Documents Needed for a Nursery or Day Care and the Application Timetable
The documents needed for a nursery or day care split from other service files at one point: a permit line runs before the municipality’s licence line. Private nurseries and day care centres fall under a permit regime assessed by the provincial directorate of family and social services.
So the order of the calendar matters here above all else. We set the process out below week by week. The weeks show an average planning flow, not a binding promise. The directorate’s workload, the state of the premises and the speed of the staffing file pull that flow forward or back.
The two applications that build the timetable
Two institutions look with two separate eyes. The directorate looks at the setting the child is in, the staff and the quality of the service. The municipality looks at whether the address suits commercial use and at the order of the workplace.
Neither stands in for the other. Finishing one line and entering the second unprepared costs the most time in this branch. Running the two in parallel is possible, because part of the paperwork is shared.
Weeks 1 and 2: the first meeting
The work of the first fortnight is asking questions, not viewing premises. Go to the provincial directorate in your own province and describe your plan.
There are three things to tell them: which age range you intend to serve, which hours you will be open and how many children you plan to start with. From that you learn what is expected on premises, staff and equipment. The content of these conditions is set under the legislation and updated periodically, so ask the directorate for the list in writing.
Week 3: premises and the list of conditions
Start looking at premises only once that list is in your hand. Here the premises are the most decisive part of the file.
- Does the building’s occupancy permit cover this use
- Is the address’s zoning status open to this activity
- Do the garden, outdoor area and entrance arrangement meet the directorate’s expectation
- Which opinion is required on the fire safety side
- Inside a block of flats, what do the management plan and the owners say
The fifth item snags most often in city centres. For a nursery in a flat, the recorded use in the management plan and the owners’ consent form a separate matter. Settle it before signing the lease.
Week 4: company, tax and chamber
Once the premises are settled the business structure is built. You choose here between a sole trader and a company; because you will employ salaried staff, that choice shapes what follows.
This week the commencement notice is given, the inspection carried out, the tax certificate issued and chamber registration completed. The step is mechanical but should not wait; the next two files draw their input from it.
Weeks 5 and 6: the staffing file
Staffing counts as half the file. The educational background and vocational standing of those working directly with children sit among the headings the directorate examines.
Which titles are sought with which qualification, and how many people you may start with, are set under the legislation. Confirm the expected qualifications before you advertise. This fortnight goes on contracts and paperwork.
Week 7: handing in the permit file
Once the paperwork is complete the institution opening permit file goes to the directorate. It typically holds papers on the business and the founder, documents on the premises, staffing papers and a text describing how the centre will run.
These are typical headings; no fixed list covers every file. Having what you hand in accepted as complete shortens the next step.
Where the inspection wait sits in the timetable
A waiting period begins once the file is submitted. The directorate’s team comes to see the address, and the premises are expected to match what was declared.
This wait is the hardest part of the calendar. The rent has started running and the inspection day is not set to suit you. The right conduct is not to submit the file before the premises are ready. Ask the directorate about the inspection procedure, then build your calendar around it.
Week 8 onwards: the municipal line
The municipal line runs while the permit side advances. The workplace opening and operating licence application goes to the district municipality; signage, parking and the surrounding arrangement belong to this line.
Some districts want to see progress on the permit side first. Do not run the two lines in ignorance of each other, and use the same description of activity at both institutions.
The timetable as a table
| Week | Work done | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Plan meeting, list of conditions in writing | Provincial directorate of family and social services |
| 3 | Premises search, zoning and occupancy check | Municipal zoning unit |
| 3 | Management plan and owners’ consent | Estate or block management |
| 4 | Commencement, tax certificate, chamber registration | Tax office and chamber |
| 5-6 | Staffing papers and contracts | Your own preparation |
| 7 | Handing in the opening permit file | Provincial directorate of family and social services |
| 7-8 | The on-site inspection wait | The directorate’s team |
| 8 | Licence application and signage permission | District municipality |
| 8 | Social security declaration for staff | Social security institution |
The table is a planning skeleton, not a closed calendar. Running the two third-week rows together shortens the process most.
Four situations that stretch the wait
- Taking premises before the list of conditions arrives. Later alterations cost money and weeks
- Leaving staffing papers to submission day; missing paperwork returns the file to the queue
- Taking the owners’ consent verbally; unwritten consent becomes an argument on inspection day
- Using different descriptions of activity at the municipality and on the permit line; the files then hold each other up
The records to set up before opening
Setting the records up after opening is not possible here. The register must be ready the day the first child arrives.
- A registration form per child, parent details and the list of people allowed to collect
- Daily arrival and departure times, with who handed the child over
- Staff attendance records and the division of duties in writing
- A separate, current list of emergency contacts
- The building evacuation arrangement with its drill record
The second item is the one most often skipped. A record of who collected the child protects you on both the trust and the inspection side.
Adapting the timetable to your province
The flow runs in the same order everywhere, but the durations differ. In large provinces the inspection appointment takes longer; in small ones, finding staff does.
Do not trust the figures circulating in the market for the items payable at application stage; the municipality’s own tariff applies and is revised yearly. The order institution by institution sits in the business licence roadmap, while the bands for premises, staff and equipment outlay sit on our service businesses sector page. If you buy cleaning in from outside, our cleaning company article sits beside this file; for entrance security, our private security company article does.
In Short
- Here a permit line comes into play ahead of the municipal one
- The institution to deal with is the provincial directorate of family and social services
- No premises are taken before the list of conditions arrives in writing
- Conditions on premises, staff and equipment are set under the legislation
- Inside a block of flats, the management plan and owners’ consent form a separate heading
- The staffing file is half this job; qualifications are confirmed before advertising
- After submission, the on-site inspection wait governs the timetable
- Submitting before the premises are ready lengthens that wait
- The same description of activity is used on both lines
- The arrival and departure record is ready before the first child
- The items payable follow the municipal tariff and are renewed yearly
Quick Glossary
Institution opening permit: the permission private nurseries and day care centres take from the authorised provincial directorate before operating. Management plan: the document regulating the purposes for which the independent units in a block may be used. Staffing file: the file holding the qualification and contract papers of everyone taking a post at the centre. Handover record: the daily record of who left the child at the centre and who collected them.
Next Step
Let us draw up your application timetable week by week for your own province: consultation request form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated: September 2026
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Typically papers on the business and the founder, documents on the premises, staffing papers and a text describing how the centre will run. Confirm the scope with the directorate in writing.
The opening permit side runs at the provincial directorate of family and social services. The municipal line works in addition to it.
The address’s zoning status and the management plan decide it. Ask about both headings in writing before the lease.
Conditions on premises are set under the legislation and updated periodically. Describe your plan and ask the directorate for the current expectation.
The titles and qualifications sought depend on the legislation. Ask the directorate about the expected staffing before you advertise.
In the period after the file is handed in. Learn the appointment procedure and the readiness expected from the directorate.
The founder and the staff taking posts are separate headings. Confirm the conditions sought in a founder before applying.
They are not. The opening permit looks at the quality of the service, the workplace licence at the order of the address.
If the premises suit and the staff are ready, expect a flow running beyond two months. The inspection appointment sets that length.
Source: KAYSIS — Index of Legislation and Administrative Regulations