What Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection does

TIS National is the Translating and Interpreting Service operated by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. It delivers interpreting and document translation services to non-English speakers and to the agencies and businesses that need to communicate with them, operating Australia-wide across 26 language versions of its website and providing 24/7/365 immediate phone interpreting via the 131 450 number. The portfolio includes pre-booked phone, on-site, and video remote interpreting, alongside paid translation services and the government-funded Free Interpreting Service (FIS) and Free Translating Service (FTS). Eligible organisations such as medical practitioners, allied health professionals, pharmacies, NGOs, local government, real estate agencies, trade unions, and parliamentarians receive FIS at no charge; permanent settlers and selected temporary visa holders receive up to 10 free document translations through FTS.

The technology stack combines a self-service booking portal (TIS Online), an automated telephone interpreting line (ATIS), and machine translation assistance built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI, with all AI output reviewed and verified by a human translator. Service quality is anchored by mandatory NAATI credentialing for language practitioners, voiceprint authentication for interpreter security, and compliance with the Privacy Act 1988. Go-to-market is hybrid: agency accounts self-register through the Client Engagement team or TIS Online portal, FIS-eligible organisations apply through dedicated pathways tied to NDIA, the Department of Health and Aged Care, and Primary Health Networks, and individuals can access services directly by dialling 131 450 or registering personal fee-paying accounts paid by credit card. Distribution spans the multilingual website, multiple dedicated phone lines (Service Delivery, Translating, Client Engagement, FIS, Language Practitioner Liaison), email channels, and assistive tools such as ReadSpeaker text-to-speech.

Name

Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Legal name

The Commonwealth of Australia, as represented by the Department of Home Affairs, ABN 33 380 054 835

Website

https://tisnational.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

TIS National is the Australian Government-operated interpreting and translation service delivered by the Department of Home Affairs, providing 24/7 phone, on-site, video remote, and document translation across 26 languages to non-English speakers, government agencies, healthcare providers, NGOs, and businesses throughout Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Language Interpretation and Translation Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193)

SIC

Services-Services, Nec (8900)

akta.pro primary industry

Interpretation, Translation & Language Access Training (Community Interpreting) (EDAAADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Visa Documentation, Translation, Notarization & Apostille Services (EDAIADAD)

Keywords

• Interpreting services
• Translation services
• Language services
• Government interpreting
• Multilingual communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fee-Paying Agency Accounts: Government agencies, businesses, and organizations pay service charges for interpreting and translation services. Service charges are quoted at time of booking and invoiced monthly. Payment terms are 28 days from invoice date.
2. Australian Government Funded Free Interpreting Service (FIS): Eligible organizations (medical practitioners, pharmacies, NGOs, government agencies, etc.) receive free interpreting services funded by Australian Government. TIS National delivers FIS on behalf of the Australian Government with no charges to eligible clients.
3. Free Translating Service: People settling permanently and some temporary/provisional visa holders can have up to 10 personal documents translated for free. Funded by Australian Government for settlement support.
4. Individual Fee-Paying Accounts: Individuals can register for personal accounts and pay for interpreter services using credit card. Available for non-English speakers who want to self-fund interpretation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TIS National is the Australian Government-operated Translating and Interpreting Service that provides immediate phone, pre-booked phone, video remote, and on-site interpreting across more than 25 languages, plus document translation services for agencies, businesses, and individuals. It also delivers the government-funded Free Interpreting Service (FIS) for eligible organizations and the Free Translating Service for permanent residents, supported by a self-service online booking portal and 24/7 phone access via 131 450.

Product overview

TIS National is an interpreting and translating service operated by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. The core offering consists of multiple interpreting modalities: immediate phone interpreting (available 24/7 via 131 450), pre-booked phone interpreting, video remote interpreting, and on-site interpreting, all accessible through the TIS Online self-service portal. Translation services include both paid document translation and the free translating service for eligible permanent residents. The Free Interpreting Service provides government-funded free interpreting for qualifying agencies including medical practitioners, pharmacists, allied health professionals, NGOs, local governments, and parliamentarians. Supporting tools include cost calculators, eligibility checkers, and multilingual support resources. The service supports interpretation in 26 languages and employs AI-assisted machine translation (Microsoft Azure OpenAI) for translation work, always reviewed by human translators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TIS Online: Self-service automated booking system for managing interpreting bookings
• ATIS (Automated Telephone Interpreting Service)
• Free Interpreting Service (FIS)
• Free Translating Service

