Person tracing covers a wide range of situations that have nothing in common except that someone cannot be found. Beneficiaries of an estate, a debtor who has moved, a witness whose evidence a case depends on, a family member who lost contact decades ago. The method is much the same. The care required differs enormously.
We provide person tracing in Sydney and throughout New South Wales, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run person tracing in Sydney
Tracing is a database and field enquiry exercise built on lawful sources, cross referenced until a location can be stated with confidence rather than guessed at. We confirm identity before reporting a location, because reporting the wrong person’s address is a serious matter and it happens more often than the industry admits when a name is common.
What New South Wales law means for this work
Investigation work in New South Wales requires a Class 2E licence under the Security Industry Act 1997, administered by NSW Police through the Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate. The old Commercial Agents and Private Inquiry Agents Act 2004 was repealed on 1 July 2022, so a licence issued under that Act is no longer the relevant authority. Ask any operator what they hold and when it was issued.
Section 11 makes it a separate offence to publish or communicate a private conversation, or a record or report of an activity, obtained in contravention of the Act. Sections 14A to 14C, which commenced on 3 July 2026, added public interest exceptions covering material given to a law enforcement agency and material already published to the public.
None of that is a formality. The rules differ genuinely between Australian jurisdictions, and evidence gathered outside them is frequently inadmissible and can expose the person who gathered it. Working inside the NSW framework is what makes the result usable.
The federal statutory tort of serious invasion of privacy, which commenced on 10 June 2025 under Schedule 2 of the Privacy Act 1988, applies on top of NSW law and contains no exemption for private investigators.
This is general information about how we operate, not legal advice. For advice on your circumstances, speak with your lawyer.
What you receive
You receive a confirmed current location where one can be established, with the basis of confirmation set out, or an honest account of why the trace has not succeeded and what would be required to take it further. We do not report a probable address as a certain one.
Where we work in New South Wales
Sydney divides operationally into the CBD and inner south, the inner west, the eastern suburbs, the lower and upper north shore, the northern beaches, the Hills district, Parramatta and the greater west through Blacktown and Penrith, the south west through Liverpool and Macarthur, and the south through St George and the Sutherland Shire. Beyond the metropolitan area we work Newcastle and the Hunter, Wollongong and the Illawarra, the Central Coast, the mid north coast, the northern rivers, New England, the central west and the Riverina.
Where the evidence ends up
- Local Court of New South Wales. Summary crime, apprehended violence orders and civil claims to $100,000.
- District Court of New South Wales. Indictable crime other than murder and treason, civil claims to $1.25 million, and unlimited jurisdiction for motor accident claims.
- Supreme Court of New South Wales. Unlimited civil jurisdiction and the most serious criminal matters.
- NCAT. Tenancy, consumer and commercial disputes, guardianship and occupational discipline.
- Personal Injury Commission. Motor accidents and workers compensation, where most insurer commissioned evidence in this state is tested.
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Family law is federal, so a family matter runs under Commonwealth law even though the conduct investigated is governed by NSW rules.
Frequently asked questions
Will you tell the person I am looking for them?
Not without instruction. In estate and debtor matters we usually report to you and you decide the approach. In reunion cases many clients ask us to make a discreet approach first so the person is not ambushed, and we think that is usually the right instinct.
What if the person does not want to be found?
That changes things and we will tell you if the indications point that way. There are situations, including family violence contexts, where we will decline to provide a location and explain why. That is not us being difficult, it is us not becoming the instrument of something harmful.
Do you cover regional New South Wales as well as Sydney?
Yes. Sydney work can generally be mobilised faster and at lower cost. Regional work carries travel time and expense, and we will tell you honestly whether the likely result justifies it before you commit.
Talk to us about a NSW matter
Every enquiry starts with a confidential conversation about what you actually need, and sometimes that conversation ends with us saying an investigation is not warranted. Call 1300 792 283 or get in touch for a free consultation and a written quote before any work begins.
See also Person Tracing in Melbourne, our New South Wales coverage and our Sydney page.