Applying for registration

When applying for registration, you will need to: 

• pay the relevant fee
• provide your identity documents and complete your online proof of identity check
• provide evidence from your treating practitioner about any health impairments, if applicable 
• provide relevant information about your criminal history 
• provide valid international criminal history check if you: 
  • have lived outside Australia as an adult for more than six months consecutively, or
  • declared you have criminal history in an overseas country
• provide evidence to support your English language declaration, which may include results from your English language skills test or information to support another English language pathway (if required) 
• provide your work history – which you will enter in the relevant section of the online application

If you have been registered in your profession outside of Australia, you must also: 

• arrange for a certificate of good standing or certificate of registration status: read more on the information for international practitioners’ page
• supply certified copies of your qualifications. If your qualifications are not in English, you will need to get these translated and certified
• supply supervised practice plan if you are applying for limited or provisional registration. This does not apply to pharmacy applicants or medical interns.

When applying make sure you:

• read all the instructions
• include all the documentation to support your application
• know what documents need to be certified and get it done before submitting your application. (We have instructions on how to certify your documents.)

Send us your supporting documents in your Ahpra practitioner portal.  

Simply log in or create an account and click Upload Documents.  

We recommend that you:

• review the information that you need to provide
• save and pause your application
• gather the information in the format that we need, and
• resume your application when you’re ready to upload your documents.

Before we can register you, we need to determine whether you meet the requirements for registration as a health practitioner. 

Your qualifications 

When we assess your application we need to see that you have an approved qualification or a substantially equivalent qualification.  

Some applicants can show they are qualified if they have a relevant qualification and complete an exam or assessment and (for some professions) complete a period of supervised practice. 

When we assess your application, we'll consider all your qualifications, if they are related to the practice of your profession (or equivalent profession in the country where you completed your studies). 

You need to provide the supporting documents for all your qualifications with your application. If you are an international applicant, you will need to submit certified copies of your qualifications.

Please note that certificates of attendance at professional development activities and conferences are not considered qualifications. 

English language skills 

The National Boards have set requirements for English language skills to make sure all registered practitioners can provide safe care and communicate effectively in English with their patients/clients and other health practitioners. 

See the registration standard for English language skills set by your National Board.  

Health impairments 

When we say ‘health impairment’ we mean any serious physical or mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder – including substance abuse or dependence – which could negatively affect your ability to safely practise the profession. 

Most health conditions aren't impairments, and you don't need to tell us about issues which don't affect your ability to practise safely. (For example: you wear glasses or took time off work for a short-term illness or injury.) 

Having a health impairment doesn't mean you'll be prevented from practising, but we need to know what you are doing to manage your health. 

We may require current documentation about your diagnosis and/or treatment plan and a statement regarding your current fitness to practise from your treating health practitioner. 

It's important that you provide as much information as you can about your health impairments when you submit your application. Assessment of your application may be delayed if we need to contact you for further information. 

Criminal history 

In your application, you need to tell us about any criminal history. 

Criminal history includes every: 

• conviction for an offence 
• plea of guilty or finding of guilt by a court for an offence, whether or not a conviction is recorded for the offence 
• charge for an offence. 

For each criminal history event, you need to provide a summary of what happened, when it happened and why it happened, and what you’ve done since to remedy your conduct. You need to declare all criminal history with your application regardless of the time that has lapsed since the charge was laid or the finding of guilt was made.

We conduct an Australian criminal history check on every applicant. This cost is covered in your application fee.

You need to supply a complete criminal history with your application regardless of the time that has lapsed since the charge was laid or the finding of guilt was made.

This is because spent convictions legislation doesn't apply to criminal history disclosure requirements in an application for health practitioner registration.

If you don't supply your full criminal history, your application may be delayed or refused. 

Your National Board will decide whether your criminal history is relevant to the practise of the profession. Read more about how we conduct criminal history checks including how to dispute a result.

If you have lived overseas for a period of six consecutive months or more as an adult you will also need to complete an international criminal history check. It is your responsibility to request and pay for your international criminal history check through an Ahpra-approved supplier. You will need to submit the international criminal history check reference page with your application. The results will be passed to us directly. 

We cannot register you until we have received the results of your criminal history checks. 

Recency of practice 

Internationally qualified health practitioners and previously registered health practitioners may need to show that they meet their National Board’s recency of practice registration standard. 

The specific requirements for recency depend on the profession, the level of experience of the practitioner and, if applicable, the length of absence from practice. Read more about recency of practice and access your profession’s recency of practice registration standard. 

The recency of practice registration standard is not relevant to new graduates who have not yet been registered or practised. 

You will need to pay an application and registration fee when you apply for registration. 

