• Find an early years and childcare inspection report
• Understanding an early years and childcare inspection report
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting early years and childcare
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted regulates
• Caring for children in their own home
• Regulating early years and childcare; applying to be a provider
  • About the two early years and childcare registers
  • Registration not required for early years and childcare
  • Before registration as an early years and childcare provider
  • Registering as an early years and childcare provider
    • Completing your application to be an early years and childcare provider
    • The visit - part of registration for early years and childcare provision
    • Your certificate for early years and childcare provision
  • After registration as an early years and childcare provider
• Safeguarding children
• Children's centres
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

Completing your application to be an early years and childcare provider

Use our appropriate guide to help you.

• Guide to registration on the Early Years Register: childminder 
• Guide to registration on the Early Years Register: childcare on domestic and non-domestic premises
• Guide to registration on the Childcare Register

Please note that:

• if you want to join both registers at the same time, you should use the Early Years Register forms
• you can join both registers at the same time and pay only one fee to do that
• if you are applying to be a childcare provider, you must make a separate application for each set of premises where you want to provide care
• you can only apply to offer one type of care, unless you want to be a childminder and a home childcarer; in which case you can apply for both types of care on the same form
• an application is not complete until we have the relevant forms, the fee and the Criminal Records Bureau application forms
• if you have difficulty in completing any forms or need more information about applying, call our helpline on 0300 123 1231.

Applying online

You can apply online at the Ofsted Online website. 

Applying by post

You can send your completed application to us. The sections below explain how to apply dependent on which forms you are using.

This website only has downloadable forms for registering on the Early Years Register.

Applying with downloaded forms – Early Years Register

You can download the forms listed to apply to the Early Years Register.

You can complete the Word version on your computer or by hand, but if you complete it on your computer you will need to print it for posting to us. The PDF version can only be completed by hand.

Childcare on domestic or non-domestic premises

• Checklist
• Application form for the Early Years Register: childminder (EYC) 
• Application form for the Early Years Register: childcare on domestic or non-domestic premises (EYO) 
• Declaration and consent form for all individuals connected with a provision registered on the Early Years Register (EY2) 
• Notification to Ofsted (EY3) 
• Health declaration booklet 
• Preparing for your registration visit
• Paying fees for application and continued registration on the Early Years Register and Childcare Register

 You should also go to our Requirements for the Childcare Register: childcare providers on non-domestic or domestic premises factsheet.

Applying with an application pack

The application pack includes all the the forms that you need to complete.

Application pack for the Early Years Register

There are two Early Years Register application packs, so make sure you complete the childcare on domestic or non-domestic premises application pack.

You can obtain the appropriate application pack for the Early Years Register from your local family information service; contact details are on the Family Information Service website, your local authority website ( A–Z of local authority websites) or in the telephone directory.

Your family information service will give you the pack when you attend a childminding or childcare briefing session; it may send you one if you want to be a childcare provider. 

Application pack for the Childcare Register only

If you only wish to join the Childcare Register, you can obtain an application pack by calling us on 0300 123 1231, or writing to us at Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD. To begin the application process you complete the CR1 application form and send it to us. We will send you any additional forms to complete – such as declaration and consent forms for other people connected to your application – when we receive your completed CR1.

Sending completed forms to Ofsted

All forms have to be posted. You should post your completed form(s) to Ofsted at Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD.

Fees

Go to Paying fees for application and continued registration on the Early Years Register and Childcare Register to find out about fees. 

We have an online payment system for applicants to pay their application fees online. We will include information on how to pay online on the back of the invoice that we send out requesting a payment.