Certification

Responsible AI certification for Australian businesses

An independent, human-assessed certification of how your business governs its use of AI. An assessor reviews your answers and documents against the eight Australian AI Ethics Principles, a tier is determined, and your business is listed on a public register that anyone can check.

Get certified See how it works

From AUD $349 a year
No cost to apply
Typically two to four weeks
Valid for 12 months

What it is

Responsible AI certification is an assessment of a business. It looks at how the organisation governs the AI it uses or builds: who is accountable, how risks are identified and reduced, how privacy and bias are handled, and how a person can question an AI-assisted outcome. The standard is the eight Australian AI Ethics Principles, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, together with the Responsible AI Pledge in our Certification Rules.

Responsible AI Australia is an independent certification body. It is not a government agency, and it does not sell consulting or advisory services to the businesses it certifies. Every application is reviewed by a person, and the tier is determined by that assessment rather than chosen by the applicant. Our independence and impartiality policy sets out how that separation is kept.

Who it is for

Any Australian business that uses AI in its operations or builds AI products for others. You need an Australian Business Number and to operate primarily within Australia.

Businesses that use AI tools in customer communications, content, hiring or decisions, including everyday tools such as ChatGPT. The Commit tier was designed as the entry point for a business at this stage.
Businesses that build or deploy AI for clients and want their own practices assessed against the Australian AI Ethics Principles.
Suppliers that are asked about AI governance in tenders and supplier questionnaires and want an assessed record to point to.

International businesses with Australian operations can contact us to discuss eligibility.

What is assessed

There are three tiers and they are cumulative. Every applicant answers the same questionnaire. Answers are declared by the business and reviewed by the assessor for completeness and consistency, uploaded policies and frameworks are read, and the assessor may ask for a video call.

Commit

A signed Responsible AI Pledge
The Responsible AI questionnaire, answered in full

Embed

Everything in Commit
A Responsible AI Policy, implemented across the business

Govern

Everything in Embed
A Responsible AI Governance Framework covering risk management, oversight roles, impact assessments and accountability

The scope page lists the evidence for each tier, maps the questionnaire to the eight principles and to the National AI Centre's six essential practices, and says what is covered and what is not. Read exactly what we assess.

How it works and how long it takes

Four steps. The online application takes about 20 minutes once you have your ABN, your logo and any policy documents to hand, and most certifications complete in two to four weeks. Timings are typical, not guaranteed.

STEP 01
Apply online
Day 0, about 20 minutes
STEP 02
Independent human review
Days 1 to 10, typically
STEP 03
Tier assigned, then you pay
On approval
STEP 04
Certified
Days 14 to 28, typically

The full process, the questions you will be asked, what to have ready and a short readiness check are on the how it works page.

What it costs

One annual licence, priced by the size of your organisation and the tier determined by the assessment. There is no cost to apply, and payment is taken only after your application is approved.

Annual licence price in Australian dollars, by organisation size and certification tier
Annual licence	Commit	Embed	Govern
1-2 employees	AUD $349	AUD $599	AUD $899
3-10 employees	AUD $499	AUD $899	AUD $1,499
11-50 employees	AUD $699	AUD $1,299	AUD $2,199
51-200 employees	AUD $999	AUD $1,799	AUD $2,999
More than 200 employees	AUD $1,499	AUD $2,699	AUD $4,499

The pricing page compares the tiers for your size.

What a certified business receives

The same at every tier, and issued when certification is granted.

An independent human assessment and a tier
An assessor reviews your evidence and Responsible AI Australia determines your tier (Commit, Embed or Govern).
A certificate and a certification ID
A certificate PDF carrying your certification ID, which is the reference others use to look you up.
A public register profile
A listing on the public register with your tier and your certification history.
A verification URL and a live seal
A link anyone can open to check your certification, and a seal for your website that is verified against the register each time the page loads.
A signed verifiable credential
A signed W3C Verifiable Credential that software and AI agents can confirm through the verification API and MCP server.
An AI Transparency Card, a chip and an assurance pack
A one-screen card on how you use AI, an embeddable chip that opens it, and a supplier assurance pack for procurement questions.
A licence to use the mark
A 12-month licence to use the Responsible AI Australia Certification Trade Mark (No. 2482971) in the approved lockup for your tier.

The approved forms of the mark and the conditions for using it are on the certified mark page. Certification is valid for 12 months, and renewal confirms that the business still meets the requirements of its tier.

How a third party can verify it

A certification is only useful to someone else if they can check it without asking the certified business. Each of these is public and free to use, whether or not you are certified.

The public register

Every certified business is listed with its tier and its questionnaire responses, subject to the redactions the Rules allow.

Search the register

A certification ID

Each certificate carries an ID in the form RAIA-YYYY-NNNN. Search for it on the register, or open its verification link, to see the certification it belongs to.

Verify a certificate

A supplier list

Procurement teams can paste a list of suppliers, see which hold certification, download the result and watch the list for changes.

Tools for buyers

The verification API

The API returns status, tier and validity for any business by name, ABN, domain or certification ID. An MCP server exposes the same checks to AI agents.

Developer reference

Where certification stops and other assurance begins

Certification is one layer of assurance and it is designed to sit alongside the others. It assesses how a business governs AI, as declared and documented. Conformance with a standard such as ISO/IEC 42001 is assessed by accredited auditors under that standard, the safety and performance of an AI product sit with product regulators and your own testing, and what a particular law requires of you is a question for your legal or privacy adviser.

The scope page sets this out in full, and our guide to ISO/IEC 42001 and Responsible AI certification explains how the two fit together.

Questions people ask

What is responsible AI certification?

It is an independent, human-assessed certification of how an Australian business governs its use of AI. Responsible AI Australia assesses the business against the eight Australian AI Ethics Principles, determines a tier (Commit, Embed or Govern) and lists the business on a public register. Certification is valid for 12 months.

Is this a government certification?

No. Responsible AI Australia is an independent certification body, not a government agency. The assessment is against Australia's AI Ethics Principles, which are voluntary principles published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

Does certification mean a business complies with the law?

No. Certification is an assessment of a business's responsible AI practices against the Australian AI Ethics Principles and the published tier criteria. It is not legal advice, and it is not a determination of compliance with any law, regulation or standard.

Does it certify an AI product or model?

No. Certification is granted to a business for its responsible AI practices at the tier shown. Responsible AI Australia does not test, evaluate or certify an individual AI product, model or system.

How much does certification cost?

Annual licences start at AUD $349 a year, which is the Commit tier for a business with 1-2 employees. The price depends on the size of the organisation and the tier determined by the assessment. There is no cost to apply, and payment is taken only after the application is approved. The pricing page shows every size and tier.

How long does certification take?

The online application takes about 20 minutes. An independent assessor then reviews it and may ask for a short video call. Most certifications complete in two to four weeks. Timings are typical, not guaranteed.

How can someone check that a business is certified?

Search the public register by business name or certification ID, open the certification's verification link, or use the free verification API. Certification can be suspended or revoked and lapses if it is not renewed, so the register is the place to check current status.

How is this different from ISO/IEC 42001?

ISO/IEC 42001 is an international standard for an AI management system, and conformance is assessed by third-party conformity assessment bodies. Responsible AI certification assesses a business's responsible AI practices against the Australian AI Ethics Principles. They are different assessments, and a business can hold both.

Start with the application

There is no cost to apply. You pay only once your application is approved and your tier has been determined.