How to Check If a Migration Agent Is MARA Registered (Free OMARA Lookup)
How to look up any Australian migration agent on the OMARA register in about 60 seconds, what current registration actually requires, and the sections of the Migration Act that make unregistered advice illegal. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 One search.
- 0:12 Charging without registration
- 0:22 How to check
- 0:41 Section 15: no false claims
- 0:55 Only lawyers can charge
- 1:05 Registered isn't the same
- 1:18 'Visa consultant'
- 1:32 The 60-second check
Transcript
Before you hand a migration agent your documents or your money, one search tells you everything — and it takes about 60 seconds.
It's illegal for anyone who isn't a registered agent to charge a fee for migration advice — sections 280 and 281 of the Migration Act say so directly.
Ask for their MARN, search the OMARA register, check that the result says Registered, then screenshot it for your records.
Registration means passing a prescribed exam, holding professional indemnity insurance, and being bound by the Code of Conduct Regulations from 2021.
Two sections put teeth in it. Section 15 stops an agent making a false or misleading statement — including a promise of approval. Section 42 requires a written service agreement before paid work begins.
A close family member or the person sponsoring you can give free immigration help without registering — but apart from lawyers, none of them can charge a fee for it.
Registration isn't a mark of quality — it's the legal minimum. An agent can be fully registered and still give poor advice, so look beyond the register at reviews and experience with your visa type.
'Visa consultant' isn't a protected title — anyone can call themselves one. Only a registered agent with a current MARN, or an Australian legal practitioner, can legally charge for migration advice.
Migratio sources its directory from the OMARA register and links every profile straight to it, so the 60-second check is always one click away.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
Short versions
- Check any MARN in 60 seconds (0:29)
- The 2 sections that make fake agents illegal (0:28)
- Registered isn't the same as good (0:31)
Talk it through with a registered agent
Every agent on Migratio is on the official OMARA register. Compare agents and their consultation fees.