MSIC

Contact the MSIC Service Centre immediately on 9430 3417 (8 am – 4 pm) or 9430 3315 (after office hours) to advise if a card has been lost, stolen or destroyed. Advice will be provided to obtain a replacement card and how access will be managed in the interim period.

For further information related to the MSIC and/or Access Card to Fremantle Ports Maritime Security Zones, contact the MSIC Service Centre on 9430 3417 (8 am – 4 pm, Monday – Friday).

The MSIC is a nationally consistent identification card which confirms that the holder has met the minimum background checking requirements to work in a maritime and/or offshore security zone. An MSIC is not an access control card, and possession of an MSIC does not provide the right of entry to any facility within a maritime security zone. Access to maritime security zones is managed by the Maritime Industry Participant. At Fremantle, Maritime Industry Participants include Fremantle Ports, QUBE, P&O, Patrick, BP, Alcoa and CBH.

Maritime security zones are areas within regulated ports, around and onboard regulated Australian ships which have additional security requirements, as defined by the Maritime Transport Security and Offshore Facilities Act 2003. At Fremantle, these areas include the North Quay and Victoria Quay berths and Customs-controlled areas, including the container terminals, Kwinana Bulk Terminal, Kwinana Bulk Jetty and the private facilities in the Outer Harbour. The MSIC will also cover security zones on offshore oil and gas facilities.

If you require unmonitored access within a maritime security zone you will require an MSIC.

All persons unmonitored within a maritime security zone have been required to hold and display an MSIC since 1 January 2007.

You can apply for an MSIC with Fremantle Ports MSIC issuing body. Please note that while an MSIC can be obtained from any MSIC issuing body, only Fremantle Ports can give you access to Fremantle Ports' maritime security zones. Review the application information on this website or call 9430 3384 or 9430 3580 for further application information.

An MSIC issuing body can be a regulated Maritime Industry Participant (MIP) or another body, such as an employee union, industry association or private company that has been nominated by a MIP, following approval of an MSIC plan. As an issuing body, Fremantle Ports has its MSIC Service Centre at the Fremantle Ports Administration Building at 1 Cliff Street, Fremantle. The centre began operating on 1 May 2006.

You need to complete and sign an MSIC application form. For full document requirements, please see the MSIC Application Guide. 

AusCheck (a department of the Attorney-General’s Office) will coordinate a background check by using the information you provide to Fremantle Ports to ask the following government agencies for information about you.

This background check includes:

• a criminal history check by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC)
• a criminal intelligence assessment by the ACIC (for ASIC & MSIC applicants only)
• a national security assessment by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO)
• a ‘right to work in Australia’ check if you are an Australian Visa holder. AusCheck conducts this through the Department of Home Affairs’ Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system.

For more information refer to AusCheck background checks.

MSIC issuing bodies, such as Fremantle Ports, will be responsible for confirming an applicant’s identity and their citizenship or right to work in Australia. They will also provide application and consent forms for background checks. The issuing body will also be responsible for producing an MSIC.

AusCheck will give you a written statement of reasons why you are not eligible to hold an MSIC. You will also receive advice on your appeal rights.

If you are unsuccessful in your appeal or chose not to appeal, you will not be able to enter a maritime security zone. It is a matter for your employer to redeploy you outside of the maritime security zone and whether not being able to obtain an MSIC will affect your employment status.

Only the Australian Government will have access to background checking information. Issuing bodies will only receive written advice from AusCheck that states whether they can or cannot issue an MSIC.

A Standard MSIC is valid for two (2) or four (4) years unless you leave the regulated Australian maritime environment for 12 months or longer or you no longer have an operational need to be within a maritime security zone. In this case, your card may be cancelled before the validity period has elapsed.

If your card is cancelled, you need to return it to the issuing body that issued it.

If you return to the industry after this time or you find once again you have a need for an MSIC and it is before the date the card would have expired, contact your MSIC Issuing Body to enquire whether the MSIC can be re-instated. If it can, you will need to sign a statutory declaration stating there has been no change to your criminal record and your card will be reissued to you with the original expiry date. Even if there has been no change to your criminal history, the issuing body may decide that new background checks will need to be undertaken. If this is the case, your new card will expire either two or four years from when this new check was conducted.

Your card will expire so you will need to apply for a new one before it expires. You will need to undergo another background check before your replacement card can be issued. Start the process at least one month before your MSIC expires, so you don’t lose the ability to work unmonitored within a maritime security zone.

Once your MSIC expires, you will need to return it to the MSIC Issuing Body within 30 days. Please note that failure to do so may incur a penalty of 10 units ($3130) as per MTOFSR, Regulation 6.08P.

The total time taken to obtain an MSIC will depend on whether you have provided the appropriate documentation or if additional information is sought by the background checking agencies. Additional time should also be allocated for administration processes and determination of your eligibility required by the issuing body and AusCheck.

Fremantle Ports offers several MSIC card options, as shown in the MSIC Application Guide. The cost includes the AusCheck background checks, identification photo and the card. 

You are required to display an MSIC while in a maritime security zone.

You should wear your MSIC above waist height, at the front or side of your body, and with the whole front of the MSIC clearly visible.

Inappropriate display of, or not displaying, an MSIC could lead to a fine.

More frequently asked questions can be found on the MSIC Privacy page.