Find information on how to apply for new, renewals, or variations of licences and application forms at the bottom of this page.
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Licence categories and fees
Licences are grouped into compliance monitoring categories, each with a specific annual fee for each management location. The fee is higher in the first year of a new licence.
If all practices carried out at that location are fully described by one compliance monitoring category, you will be charged for that category. However, if all practices carried out at that location are fully described by more than one compliance monitoring category, you’ll only be charged for the whichever of those categories has the lowest fees.
For example, bone densitometry and Medical Diagnosis using plain radiography are fully described by both Medical 4A, and Medical 2A. Since Medical 4A has the lowest fees, this is what you will be charged.
However, there is no single compliance monitoring category that describes both sentinel node biopsy and medical diagnosis using plain radiography. These must be treated as separate locations, and you will be charged a fee for each, in this case Medical 5B and Medical 4A.
Refer to the Compliance monitoring categories page for a list of examples of radiation activities that sit within each category.
Fees on this page include GST.
Dental source licence categories and fees
Medical 5A: Dental diagnosis using x-ray only (no CBCT)
- Annual fee for first year: $1,141.95
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $870.55
Medical 4A: Dental Diagnosis using x-ray and CBCT
- Annual fee for first year: $1,261.55
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $990.15
Medical source licence categories and fees
Medical 5B: Sentinel node biopsy, low-dose-rate brachytherapy, and bone densitometry
- Annual fee for first year: $1,141.95
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $870.55
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Sentinel node biopsy
- Low-dose-rate brachytherapy
- Bone densitometry
Medical 4A: Medical diagnosis using plain radiography (x-ray only) (excludes the use of CT, fluoroscopy, and the use of radioactive material)
- Annual fee for first year: $1,261.55
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $990.15
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Medical diagnosis using plain radiography (X-ray only)
- Breast screening
- General practice
- Chiropractic
Medical 2B: Nuclear medicine – Medical therapy and Medical imagining using unsealed radioactive material (including sentinel node biopsy)
- Annual fee for first year: $2,220.65
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $1,949.25
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Medical therapy using unsealed radioactive material
- Medical imaging (diagnosis or guided procedures) using unsealed radioactive material (including Sentinel node biopsy)
- Dental diagnosis using CBCT
Medical 2A: Medical diagnosis using x-ray, CT and fluoroscopy (excludes the use of radioactive material)
- Annual fee for first year: $2,220.65
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $1,949.25
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Radiology using irradiating apparatus (including DEXA)
- Image guided medical procedures using irradiating apparatus
Medical 1A: Medical therapy using irradiating apparatus and sealed radioactive material (including high dose rate brachytherapy)
- Annual fee for first year: $4,305.60
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $4,034.20
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Medical therapy using irradiating apparatus.
- Medical therapy using sealed radioactive material (including high-dose-rate brachytherapy and low-dose-rate brachytherapy)
Veterinary source licence categories and fees
Non-medical 4A: Veterinary practice using irradiating apparatus (including CT and fluoroscopy) (excluding the use of radioactive material)
- Annual fee for first year: $1,261.55
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $990.15
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Veterinary practice using irradiating apparatus (x-ray, fluoroscopy, computed tomography
Non-medical 2A: Veterinary practice using irradiating apparatus (including CT and fluoroscopy) and unsealed radioactive material (eg, I-131)
- Annual fee for first year: $2,220.65
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $1,949.25
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Veterinary practice using unsealed radioactive material
- Veterinary practice using unsealed radioactive material (or unsealed radioactive material and irradiating apparatus)
Non-medical source licence categories and fees
Non-medical 5A: Any non-medical practice involving irradiating apparatus (excluding industrial radiography, X-ray irradiation, veterinary diagnosis or practice, well logging, the use of particle accelerators, human imaging, and the use of pulse-generated portable security inspection systems)
- Annual fee for first year: $1,141.95
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $870.55
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- X-ray baggage inspection
- X-ray analysis including cabinet X-ray, food inspection systems, bulk flow and foreign body detection
- X-ray analysis using hand-held XRF
- Use or storage of laboratory and precious metal analysis equipment (X-ray only)
- Use or storage of industrial measurement and monitoring equipment (X-ray only)