Find the fee schedule on the fees page of your profession’s website using the links below.  

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice
• Chinese medicine
• Chiropractic
• Dental
• Medical
• Medical radiation practice
• Nursing and midwifery
• Occupational therapy
• Optometry
• Osteopathy
• Paramedicine
• Pharmacy
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Psychology

If you want to know more about fees such as how fees are set, when fees are due, how to pay your fees or how to ask for refund, visit our Fees information page. 

If you’re experiencing financial hardship, you may be eligible for a fee reduction or partial fee payment. Read more on the Consideration of financial hardship page. 

A complete application has all the documentation that was asked for during the application process. This includes information about any health impairments, criminal history, or English language skills. When we receive your application, we first check to see if it’s complete.

It's important that you provide everything we ask for because your application will be delayed if we need to contact you for further information.

Graduates: a complete application includes confirmation from your education provider of your graduate results. They will contact us directly.

We'll assess your application against the registration standards. 

We may contact you for more information; for example, if you said you have a health impairment but forgot to include all the information we require or if you have not provided sufficient information regarding your criminal history. 

We can't finalise your application until we're satisfied that you meet all the requirements for registration for your profession so it's important you provide as much information as you can when applying. 

Once we've made a decision, we'll let you know whether: 

• you have been registered as a health practitioner 
• you have been registered as a health practitioner with conditions  
• your application has been refused. 

If you're registered, we'll publish your name on the Register of practitioners. 

When your name appears on the register you can start work as a health practitioner! 

Complete applications 

A complete application has all the documentation required to prove you meet all the requirements for registration.

Assessment time frames differ, depending on the complexity of the application. We will always assess and finalise your application as quickly as possible.

Graduate application

The standard time frame for complete graduate applications is within two weeks after your education provider confirms your graduate results.

You can read more about assessment time frames for graduate applications. 

Internationally qualified health practitioner application

Complete internationally qualified health practitioner application may take four to six weeks before we can tell you an outcome. We will let you know if we need more information from you.  

You can read more about assessment time frames for applications from internationally qualified applicants. 

Previously registered health practitioners

For applications from previously registered health practitioners, it can take six to eight weeks before we can tell you an outcome. 

Specialist applications

Specialist applications (where general registration is already held) usually take about two weeks to assess, unless you have something to declare or you have conditions imposed on your general registration.

Incomplete applications 

If we haven't received all the information to complete an assessment, your application won't be considered complete. This means we won't be able to give you a time frame for assessment. 

A regulatory officer will contact you and talk through what you need to provide. 

You'll be given 30 days to provide any outstanding documents. If we don't receive this information in those 30 days, we'll assume you've withdrawn your application and we'll close it. 

We know it can take time to gather the required documents so if you anticipate any delay, please ask your regulatory officer for more time. 

Once we have that information, we'll assess your application against the registration standards. 

If you are concerned about the status of your application, contact Ahpra directly. 

The Customer Service team can access information about the progress of your application and give status updates. (Please bear in mind we may not always have new information for you.) 

If you do not fully meet a registration requirement but could meet that requirement by taking some action within a reasonable time frame, the Board may propose to place conditions on your registration to protect the public. 

For example you might be required to do further education on a specific topic if you previously had a finding of misconduct made about you, or you may be required to do further education if you failed to meet your National Board’s recency of practice standard because you have not practised for such a long time and by doing the further education any risk to the public is mitigated. 

If the Board does propose to place conditions on your registration, you'll be informed before it happens. 

You can make a submission to the Board in response to the proposal. The Board will consider your submission before making a final decision. 

If you don't provide a submission within the time frame, the Board will grant the registration subject to the proposed conditions. A letter will be sent to you advising that registration was granted subject to conditions. 

Can I appeal the Board’s decision? 

You can appeal to a tribunal in your state or territory.

See the appeals fact sheet for more information. 

If you do not or cannot fully meet a registration or suitability requirement the Board may propose to refuse your application.  

Examples where a Board may refuse your application: 

• You do not hold a recognised or substantially equivalent qualification.
• You’re deemed not fit and proper to hold registration because of criminal history or other serious conduct (such as a professional conduct issue). 
• You have a serious health impairment. 
• You cannot meet one of the Board’s registration standards such as the recency of practice standard because you have not practised for such a long time and putting conditions on your registration would not mitigate any risk posed. 

If the Board intends to refuse your application, you'll be informed before it happens. 

You can make a submission to the Board in response to the proposal. The Board will consider your submission before making a final decision. 

Can I appeal the Board's decision? 

You can appeal to a tribunal in your state or territory.

See the appeals fact sheet for more information.