International health practitioners

Do I have my qualifications assessed first, or apply for registration first?

It depends which profession you’re applying for.

For some professions you need to have your qualifications assessed before you can apply for registration. Other professions assess your qualification/s as part of your application for registration. To see the pathway for your profession, check the Qualification/s assessment pathways table in the FAQ How do I have my qualifications assessed?

How do I have my qualifications assessed?

There are two pathways for practitioners who qualified overseas to have their qualifications assessed. See the table below to find which pathway applies to your profession. 

Qualification/s assessment pathways

1. Before you apply for registration; your qualification/s will either be assessed by the relevant accreditation authority for your profession or by Ahpra 
2. After you apply for registration, as part of your registration application

(Accreditation authorities are independent of the National Boards. You can read more about how accreditation authorities assess qualifications on their websites. See links in the Qualification/s assessment pathways by profession table below).

Qualification/s assessment pathways by profession

How do I apply for registration?

To apply for registration simply, create, your account in the Ahpra practitioner portal and start an application.

Nurse or midwife?

If you’re an internationally qualified nurse or midwife (IQNM), the first step you need to do is complete a self-check online to have your qualification/s assessed. 

Once you successfully complete the self-check and any assessment stages you will be notified that you can apply for registration online via our practitioner portal (access the portal via the IQNM Dashboard). 

Paramedic?

If you’re an internationally qualified paramedic, the first step you need to do is have your qualifications assessed. If your application is successful then you can apply for registration online via a practitioner portal. 

What about limited registration? Can I apply?

If you don’t hold an approved or accepted qualification for general or specialist registration, you may be able to apply for limited registration. Your qualification will need to be assessed as being a suitable qualification for limited registration. Limited registration is not available to all professions. Please visit the National Board for your profession for further information. 

What do I need to include in my application?

As well as a completed online application form, your application for registration must include:

• payment of application and registration fees (read more about registration fees)
• proof of identity 
• relevant qualification/s 
• a Certificate(s) of Good Standing or Certificate(s) of Registration Status from an overseas regulator if you have been registered in your profession outside of Australia 
• any other information we say we require on the application form, e.g. evidence to support your English language declaration, relevant information about your criminal history (if you have a criminal history), or evidence from your treating practitioner about any health impairments. 

Any document we need you to provide must be certified and if not in English, translated into English. See the FAQs How do I have my documents certified?  and  Do I need to get my documents translated?  for more information. 

Documents provided directly to us by a third party such as an employer, education institution, or overseas regulator who we can verify, do not have to be certified. For example, statements of service can be provided directly from an employer (if we can verify the employers contact details).

You will need to apply for an international criminal history check for every country you have lived in outside Australia for a period of six consecutive months as an adult (over the age of 18) and/or if you declare you have a criminal history, for the country the history relates to. See the FAQ  Do I need to get an international criminal history check?  below for details on how and when to do this.

Do I need to prove my identity?

Yes, when you apply for registration or an assessment of your qualification/s you must provide sufficient evidence of your identity. 

When you apply for registration, you will be asked to provide proof of identity. Detailed information on what you must provide can be found on our Proof of identity page. 

I’ve been registered outside of Australia; do I need to supply a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Registration Status?

If you have been registered in your profession outside of Australia, you must arrange for a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Registration Status from the registration authority in every jurisdiction in which you are, or have previously been, registered as a health practitioner.  These certificates must be provided to us directly from the overseas regulator.

Please refer to the application form for your profession to confirm the period that a certificate is required for. 

Certificates must be:

• sent directly from the registration authority to COGS@ahpra.gov.au
• dated within three months of your application being received. 

If you have problems arranging your certificate, for example, the regulatory authority will not authorise a certificate due to conflict in the jurisdiction or other serious concerns, please advise us. You may need to provide alternative evidence to confirm a current or previous registration status.

How do I have my documents certified?

When we require documents to be submitted to support your application, the documents must be certified. 

See the Certifying Documents webpage for further details. 

Download our guide to make sure your documents are certified correctly.

Please read the information about certifying documents carefully. If a document is not certified correctly, it can cause delays to your application.

Do I need to get my documents translated?

If you’re submitting any documents to support of your application that are written in a language other than English in support of your application, yes you need to include an English translation. To see the requirements for how documents must be translated see our Translating documents page.

Where do I send my application form?