Products and services

• TIS National Interpreting Service Government-operated interpreting service providing immediate phone, pre-booked phone, video remote, and on-site interpreting across more than 25 languages for non-English speakers and the agencies and businesses that serve them in Australia.
• Immediate Phone Interpreting 24-hour, every day of the year telephone interpreting available via 131 450 (within Australia) or +613 9106 3162 (outside Australia), connecting callers with an interpreter in their required language.
• Automated Telephone Interpreting Service (ATIS) Automated telephone interpreting service available 24 hours a day at 1800 131 450, providing immediate access to interpreters in required languages without operator assistance.
• Pre-booked Phone Interpreting Advance-booked telephone interpreting service managed through the TIS Online portal, with bookings recommended at least one week in advance and accepted up to 90 calendar days ahead.
• Video Remote Interpreting Interpreting delivered via video conference, booked through TIS Online for assignments where remote face-to-face communication is needed.
• On-site Interpreting Physical interpreting service in which an interpreter attends a location in person, booked through TIS Online for assignments requiring face-to-face interpretation.
• Translation Services Document translation services including transcription, revision, post-editing of translated material, and on-site translation services. Documents up to 'Official: Sensitive' classification are accepted via TIS Online; higher classifications are submitted by email.
• Free Translating Service (FTS) Government-funded document translation service offering up to 10 personal documents translated for free for people settling permanently in Australia and some temporary or provisional visa holders.
• Free Interpreting Service (FIS) Government-funded free interpreting service delivered by TIS National on behalf of the Australian Government for eligible organizations including medical practitioners (Medicare-rebateable services), pharmacists, allied health professionals, NGOs providing emergency or casework services, local government authorities, real estate agencies, trade unions, parliamentarians, and Australian Government funded services such as NDIA and Department of Health.

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Microsoft Azure OpenAI ServicecoreTechnology or IntegrationTIS National uses Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service's machine translation functionality to assist in performing translation services. Data is processed in a secure, private environment and is not shared with other Microsoft customers or used to train AI models for external agencies. Results produced by machine translation are always reviewed and verified by a human translator before finalization.
• National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIS National requires interpreters to hold NAATI credentials. NAATI credentials are automatically verified through the NAATI Credential Portal Number (CPN) system. TIS National allocates work to interpreters according to NAATI credential levels and allocation policies.
• National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDIA-funded services are part of Australian Government funded interpreting services. Organizations funded by NDIA for language interpreting services can access TIS National under special arrangements. NDIA provides Organization IDs for registration verification.
• Department of Health and Aged CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of Health and Aged Care-funded aged care service providers and older people in aged care can access TIS National interpreting services. Special registration process applies for these funded services.
• Primary Health NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary Health Network-commissioned mental health services are part of Australian Government funded interpreting services. Special registration and eligibility processes apply for these funded mental health services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LanguageLine Solutions: Largest telephone and video interpreting provider in the US, serving government agencies, healthcare, and businesses with 24/7 multilingual interpreting. Highly comparable to TIS National in modality mix (phone, video, on-site), customer base (government and healthcare), and credentialed interpreter model.
• Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada: Government of Canada's official translation and interpreting service under the Translation Bureau. Most direct structural peer to TIS National in terms of public-sector mandate, multilingual service catalogue, and citizenship/immigration translation scope.
• UK Home Office / GOV.UK Language Services: UK government interpreting and translation arrangements administered via the Home Office and associated public bodies, supporting asylum, immigration, and public-service communication. Most direct overseas structural analogue to TIS National's mandate under the Department of Home Affairs.
• CyraCom: US-based interpreting services provider focused on healthcare (hospitals, clinics, insurers) with phone, video, and in-person modalities. Comparable to TIS National's healthcare-heavy customer mix and FIS-equivalent eligibility framework for medical practitioners.

Broad incumbents

• Lionbridge: Global private language services provider offering translation, interpreting, localisation, and AI data services across 350+ languages. Comparable broad portfolio but TIS National operates at smaller scale and is government-mandated rather than commercial.
• Welocalize: Global private language service provider offering translation, interpreting, localisation, and AI-enabled content operations. Comparable in modality breadth and customer-segment coverage (government, healthcare, legal), though operating on a commercial rather than statutory basis.
• RWS Group: UK-listed global language services and intellectual property support company (formed via SDL acquisition). Comparable as a broad incumbent in translation and interpreting but commercially diversified across regulated industries, whereas TIS National is single-jurisdiction and government-run.

Emerging players

• Translated: Italy-based LSP combining human translators with AI and machine translation automation (ModernMT). Comparable in translation modality and AI-augmented workflow, and increasingly relevant as a competitive pressure on fee-paying translation work.
• Smartling: Translation management platform with AI-enabled localisation for digital content and enterprise customers. Comparable as a digital-first language services peer targeting enterprise translation workflows, but lacks TIS National's interpreting and government service breadth.

Regional players

• All Graduates Interpreting and Translating Services: Australian private interpreting and translation agency headquartered in Melbourne with NAATI-credentialed practitioners and government, healthcare, and corporate clients. Closest domestic commercial competitor to TIS National in Australia, differentiated by private funding and broader commercial client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection