RQIA Registration for Domiciliary Care Agency in Northern Ireland (2026)

If you want to run a domiciliary care agency in Northern Ireland, you must complete RQIA registration before you deliver any personal care. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority regulates all domiciliary care services under health and social care Northern Ireland law, and operating without approval is a criminal offence.

In practice, RQIA registration takes between 8 and 12 weeks when you prepare properly. Poor preparation pushes the timeline to three to six months. The difference almost always comes down to evidence, not effort.

This guide shows you exactly how to register in 2026. You will learn how the RQIA registration online process works, what to prepare before you access the RQIA Portal, how the registration form gets assessed, and how to avoid the mistakes that delay applications for months.

If you plan to work in social care Northern Ireland, this is the roadmap regulators expect you to follow. You have not enough Humanizer words left. Upgrade your Surfer plan.

Do you need RQIA registration for domiciliary care?

You need RQIA registration if your business provides personal care to adults in their own homes in Northern Ireland. This includes support with washing, dressing, toileting, medication prompts, eating, or mobility. If your staff enter someone’s home and deliver hands-on personal care, the law requires registration.

RQIA (r q i a) regulates these services under the Health and Personal Social Services framework for health and social care Northern Ireland. The rules apply whether you operate as a limited company, partnership, or sole trader. Business size does not matter. One client is enough to trigger registration.

You do not need registration if your service only offers:

• Domestic cleaning with no personal care
• Companionship or sitting services with no physical assistance
• Employment matching where carers work directly for individuals

The moment your service crosses into regulated personal care, RQIA registration becomes mandatory.

Many providers delay their application because they misunderstand this boundary. RQIA does not assess your intentions. They assess what your service actually delivers. If your service description includes personal care, you must register before trading.

In social care in Northern Ireland, registration is not optional, and “starting small” does not exempt you from regulation.

READ MORE: CQC Supported Living Registration in 2026: The Complete Guide

RQIA vs CQC: Northern Ireland rules are not the same

If you have researched care business registration online, you have probably seen a lot of guidance about CQC. This is where many applications go wrong. CQC applies to England only. Northern Ireland follows a different legal system and a different regulator.

RQIA regulates health and social care services in Northern Ireland. CQC, often referred to as the Care Home Quality Commission, regulates services in England under CQC regs and the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The rules, terminology, and expectations are not interchangeable.

Here is what you need to understand clearly:

• RQIA regulates domiciliary care in Northern Ireland
• CQC UK regulates domiciliary care in England
• RQIA registration is free for domiciliary care agencies
• CQC charges registration and annual fees
• RQIA requires NISCC registration for managers
• CQC does not use NISCC

Trying to apply cqc uk guidance to an RQIA application causes delays, contradictions, and credibility issues. RQIA reviewers can spot this immediately. Policies written for CQC standards rarely align with Northern Ireland regulations, even when they look similar on the surface.

If you plan to operate in both jurisdictions, you must treat them as two separate regulatory projects. This guide focuses solely on RQIA registration for domiciliary care agencies in Northern Ireland.

RQIA registration online: using the RQIA Portal the right way

You complete RQIA registration online through the RQIA Portal, sometimes referred to as the RQIA web portal or rqia portal. This system handles every stage of your application, from account setup to final submission. If you struggle with the portal, your application stalls before RQIA even reviews your evidence.

Before you can submit anything, you must request access to the RQIA Portal. RQIA verifies your identity and your role in the business, then issues login credentials. This step alone can take several working days, so request access early. Many applicants lose weeks by waiting until their documents are “almost ready” before asking for portal access.

Once RQIA approves access, you receive your RQIA registration login details. Use these credentials to sign in through the rqia login page and start a “Registration of a New Service” application. The portal then guides you through structured sections covering service details, premises, staffing, governance, and declarations.

The portal does not auto-save incomplete thinking. Every answer must align with your uploaded documents. RQIA reviewers read your portal responses side by side with your Statement of Purpose, policies, staffing plan, and training matrix. If your answers conflict with your evidence, RQIA flags the issue and requests clarification.

Treat the rqia portal as an assessment tool, not a formality. Clear, precise answers speed up your review. Vague or inconsistent entries create delays long before inspections or interviews begin.

SEE ALSO: Price of Long Term Care in the UK: Care Home Costs (2026 Guide)

The RQIA registration form: what assessors actually review

The RQIA registration form is not a box-ticking exercise. RQIA uses it to test whether your service can operate safely from day one. Every answer you enter must prove capability, not intention.

