So you’re thinking about setting-up a homecare agency in Northern Ireland. Good job. 👏 You’re doing an important service for people who need care and support to live as well as they can in their own homes.
Domiciliary care in Northern Ireland is regulated by RQIA - the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority - which means you need to register with them by law in order to carry out personal care.
Here’s a quick guide on how to register your homecare business in Northern Ireland. Always check the RQIA website for the latest guidance - they are working on some new guidance documents which will be available very soon here: rqia.org.uk/guidance/registration-guidance.
Jump to:
Before you begin to register your new homecare business with the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), it’s important you’re familiar with all of the relevant legislation and standards that govern the provision of care in Northern Ireland.
This includes:
To register your new homecare business in Northern Ireland, you will need to fill out an application form using the RQIA web portal: portal.rqia.org.uk.
For the application, you will need to provide information and evidence about the following areas of your business:
Statement of purpose - an overarching written document that details the services you will provide and how you intend to do that
Your service - e.g. proposed number of service users, the types of care you will provide and what you will charge
Premises - where you will operate from
Financial viability - including recent accounts and a letter from your bank
Insurance - public and employer’s liability certificates
Policies and procedures - including a service users guide and medication policy (see the Minimum Standards for a full list of policies and procedures you’ll need for your domiciliary care agency)
Staffing - how many people you will need to run your service, their roles and how you will ensure they are suitably trained
You will also need to complete an application for your:
Responsible person - the person who is legally accountable for ensuring your homecare service meets the standards and regulations of care in Northern Ireland
Manager - the person who will oversee the daily operations of the homecare agency, who must be registered with the Northern Ireland Social Services Council
Both the responsible person and the manager need to demonstrate that they are fit to fulfil that role - i.e. they have the right qualifications, experience and knowledge, as well as being certified as medically fit.
There is no fee to pay to register a domiciliary care agency in Northern Ireland.
Once your application is submitted, RQIA’s Registration Team will do a first assessment to make sure you have provided all the information and documents they require. If something is missing, they will ‘reject’ your application and send you an email which lists what changes you need to make.
The next stages of assessing your application involve:
a fit persons interview with your responsible person and manager - this will check their experience in homecare and knowledge of regulations, safeguarding and compliance
an inspection - which checks your policies and plans
The whole process typically takes a couple of months. Our big tip is to be prepared: make sure you have all your documentation ready before you start applying, and do some revising for the interviews so your knowledge is fresh and up-to-date.
We wish you the best of luck with your new homecare service! ✨
Find out more about how Nursebuddy helps new homecare providers.
Registration Guidance (RQIA, December 2025)
RQIA Web Portal (RQIA, December 2025)
Domiciliary Care Agencies - Provider Guidance - 2022-23 (RQIA, November 2025)
The Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 (Legislation.Gov.UK, November 2025)
The Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007, (Legislation.Gov.UK, April 2007)
Domiciliary Care Agencies Minimum Standards, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (RQIA, August 2021)
Northern Ireland Social Services Council