How to verify a Skills Pass certificate as an employer

Why verification matters

Accepting a screenshot or printout without independently checking it is not sufficient to satisfy the employer’s obligation. Skills Pass certificates are digital and linked to the holder’s account on the official portal. A document can be printed or shared as an image without reflecting whether the underlying certificate is currently valid.

Employers are responsible for verifying that a certificate is genuine and current — not simply that a document has been presented. The QR code system the official portal provides is the mechanism for doing that.

How to verify using the QR code

Every issued Skills Pass certificate carries a QR code. Scanning that code using the verification function on the official Skills Pass portal confirms whether the certificate is genuine and current at the moment of the check. The specific steps in the portal interface for scanning or entering the QR code reference are:

Per official guidance, the verification check should be completed through the official Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass portal. Access the portal at the link below and use the employer verification section to perform the check. If the portal steps have changed since this page was last updated, the portal itself is the authoritative reference.

• Ask the employee to present their digital certificate — either on their device or as a printed copy that includes the QR code.
• Scan or enter the QR code reference through the verification function on the official portal.
• Confirm the result shows the certificate as valid — not expired, not suspended, and matching the occupation the employee will work in.
• Record the outcome — note the date of verification, the certificate reference, and the occupation shown, as part of your compliance record.

What a valid certificate shows

A valid, verified Skills Pass certificate will show:

• The holder’s name — confirm this matches the employee’s identity documents.
• The covered occupation — confirm this matches the role the employee will actually work in.
• The issuing date — note this for your records.

Per official guidance, the validity period and any expiry date shown on the certificate should be checked at the time of verification. If the certificate does not show an expiry date or if the portal does not indicate an expiry, confirm the current validity rules directly with Skills Pass.

Red flags to watch for

• QR code cannot be verified — treat this as an invalid certificate until Skills Pass confirms otherwise.
• Certificate shows as expired — the employee must not begin or continue in the covered role until a current certificate is in place.
• Occupation mismatch — a certificate for a different covered occupation does not satisfy the requirement for the role you are hiring into. An occupation-specific certificate is required.
• Name mismatch — resolve any discrepancy between the certificate name and the employee’s identity documents with Skills Pass before treating the certificate as valid for that employee.

Keeping records

Employers should retain a record of each verification carried out. At a minimum, record:

• The employee’s name and the role they were hired into.
• The Skills Pass certificate reference number.
• The date the verification was carried out.
• The occupation shown on the verified certificate.

The official employer portal holds the authoritative record of registrations made through it. Your own log complements that by capturing the date and outcome of each active employer-side verification check.

Official Skills Pass portal