When you complete the form through the RQIA Portal, assessors focus on five core areas:

• Service clarity
  RQIA checks whether your service description matches domiciliary care reality. Vague language raises concerns. You must state exactly what care you provide, who you support, and where you operate.
• Governance and accountability
  Assessors look for a clear governance structure. They want to know who makes decisions, who oversees quality, and how issues escalate. If your Responsible Person and Registered Manager roles overlap, explain how you manage oversight.
• Staffing model
  RQIA examines whether your staffing numbers, roles, and on-call arrangements support your stated service hours. If you claim 24/7 cover, your rotas must prove it.
• Training and competence
  The form must align with your training matrix. RQIA checks whether staff receive safeguarding, medication, infection control, and role-specific training before delivering care.
• Consistency across evidence
  This is where most delays happen. If your Statement of Purpose says one thing and your policies say another, RQIA pauses the process and asks questions.

The biggest mistake applicants make is treating the rqia registration form as separate from their documents. RQIA reads everything together. Clear alignment speeds up approval. Contradictions slow everything down.

Documents you need for RQIA registration (and why they must align)

Your documents carry more weight than any single answer on the RQIA Portal. RQIA assessors use your paperwork to decide whether your service can operate safely, consistently, and within the law. Generic templates fail because they do not reflect how your service actually works.

For RQIA registration, you need a complete, service-specific document pack that aligns with the RQIA standards for domiciliary care.

At a minimum, prepare the following:

• Statement of Purpose

This document defines your service. It must explain what care you provide, who you support, where you operate, your staffing structure, and how you meet the Minimum Standards. RQIA treats this as a legal declaration, not marketing content.

• Service User Guide

This guide explains what people using your service can expect. It must cover care delivery, complaints, safeguarding, rights, and contact details in clear, accessible language.

• Policies and procedures

RQIA expects a full operational policy suite. Focus on safeguarding, medication management, infection prevention, risk assessment, care planning, recruitment, supervision, complaints, incidents, and quality assurance. Every policy must reflect how your service actually runs.

• Staffing plan and rota logic

You must show how many staff you employ, what roles they hold, how on-call cover works, and how you maintain continuity of care.

• Training matrix

RQIA checks whether training supports safe care. Your matrix should show required training by role, completion dates, refresh cycles, and competence checks.

• Financial viability evidence

Provide proof that your business can sustain operations. This may include a business plan, projections, bank confirmation, or funding evidence.

• Insurance certificates

Employers’ liability is mandatory. Public liability and professional indemnity strengthen your application.

RQIA does not accept contradictions. If your Statement of Purpose promises complex care, your training, staffing, and risk management must support that claim. Alignment across documents is one of the strongest predictors of fast approval.

MORE: Latest CQC Reports, Regulated Activities (2026)

Responsible Person and Registered Manager: meeting the fit person test

RQIA places heavy scrutiny on the Responsible Person and the Registered Manager because these roles determine how your service operates day to day. If RQIA doubts the competence of either role, your application slows down or fails.

The Responsible Person holds legal accountability for the service. This role often sits with the business owner or a company director. RQIA expects this person to understand the regulations, oversee governance, monitor quality, and intervene when things go wrong. You must provide a full employment history with no unexplained gaps, strong professional references, evidence of relevant experience in health or social care, a medical fitness declaration, and an Enhanced AccessNI check with barred list screening.

The Registered Manager runs daily operations and directly influences care quality. In Northern Ireland, this role requires mandatory registration with NISCC. This is not optional. Employing a manager who should be registered but is not can constitute a criminal offence. RQIA will not progress your application unless NISCC registration is in place or clearly underway.

RQIA also expects the Registered Manager to hold, or be actively working towards, a Level 5 qualification in Health and Social Care Management or an equivalent award. Experience must match the service you plan to deliver. If your service involves medication support, safeguarding complexities, or vulnerable adults, your manager must demonstrate competence in those areas.

RQIA assesses both roles with an inspection mindset. They ask whether you can identify risks, respond to incidents, supervise staff, and improve quality. This is why many registration delays appear later during rqia inspections, not at the form stage.

Fit person interview: questions that decide your timeline

After your paperwork passes initial review, RQIA invites the Responsible Person and Registered Manager to a fit person interview. This interview often determines whether your application moves forward smoothly or stalls for weeks.

