Approved Collection Centres

Apply, renew, vary or cancel an Approved Collection Centre (ACC).

Eligibility

To be eligible, Approved Collection Centre (ACCs) must:

For new approvals, make sure the time between when you sign the application and send it to us is less than 3 months.

For renewal applications, make sure the date you sign the application and send it to us is no more than 3 months before your current approval expires.

Supporting documents

You need to give us certain documents when making your application.

Lease agreements or proof of ownership of the premises

You must include one of the following:

  • signed lease agreement
  • signed sub-lease agreement
  • assignment of lease for the premises where the APA is a lessee or sub-lessee
  • signed agreement or arrangement to occupy the space if a lease will not be executed
  • proof of ownership of the premises, such as a rates notice or Certificate of Title that is less than 12 months old.

The lease must:

  • be current or have a valid option for a lease extension, including on a month-to-month basis, for the date you are applying for
  • be signed by both the lessor and the lessee
  • include the APA name as the lessee
  • identify the ACC address.

If the lease includes a provision for an extension or a month-to-month option, the APA must confirm in writing if they are exercising that option. If the APA name changes or the ACC is acquired as part of a merger or takeover, we will require confirmation in writing that the lease has been assigned to the APA’s new name. This is often referred to as an assignment of lease.

If the lease arrangements change during the approval period, the APA must provide the details, including the new lease agreement within 14 days. You can do this by submitting an Application for approval, renewal, amendment or cancellation of an Approved Collection Centre form (HW035) with a copy of the new lease agreement.

Floor plans

You must include a floor plan with your ACC application.

Premises that are used exclusively as a collection centre

The floor plan must include the:

  • trading name of the collection centre
  • full street address, including room details if applicable
  • size of the premises in square metres.

Premises that are part of a larger facility

The floor plan must include the:

  • trading name of the collection centre
  • location of the collection centre room and any shared areas with other occupants of the facility, using colour or hash marks
  • size of the collection centre room or area in square metres
  • size of the total facility in square metres
  • total shared area used by the collection centre and other occupants of the facility that you pay rent for, if applicable
  • total shared area used by the collection centre and other occupants of the facility that you do not pay rent for, if applicable.

The exclusive and paid shared area measurements in your application must equal the total area provided in the lease.

If the floor plan does not meet requirements, your application will be refused.

Backdated approvals

If you apply late, we can consider backdating your approval on a case-by-case basis, except when:

  • the application is for a new ACC
  • we don’t have enough information to make a decision.

To request a backdated approval, you need to provide all of the following:

  • a correctly completed application, including the required supporting documents
  • tax payment, if required
  • a letter of request telling us why your application is late and the reason the approval should be backdated.

The letter of request must be signed unless it’s submitted by an authorised person using Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) form upload.

We’ll consider the circumstances and let you know the outcome.

Apply, renew or cancel using HPOS

You can apply, renew, vary or cancel your ACC through the Pathology registration function in HPOS. You need a Provider Digital Access (PRODA) account to access HPOS. If you don’t have one, register for PRODA online. Then follow the steps to set up your HPOS access.

You need to link your PRODA account to your APA to access ACCs in HPOS. You can link by:

Please submit one application for each ACC location.

If you’re calling, you’ll need to:

  • pass a security check
  • give us the APA or ACC number and name, and the registration authority (RA) number
  • confirm the access type - administrator (full access) or staff (view only access).

Read more about PRODA and HPOS.

Tasks you can do in HPOS

You can:

  • apply for an ACC
  • renew an ACC
  • view and vary ACC details
  • cancel an ACC
  • resume, discard or withdraw an ACC application
  • send us manual applications and supporting documents using form upload
  • create an invoice and request a receipt
  • receive confirmation of PASS transactions through HPOS email, including ACC certificates and approval letters.

Apply by form

Fill in the Application for approval, renewal, amendment or cancellation of an Approved Collection Centre form (HW035), pay any relevant tax and supply proof of payment with your form.

Upload your form and supporting documents through HPOS or mail it to us.

Once approved we’ll send a notice of approval confirming the approval period, which you must display at the ACC.

You can view the Approved Collection Centre Register for a list of ACCs.

Cancel an ACC

You can ask to cancel an ACC in HPOS.

You can also:

ACCs obtained as part of an acquisition or merger

If you acquire or merge with another APA and it affects an ACC, you must tell us at least 30 days before the change. We need as much notice as possible before an acquisition or merger to make sure there’s minimal impact to operations.

For each ACC acquired as part of this change we require applications requesting:

  • closure of the existing ACCs operated by the outgoing APA
  • approval of the ACCs with the acquiring APA.

You can do this through either:

We’ll process these requests once we receive confirmation the acquisition/merger has been successfully completed.

Page last updated: 9 June 2025.
QC 74236