSA certificate.

RMLV certificates expire 3 years after the date of issue.

Supervised volunteers at community organisations and events

Community-based licensees or permit holders—including sporting or ethnic clubs, RSLs, incorporated associations and non-proprietary organisations—must ensure someone with current RSA training supervises volunteers who serve or supply alcohol.

Supervised volunteers don’t need a current RSA qualification if they're serving or supplying alcohol under 1 of the following liquor licences:

  • community club licence
  • community other licence
  • community liquor permit
  • restricted liquor permit.

Replacing lost certificates

You must always have a copy of your RSA Statement of Attainment.

If you lose it, you must contact the RTO that originally issued it to have it re-issued. We can't replace it as we don't hold RSA training records.

If you can't remember which RTO certified you, you'll need to do the course again.

Keeping evidence of RSA certification on site

Licensees must keep copies of their staff's statements of attainment on the premises and make them available for inspection by OLGR compliance officers and Queensland police. They don't need to keep an RSA training register.

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