RQIA uses the interview to test real-world competence, not theory. Inspectors want to hear how you think, how you act under pressure, and how you apply the RQIA standards in practice.

Expect questions in these areas:

• Safeguarding scenarios

How would you recognise abuse? What steps would you take if a carer reported a concern? Who would you notify, and how quickly?

• Medication errors

A staff member administers medication incorrectly. What do you do immediately? How do you protect the service user? How do you investigate and prevent recurrence?

• Staffing failures

A carer calls in sick and no replacement is available. How do you maintain safe care delivery? Who makes the decision to suspend or adjust care?

• Complaints handling

A family member raises a serious complaint about a carer. How do you respond, investigate, and communicate outcomes?

• Governance and oversight

How do you monitor quality? What audits do you complete? How do you identify trends and act on them?

• Incident reporting

What incidents must you notify to RQIA? How do you document and learn from them?

RQIA does not expect perfection. They expect clear, structured thinking grounded in your own policies. Read the Minimum Standards until you can explain them naturally. Review your procedures and be ready to describe exactly how they work.

Weak interview performance leads to delays, additional evidence requests, or re-interviews. Strong preparation often shortens the overall registration timeline.

READ: Can you use the DBS Update Service for CQC registration?

RQIA inspections: how assessors judge readiness before approval

Before RQIA grants registration, they may carry out a pre-registration readiness check. This is not a full inspection, but RQIA uses the same mindset they apply during formal rqia inspections. They want proof that your systems work in practice, not just on paper.

RQIA assesses readiness across four core questions:

• Is care safe?

Inspectors check safeguarding arrangements, risk assessments, medication systems, infection control measures, and staff training records. They want to see how you prevent harm and respond when something goes wrong.

• Is care effective?

RQIA looks for person-centred care planning, clear outcome monitoring, and staff competence. Training must match the care you plan to deliver, and care plans must reflect individual needs.

• Is care compassionate?

Inspectors assess how you promote dignity, respect, choice, and communication. They expect clear processes for involving service users and responding to feedback.

• Is the service well led?

Governance matters. RQIA checks leadership structure, supervision schedules, audit systems, and how you identify and improve weaknesses.

At this stage, RQIA often reviews evidence that later appears in RQIA inspection reports. If your systems already reflect inspection expectations, approval moves faster. If they see gaps, they pause and ask for more evidence.

Build your service as if inspectors could arrive tomorrow. That mindset shortens the registration process and prepares you for long-term compliance.

RQIA inspection reports: learn from other providers before inspectors arrive

One of the fastest ways to strengthen your application is to study RQIA inspection reports from existing domiciliary care agencies. These reports show you exactly what inspectors praise, what they criticise, and what repeatedly triggers enforcement action.

RQIA publishes inspection reports publicly. Use them as a learning tool, not just a compliance record. Focus on services similar to yours in size, location, and service model.

When reviewing RQIA inspection reports, pay attention to recurring themes:

• Medication management failures, especially poor recording and lack of competency checks
• Inconsistent care plans that do not reflect service user needs
• Weak supervision and audit systems with no evidence of follow-up
• Safeguarding gaps, including delayed referrals or unclear reporting lines
• Training records that exist on paper but show no assessment of competence

Inspectors often highlight the same issues across multiple services. If you fix these problems before you apply, you remove common barriers to approval.

Do not copy another provider’s systems. Instead, identify the patterns inspectors flag and build controls that prevent them. This approach aligns your service with inspection expectations and reduces the risk of negative findings once you begin operating.

SEE MORE: How to Choose Home Care Agencies in the UK (2026)

After registration: how to stay compliant and inspection-ready

Getting approved marks the start of regulation, not the end of it. Once RQIA grants registration, your service enters the active inspection cycle for social care in Northern Ireland. How you operate from day one determines the tone of every future inspection.

To stay compliant, you need systems that run consistently, not policies that sit in folders.

Start with staff supervision and support. Schedule regular supervision sessions, record them properly, and follow up on actions. Inspectors expect evidence that managers support staff and address performance issues early.

Maintain training and competence records. Refresh mandatory training on time and assess competence, especially for medication support and safeguarding. Training without assessment does not satisfy RQIA expectations.

Run regular quality audits. Review care plans, medication records, incident logs, complaints, and service user feedback. Document what you find and what you change as a result. Inspectors look for improvement cycles, not perfect outcomes.

Report notifiable events promptly. RQIA expects timely notifications for serious incidents, safeguarding concerns, and events that disrupt service delivery. Late reporting raises red flags.