- Use or storage of DEXA equipment for non-patients
- Use or storage of X-ray only industrial gauges
- Installation of irradiating apparatus (no manufacturing)
Non-medical 3A: Any non-medical practice involving irradiating apparatus or low activity radioactive material that is sealed radioactive material, or both (excluding industrial radiography, X-ray irradiation, the production of unsealed radioactive material using a cyclotron, veterinary diagnosis or practice, well logging, and the use of particle accelerators)
- Annual fee for first year: $1,527.20
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $1,255.80
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Human imaging for non-medical purposes
- Use or storage of fixed nuclear gauges that contain sealed radioactive material
- Use or storage of fixed nuclear gauges that contain sealed radioactive material and fixed x-ray gauges
- Use or storage of portable nuclear gauges that contain sealed radioactive material
- Use or storage of radioluminescent material or equipment containing radioluminescent material
- Use or storage of gaseous tritium light sources
- Use or storage of low activity sealed radioactive material for installation and servicing, medical physics purposes and static elimination
- Use of pulse-generated portable security inspection systems
- Manufacture or assembly of irradiating apparatus
Non-medical 2A: Any non-medical practice involving irradiating apparatus or low activity radioactive material, or both (excluding industrial radiography using radioactive material, X-ray irradiation, and the production of unsealed radioactive material using a cyclotron)
- Annual fee for first year: $2,220.65
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $1,949.25
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Industrial radiography using irradiating apparatus (X-ray only)
- Well-logging
- Use or storage of radioactive tracers
- Non-medical use of a linear accelerator (LINAC)
- Any other practice, activity or manufacture (other than by cyclotron) of low-activity unsealed radioactive material (including for testing, research, or teaching)
Non-medical 1B: Production of unsealed radioactive material using a cyclotron
- Annual fee for first year: $4,305.60
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $4,034.20
Non-medical 1A: Industrial radiography using radioactive material, X-ray irradiation (e.g. for sterilisation), and any non-medical practice involving high-activity radioactive material, including manufacture of (other than by cyclotron)
- Annual fee for first year: $4,305.60
- Annual fee for successive years (including renewals): $4,034.20
Examples of practices/activities that may be included in the compliance monitoring category:
- Industrial radiography using radioactive material
- Industrial radiography using radioactive material and irradiating apparatus
- X-ray irradiation
- Blood irradiation
- Research irradiation
- Any other use or manufacture (other than by cyclotron) of high-activity radioactive material
Exempt radiation sources
Under regulations 10-14, certain radiation sources are exempt from source licence requirements under specified criteria.
- Americium-241 in smoke detectors: regulation 10.
- Nickel-63 or hydrogen-3 in electron capture devices: regulation 11.
- Hydrogen-3 gaseous tritium light sources: regulation 12.
- Enclosed irradiating apparatus used for X-ray fluorescence (XRF) or X-ray diffraction (XRD): regulation 13.
- Radiation sources (other than nuclear material) that temporarily enter New Zealand: regulation 14.
Note: XRF or XRD apparatus exempt under regulation 13 still need to be registered by the person or company who possesses them. This registration is mandated by section 31 of the Radiation Safety Act 2016. Find more information on How to register a radiation source.
How to apply for a source licence
Step 1. Complete the application form
Download the relevant form below, fill out all required fields, and sign and date it. If you are unable to sign the form, type your name in the “signed” field, or use drawing tools to draw your signature on the page. Save the completed form.
Step 2. Attach supporting documents
Include any required documentation as specified in the form, and any additional documents to support your application. This may include radiation source registration forms, if applicable.
Step 3. Submit your application
Email the completed form and attachments to the Office of Radiation Safety: [email protected]
Important Notes
Acknowledgment
ORS will acknowledge your application and may request further information or details relating to your application.
Invoice and payment
An invoice will be issued with fees based on the compliance monitoring category or categories for the radiation sources and radiation practices in your application.
Do not make payment prior to receiving an invoice. Ensure that the invoice number is included with payments.
TIming
Submit your application at least 4 weeks in advance to avoid delays.
Licence variation
If you wish to vary a source licence without also renewing it, tick the “Variation” check box and leave the “Licencing term” checkboxes blank.
Compliance monitoring
Once your licence is granted, your location or facility will be scheduled for routine compliance monitoring.
Renewal responsibility
While ORS may send reminder emails, it is the licence holder’s responsibility to ensure renewal applications are submitted before the expiry date on the licence. ORS reserves the right to decline late renewal applications.
