• 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
• Children's centres
• Safeguarding children
• 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
• Depending on the ages of the children that you want to care for you may need to register on the Childcare Register, so go to our 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 Disclosure and Barring Service (this replaced the Criminal Records Bureau on 1 December 2012: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/dbs) application forms
• if you have difficulty in completing any forms or need more information about applying, speak to your local authority or call our helpline on 0300 123 1231.

Applying online

The quickest and easiest way to apply is the Ofsted Online website. Please note that we updated this website in May 2013; and this autumn we aim to move to online applications only.

Applying with downloaded forms

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

Remember If you want to register on the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register, then you just have to complete the Early Years Register forms as these include a place to apply for the Childcare Register.

You can complete the Word version on your computer or by hand. The PDF version can only be completed by hand.

Childcare on domestic or non-domestic premises

• Checklist
• 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.

Once you have completed your forms you can post them to Ofsted at Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD.

Application forms for the Childcare Register only

If you only wish to join the Childcare Register you can obtain the application forms 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 then tell you about any additional forms you may need to complete and provide details for:

• Disclosure and Barring Service checks
• checking you identity and other information
• any other information we need
• paying your application fee.

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. We will include information on how to pay online on the back of the invoice that we send out requesting a payment.