Build AI CV
You hold the licence the job ad asks for, but the employer cannot find it on your CV. It is on page two, or written as "various tickets", or missing the class and expiry date. A busy reader who needs a forklift licence, a gas ticket or a nursing registration before they can call you may move to the next applicant. This article shows you exactly how to list licences, tickets and certificates on a CV: what to include for each one, where to put them, and how to handle overseas, expired and in-progress ones.
Why licences and tickets decide who gets the call
For many trade, driving, care and health jobs, a licence is not a nice extra. It is the line between "can start on Monday" and "cannot legally do the work yet". An employer hiring an electrician, a crane operator or an aged care worker usually checks this first, before they read your duties.
That is why the way you write them matters. A vague line makes the reader do extra work, and a reader who has fifty CVs to get through rarely does. A clear line answers the three questions they have straight away:
- Do you hold the exact licence or ticket the job needs? Not a similar one, the exact class or type.
- Is it current? An expiry date, or "current" with a renewal date, removes the doubt.
- Is it valid where the job is? A licence from another country or state may need a transfer or a local version.
What to include for each licence, ticket or certificate
Write every entry in the same order so the reader can scan the list in seconds. A simple pattern works for almost every trade and health job:
- The full name of the licence or certificate. Use the name on the card or certificate, not a nickname. "Licensed Electrician" tells the reader less than the exact licence name.
- The class, category or unit. For example a heavy rigid truck class, a forklift class or the type of gas work covered.
- Who issued it and where. The licensing body, regulator or training provider, plus the state, province or country.
- The licence or registration number, if it is safe and useful to share. Many employers verify licences on a public register. If you are unsure, give the number at interview stage instead.
- The date it was issued and the expiry date. Month and year are enough.
- Any conditions. Supervision conditions, restrictions or endorsements belong here too, stated plainly.
Here is how that looks in practice.
Example (fictional): Forklift licence (LF class), issued by the state work safety regulator, Queensland, Australia. Issued March 2023, expires March 2028.
Example (fictional): Registered Nurse, registered with the national nursing regulator of the Philippines, registration number available on request. Current, renewed June 2025.
Licences, tickets and certificates are not the same thing
It helps to sort what you hold before you write it down. A licence or registration gives you the legal right to do certain work, such as electrical work, driving a heavy vehicle or practising as a nurse. A ticket is the everyday trade word for a short safety or equipment qualification, such as working at heights, confined spaces or an elevated work platform. A certificate usually means a course or qualification, from first aid to a full trade certificate.
Your trade qualification itself normally sits under Education and training. Licences, registrations and tickets get their own section, because employers look for them separately.
Where licences and tickets go on your CV
Placement depends on how important the licence is to the job.
When the job cannot be done without it
If the ad says "must hold" a licence, put it near the top. Mention it in your career profile in one short line, then list the full details in a section called "Licences and certificates" or "Licences and tickets", placed straight after your profile or your skills. A nurse's registration or an electrician's licence should never wait until page two.
Example profile line (fictional): Licensed electrician with eight years of commercial and industrial work, holding a current electrical licence and a working at heights ticket.
When it is useful but not required
Keep the section, but place it after your work experience. A first aid certificate for a warehouse job, or a forklift ticket for a retail role, supports your application without pushing your main experience down.
When you hold a long list
Experienced tradespeople often hold ten or more tickets. List the ones the job ad asks for first, then the most relevant others. Short courses that have nothing to do with the job can go, or be grouped in one line such as "Other safety tickets available on request". The same idea keeps a CV to a sensible length, which the guide on cutting an Australian resume to two pages without losing your strongest work explains in more detail.
Overseas, expired and in-progress licences
Most of the mistakes happen here, especially for people applying for jobs in another country.
Overseas licences
Show the licence you hold, with the country, and be honest about its status where you are applying. Do not rename an overseas licence to sound like a local one. If you have started the process to get a local licence or registration, say so with the stage you have reached.
Example (fictional): Electrical licence, Republic of South Africa, current. Application for a local electrical licence lodged with the state licensing body, August 2026.
If a skills assessment or qualification recognition is part of your plan, list it clearly as well. The article on where your skills assessment belongs on your resume covers that line in detail. For readers in Australia whose skills are not yet backed by a local qualification, RPLDirect explains recognition of prior learning and skills assessment in plain language.
Expired licences
An expired licence is not a current right to work. Either leave it out or label it clearly, for example "Expired January 2025, renewal booked for November 2026". Listing it without a date and hoping nobody checks can cost you the job after an offer, when the check happens.
Licences in progress
Courses you are taking now can be listed with "in progress" and an expected finish date. Do not round "booked" up to "completed". An honest "expected December 2026" still shows the employer you are moving in the right direction.
Trades and health: what readers look for first
The same rules apply in every job, but the details readers scan for differ.
| Job type | What the reader looks for first | Details worth adding |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical, plumbing, gas | The trade licence and its class | State or country, expiry, any supervision condition |
| Driving and machinery | Licence class and equipment tickets | Vehicle types, machine types, clean record if true |
| Construction | Site safety induction and height or confined space tickets | Issue dates and the work platforms or scaffolding covered |
| Nursing and allied health | Registration with the regulator | Registration type, any conditions, English test result |
| Aged care and disability support | Care certificate and first aid | First aid and CPR dates, any required screening check |
Health workers applying abroad often need an English test result next to their registration. If that is you, see where your IELTS, PTE or OET score belongs on your CV. Tradespeople can see a full layout in this electrician CV example, which shows licences, safety standards and installation skills together.
Common mistakes that cost interviews
- "All relevant tickets held". The reader cannot tell which ones. Name them.
- Missing dates. No expiry date invites the question "is this still current?"
- Abbreviations nobody outside your old company knows. Write the full name once, then the short form in brackets if it is common in the trade.
- Hiding licences inside job duties. "Operated forklifts daily" is not the same as "Forklift licence, current". Show both.
- Claiming a local licence you do not hold yet. This is easy to check and can end an application quickly.
- Sharing more than needed. Never attach copies of licence cards to an online CV. Give copies when the employer asks for them.
Putting it together in your CV
Once your list is sorted, building the section takes a few minutes. In Build AI CV, the step-by-step editor has its own Licences and certificates step, so each licence sits in a clear section rather than buried in your duties. Licences and certificates with numbers or expiry dates have their own step in the Build AI CV editor. The Technical / Trades template shows skills, licences, tools and brand experience in a snapshot panel up front, and the Healthcare template places registrations and certificates near the top. You can see both on the CV templates page.
Before you send a CV, read the licence section the way an employer would. Can you see the exact licence the ad asks for in the first half of page one? Is every entry dated? If yes, the most important question about you has been answered before the reader reaches your work history.
Ready to set out your licences properly? Build your CV free, with the Classic and ATS Plain templates and PDF downloads on the free plan. When an employer asks you to prove your experience as well, a verified candidate profile on Talent Tabloid can sit alongside your CV.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put my licence number on my CV?
Only if it helps and you are comfortable sharing it. Many employers can check a licence on a public register, but you can also write "number available on request" and give it later.
Where do I list a driver's licence on a CV?
If driving is part of the job, list it in your licences section with the class. If it is not, a short line under personal details or other information is enough.
Can I list a licence I am still studying for?
Yes, if you label it "in progress" with an expected finish date. Never list it as completed before it is.
Do I need to list every safety ticket I hold?
No. List the ones the job asks for first, then the most relevant others, and group the rest in one short line.