Keep your registration details accurate. Changes to managers, Responsible Persons, premises, or service scope often require notification or approval. Never assume a change is minor enough to ignore.

Services that embed these routines rarely struggle during inspections. Those that treat compliance as a one-off exercise often face enforcement later.

NHS in Northern Ireland and Trust commissioning: what registration unlocks

Once RQIA approves your service, you can begin pursuing publicly funded work through health and social care Northern Ireland commissioning structures. This is where most domiciliary care volume comes from.

Northern Ireland does not operate under the NHS commissioning model used in England. Instead, care services are commissioned through five Health and Social Care Trusts, which sit within the NHS in Northern Ireland system:

• Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
• Northern Health and Social Care Trust
• South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
• Southern Health and Social Care Trust
• Western Health and Social Care Trust

These Trusts commission domiciliary care through competitive tender processes. Registration with RQIA is a non-negotiable prerequisite. Without it, you cannot bid, no matter how experienced or well staffed you are.

Most Trust contracts require evidence of:

• Active RQIA registration and compliance history
• Staffing capacity and continuity arrangements
• Training and supervision systems
• Safeguarding and incident management
• Quality monitoring and outcomes
• Value for money

Trusts publish opportunities through eTendersNI, the central procurement portal for public sector contracts in Northern Ireland. Winning bids demonstrate not just compliance, but operational maturity.

Providers that prepare for commissioning early often secure contracts faster after registration. Those that treat registration as the finish line usually struggle to convert approval into sustainable work.

ALSO READ: New Rules for Care Home Payments in 2026

Common mistakes that delay RQIA registration (and how to avoid them)

Most delays in RQIA registration have nothing to do with bad luck or slow regulators. They happen because applicants submit evidence that does not stand up to scrutiny. After supporting multiple providers through the process, the same issues appear again and again.

The first mistake is a generic Statement of Purpose. Downloaded templates that have not been adapted to your service model fail quickly. RQIA expects specificity. If your document could describe any care agency, it will not describe yours well enough.

The second mistake is policies that do not operate in practice. Applicants often upload a full policy suite but cannot explain how those policies work day to day. RQIA assesses systems, not paperwork.

The third mistake is employment history gaps. Unexplained periods raise immediate questions about fitness. Every gap must have a clear, honest explanation.

The fourth mistake is weak references. Personal references do not meet RQIA expectations. You need professional referees who can comment on competence, conduct, and experience.

The fifth mistake is NISCC not in place for the Registered Manager. This issue alone can freeze an application. If registration is required, it must be active or clearly progressing.

The sixth mistake is inconsistent information across documents. If your staffing plan, policies, and portal answers do not match, RQIA pauses the process and asks for clarification.

The final mistake is rushing submission. Every clarification request adds weeks. Taking extra time to align evidence before submission often saves months overall.

Avoid these errors and your application moves faster, with fewer interruptions.

Final thoughts…

RQIA registration is not a test of ambition. It is a test of readiness.

RQIA does not approve ideas, promises, or future plans. It approves services that can already show safe systems, clear leadership, trained staff, and consistent governance. When your documents align, your answers stay clear, and your service model makes sense, the process moves quickly. When they do not, time stretches from weeks into months.

The agencies that succeed treat registration as the first inspection, not a formality. They build their service as if inspectors could arrive tomorrow. They understand the standards, apply them in practice, and back every claim with evidence.

If you approach RQIA registration that way, you do more than get approved. You launch a service that can grow, win contracts, and withstand inspection pressure from day one.

That is how serious care businesses start strong in Northern Ireland.

Ready to register with RQIA without delays?

Starting a domiciliary care agency in Northern Ireland is a strong opportunity, but RQIA registration rewards preparation, not speed. The difference between approval in eight weeks and a six-month delay usually comes down to how well your evidence aligns with the RQIA standards and how confidently you handle the process.

Care Sync Experts supports providers across health and social care Northern Ireland with:

• End-to-end RQIA registration support
• Statement of Purpose and Service User Guide drafting
• Policy and procedure development aligned to Minimum Standards
• Responsible Person and Registered Manager preparation
• Fit person interview coaching
• Ongoing compliance and inspection readiness

Whether you want full done-for-you support or targeted help with specific areas, we help you build a registration pack that stands up to scrutiny the first time.

Get in touch with Care Sync Experts today to start your RQIA registration with clarity and confidence.

FAQ