The RE5 certificate: what it is, what it proves, how to get it

An RE5 certificate is the official record that you passed the RE5 regulatory examination. Moonstone issues it on behalf of the FSCA once you meet the pass mark of 66%, which is 33 of 50 correct. It is not a qualification and not a licence to give advice.

What is an RE5 certificate?

It is your result document for the RE5 regulatory examination, which tests your knowledge of the FAIS Act and the regulatory environment a representative works in. You write 50 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours and you need 33 of 50 correct to pass, which is 66%.

The word "certificate" misleads people because it sounds like a course completion. There is no coursework and no attendance component. You sit an exam, you pass or you do not, and the certificate records the outcome.

The same applies to the RE1, the regulatory examination for key individuals. "RE1 certificate", "RE5 certification" and "RE certificate" all mean one thing: proof of a passed regulatory examination.

What the RE5 certificate proves, and what it does not

It satisfies the regulatory examination leg of the fit and proper requirements, nothing more.

What it proves: that you passed the RE5, on a specific date, as a named candidate. Your FSP files it as evidence that you met the regulatory examination requirement within your DOFA deadline.

What it does not prove: it is not a recognised NQF qualification, it does not make you a representative, and it does not authorise you to give advice or render intermediary services. It says nothing about your product knowledge or CPD.

Authorisation comes from being appointed by a licensed FSP and appearing on its representative register. The RE5 is one of several boxes the FSP ticks to put you there.

Is the RE5 a qualification?

No. The RE5 is a regulatory examination, not a qualification. The distinction matters because a representative generally needs both: the exam and a recognised qualification appropriate to their products.

A qualification is registered on the National Qualifications Framework, delivered by an accredited provider, and takes months or years. The RE5 is a two-hour exam administered by Moonstone and carries no NQF credits.

How do you get an RE5 certificate?

First, book and pay. Registration is online at faisexam.co.za, by phone on (021) 883 8000, or by emailing a completed form to Moonstone. The fee is R1 300 including VAT per examination, and payment must reach Moonstone within 24 hours of registration or the booking is not confirmed. Our guide to booking the RE5 exam covers the detail.

Second, write at a scheduled venue and hit the pass mark. The FSCA sets it at 65%. On a 50-question paper that means 33 correct answers, which is 66%, because you cannot answer half a question. Both numbers describe the same threshold, as we explain in the RE5 pass mark.

Third, wait for the result. Moonstone allows a maximum lead time of 20 working days from exam date to results release, though many receive theirs sooner. That result is your certificate.

Can you get the RE5 certificate online?

No. The RE5 is written in person, under invigilation, at physical exam venues around the country. There is no online sitting, and nothing called an RE5 certificate is issued online or for free: the only route to the certificate is passing the invigilated exam, which costs R1 300 per attempt through Moonstone.

So treat any offer of a free or instant "RE5 certificate online" as something other than the regulatory examination, because that is what it is. The parts that genuinely happen online are registration at faisexam.co.za, the release of your result, and your preparation, which is where online study tools like PassPath fit.

RE certificate requirements: what you need before, and what your FSP needs after

Before you write, you need little: an ID or passport number, personal and contact details, professional details and, if you have one, your FSP number. You do not need an FSP number to write the RE5, so candidates between jobs can still sit. There is no prerequisite course and no stated limit on attempts.

After you pass, the obligations shift to your FSP. It records the result in its competence register and keeps the evidence available for the FSCA. Under FAIS Notice 86 of 2018 a supervised representative must complete the applicable regulatory examination within 2 years of their date of first appointment. Miss that and you cannot remain on the register. See what belongs in a representative competence register.

The RE1 certificate and how it differs

The RE1 certificate records a pass in the regulatory examination for key individuals, who manage and oversee an FSP's rendering of financial services. It is a longer paper: 80 questions rather than 50, so 65% means 52 correct answers. The fee is the same R1 300.

One does not substitute for the other, and a key individual who also acts as a representative typically needs both. Compare them in RE1 vs RE5 or see how to become a key individual.

Can I do the RE1 certificate through Unisa?

No. The regulatory examinations are administered only through Moonstone, the examination body appointed on behalf of the FSCA. No university or college can set or issue an RE1 or RE5 result.

What institutions like Unisa do offer is the other requirement: recognised NQF qualifications in financial planning, banking, insurance and related fields. Many representatives study through Unisa for exactly that reason. Providers may also sell RE preparation courses, but a preparation course is study support, not the examination. How to choose RE5 study material covers what those products are and are not.

Does the RE5 certificate expire?

No expiry is set on the result itself. What lapses is your authorisation and fit and proper standing, which depend on ongoing CPD, class of business training and FSP registration. A pass from years ago still counts, but it does not keep you compliant on its own. More in does the RE5 expire.

How an employer verifies an RE5 certificate

A compliance officer asks for the Moonstone result document, cross-checks the candidate's ID number and exam date against it, and records the details in the competence register alongside the DOFA date. Where there is doubt, the FSP can confirm the result with Moonstone.

If you are hiring, ask for the result document at offer stage. A representative who has not passed and is near their deadline is a problem you inherit.

If you are the one writing, the real question is whether you are ready to pay R1 300 for the attempt. Our free readiness check takes about 15 minutes, needs no card, and scores you against every FSCA qualifying criterion tested.

PassPath is an independent study platform. The RE1 and RE5 are written through Moonstone; PassPath is not affiliated with Moonstone or the FSCA.