Technical solutions (Troubleshooting)

To access the NSW Planning Portal (the Portal), you will need to be connected to a reliable internet connection as it is a web-based tool.

It is recommended to use Google Chrome version 66.0 or higher. Other browsers that support the Portal are:

• Safari
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge 44.0

Please note, in 2022 Microsoft discontinued support for IE 11 and lower versions. As a result, Internet Explorer is not supported by the Portal.

You can now view the Portal on the following compatible mobile devices, but most services are optimally viewed on a desktop browser:

• Google Android OS devices
• Apple OS devices
• Windows OS devices (Microsoft Edge)

If you are having trouble accessing the Portal, please Contact us.

When you create a NSW Planning Portal account, the system will automatically send a validation email to the email address entered. This will be sent from email address [email protected]. If it is not in your inbox, please check your junk or spam email folders.

We are unable to resend the validation email. If it is not received, please add the email address [email protected] to your contact list and register once again.

If you have followed the steps within the How to register for the NSW Planning Portal quick reference guide, but you were unable to successfully create an account, please Contact us.

The verification link sent to you in the NSW Planning Portal account validation email, remains active for 24 hours. If you are unable to validate your account within this time period, you will need to re-create your account.

If you are experiencing issues logging in, we recommend that you try to log in using a different browser, for example if you were initially trying to access the Portal using Microsoft Edge, try again in Google Chrome.

If this does not resolve the problem, we recommend re-setting your password. To do so:

1. Open the NSW Planning Portal. If possible, open in Google Chrome.
2. Click on 'My Account' in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
3. Click the 'Forgot password' link.
4. Enter the email address related to your NSW Planning Portal account and click ‘Send verification code’.
5. If you have a registered NSW Planning Portal account, an email will be sent to the nominated address with a verification code. Enter the code into the secondary verification code field.
6. Once verified, select ‘Change’ and input a new password for your account. If your password is accepted, you will be able to re-login to your account.

When you enter an address, it will be validated against the registered address database. You must select an address from the list that is displayed. When selecting a registered address, a map will display on the right-hand side of the screen with site information including the relevant local government area (LGA) on the left.

If the address does not appear in the list, select the ‘Address did not display?’ checkbox and enter the details manually. This will disable the predictive text feature and map functionality.

An application can only be accessed in the NSW Planning Portal by the creator of that application.

You may have received an email notification about the application as you are the owner/applicant, but you will be unable to access the application unless you created it or have been nominated as the payer. Note: If you have been nominated as the payer within the application form, you can access the application using the search functionality within the Portal.   

The best option is to talk to the person who created the case on your behalf in the Portal (possibly your architect or a town planner) and ask them what is required of you.

When the BASIX service was transferred to the NSW Planning Portal, some completed projects were also migrated across.

All completed BASIX certificates (projects), including those you have archived, are located in your BASIX historical work folder. 

1. Select the BASIX historical work folder from the left-hand side menu, activated by selecting the three horizontal lines.
2. The applications (projects) will be displayed on a dashboard. You can view the relevant application in read only mode by selecting the relevant unique Certificate ID or site address.

You can access “in progress” projects last accessed on or after 1 January 2021 from the Active work tab on the NSW Planning Portal. Note: Any projects last accessed before 1 January 2021 were not migrated to the NSW Planning Portal and are unable to be accessed. Please start a new BASIX application for your proposed development.

BASIX certificates that were generated prior to 28 March 2009 are not available within your NSW Planning Portal account. To obtain a copy of this certificate, please email [email protected] and include “Retrieve BASIX certificate” in the subject line.

BASIX Completion Receipts generated prior to 28 March 2009 are not available within your NSW Planning Portal account. To obtain a copy of an older receipt (generated on version 0 or 1), please email [email protected] and include “Retrieve BASIX Completion Receipt” in the subject line.

To create and generate a BASIX certificate you will need one of the following NSW Planning Portal account types:

• Applicant for Development Application, Complying Development Certificate, Smart Places, State Design Review Panel, Activation Precinct Certificate, or
• Developer.

If you need to transfer a BASIX application from another BASIX user, both the existing owner of the application and yourself will need to complete the Authorisation to transfer BASIX project files form. Once completed email the form to [email protected], with the subject heading ‘BASIX application transfer’.

Note: Requests to transfer a BASIX project can only be completed if there is an existing NSW Planning Portal applicant or developer account to transfer the project to. Customers should create a Portal account that projects can be transferred to then make the transfer request.

BASIX applications (projects) and certificates were migrated, where applicable, to the NSW Planning Portal using the email address registered with the old BASIX tool.

If you no longer have access to that email address, you will need to raise a support request for investigation. To do so, please email [email protected] and provide the following information:

• Contact name (first name and last name)
• Contact phone number
• BASIX username
• Email address linked to BASIX user account
• Email address linked to the NSW Planning Portal account.

Previously certifiers would issue a BASIX completion receipt within the BASIX tool. This functionality is now part of the related Occupation Certificate workflow. Staff members will require a NSW Planning Portal certifier or council account and be assigned to the Post-Consent Certificate service to be able to perform this function. 

To issue a BASIX completion receipt: 

1. Log into your NSW Planning Portal certifier account. 
2. Open the Occupation Certificate application related to the BASIX completion receipt you would like to issue. 
3. Select “Issue BASIX Completion Receipt” from the actions menu. 
4. Enter the BASIX certificate number/s and final inspection date/s. 
5. Enter the certifier’s registration number. 
6. Click submit to confirm the submission and issue the BASIX completion receipt.

For more detailed instructions, please view the Issue a BASIX completion receipt quick reference guide. You can access this document from the knowledge management section of the NSW Planning Portal dashboard.

To access a BASIX certificate or completion receipt that you have issued, use the advanced search option within the NSW Planning Portal. You can access this functionality by:

1. Click on the three horizontal stripes in the top left-hand corner of the screen to open the menu.
2. Select “Advanced search” and select BASIX from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter the BASIX certificate or completion receipt number and click search.
4. The results will populate in a table. Click on the BASIX certificate or completion receipt number to download the document/s.

For more detailed instructions, view the Locate BASIX Certificate and Completion Receipt quick reference guide.

When issuing a BASIX completion receipt, the postcode for the development address needs to be the same in the BASIX certificate and the Occupation Certificate application.

If the postcode for the development address is different, the BASIX certificate will need to be revised to display the address used on the Occupation Certificate application.

There is a system validation where a BASIX Certificate will need to be uploaded if the applicant answers Yes to the question “Do you have a BASIX Certificate?”. The selection of “yes” on the development application form will also identify a BASIX Certificate as a mandatory required for the related Construction and Occupation Certificate applications as they are linked applications.  

When reviewing a submitted development application or complying development application, please ensure that the content within the application is correct prior to lodgement. You will be unable to amend this information on the Construction or Occupation Certificate applications without contacting customer support. 

If you are a DPIE user and are unable to upload or publish a document on a planning proposal, the case may be assigned to council.

We recommend that you contact the council, who can upload or publish the document on your behalf.

To transfer a STRA registration, the previous owner will need to de-register the current registration, allowing you to create a new property ID.

Note: If there are future bookings linked to the property ID, these will need to be cancelled prior to the previous owner de-registering the property.

For more information, on either the de-registration or registration of a STRA property, please view the Quick Reference Guides on the NSW Planning Portal.