You will complete your application in the Ahpra practitioner portal, where you will also upload the scanned, certified copies of your supporting documents.

What else do I need for registration?

As well as assessing your qualifications to ensure you are suitably trained and qualified to practise as a health practitioner in Australia, the National Board for your profession needs to make sure that you are safe to practice.

There are five mandatory registration standards that apply to everyone who registers as a health practitioner in Australia:

• English language skills registration standard 
• Criminal history registration standard
• Continuing professional development
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Recency of practice

For more information about each of the standards, see the Registration Standards page.

You will also need to tell us about any health impairments that may affect your ability to practise.

What English language skills do I need?

The English language skills registration standard is one of the five mandatory registration standards. 

All registered practitioners must be able to provide safe care and communicate effectively in English with their patients/clients and other health practitioners.

You must meet the registration standard for English language skills set by your National Board.

Detailed information about English language skills is published on each Board website. You can access this information by visiting the Registration Standards page.

Like all the mandatory registration standards, the English language skills registration standard applies to everyone who applies to be a registered health practitioner, whether they’ve qualified in Australia or internationally.

How do I meet the Criminal history registration standard?

The Criminal history registration standard is one of the five mandatory registration standards.

When you apply for registration, you need to declare any criminal history you may have.

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 
• every charge for an offence. 

We carry out an Australian criminal history check on every applicant. The cost for this check is covered in your application fee so you don’t have to pay any extra for it.

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.

The Board’s criminal history checks will reveal any criminal conduct that has occurred, including:

• spent convictions (older convictions or offences), even where you have applied to a court to have a conviction removed from your record (the National Law overrides these)
• conduct as a minor, or
• instances where you may have received no conviction and been told by a court that you will not need to disclose the conduct for the purposes of employment.

If you don't declare your full criminal history, your application may be delayed. 

The National Board for your profession will decide whether your criminal history is relevant to the practise of the profession.

Do I need to get an international criminal history check?

You will need to complete an international criminal history check

• for every country you have lived in outside Australia for a period of six consecutive months as an adult (over the age of 18); and/or
• if you declare you have a criminal history, for the country the history relates to.

It is your responsibility to request and pay for your international criminal history check through an Ahpra-approved supplier. The results will be given to us directly.

The results are valid for three months. We recommend you submit your application for an international criminal history check at the same time as you submit your application for registration, so that the results are still valid when we assess your application.

Your application for registration cannot be assessed until we have received the results of your criminal history checks. 

I think I have a health impairment; do I need to tell you about it?

If you have any health impairments that you think could detrimentally affect your ability to practise safely, you should tell us about it.

A health impairment means any physical or mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder (including substance abuse or dependence), that detrimentally affects or is likely to detrimentally affect your ability to safely practise the profession.

Having an impairment will not necessarily prevent you from practising. However, we need to know what you are doing to manage any impairment. 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 all details of any impairments and how you are managing them when you submit your application. Assessment of your application may be delayed if we need to contact you for further information.

Not every health issue will impact your ability to practice safely. If you are unsure, you can speak with a member of our team.

How long will it take to assess my application?

We aim to review your application within seven to 14 days of receiving it. We’ll let you know if we need further information from you.   

Once we have everything we need, we will start our assessment of your application.

Assessment includes asking for information about you or your application from you or other parties. Some issues that arise during an assessment of an application require review and decision by a committee of a National Board.

It may take four to six weeks before we can tell you the outcome of your registration application (approved for registration, approved with conditions, not approved for registration, or more information required).

It can sometimes take longer if the assessment of your qualification is undertaken by an accreditation authority.

If you have accepted a job and included the proposed start date on your application, we aim to assess and provide an outcome for your application before that date.

What if there are conditions placed on my registration or my application is refused?

If Ahpra or a committee of a National Board think that it is necessary to include special requirements on your registration, we will tell you. This can happen when you are not able to fully comply with a registration requirement, or you have a health impairment that may affect your ability to practise safely.

If a committee of a National Board thinks that you are not eligible or suitable for registration, it can propose to refuse your application for registration.

Any proposal to place conditions on your registration or refuse your application is made by a committee of your National Board. If a committee intends to grant registration with conditions or to refuse the application, we will let you know. You may then elect to make a submission to the National Board responding to that proposal. The National Board will consider your submission before making a final decision.

If you do not provide a submission within the timeframe, we will let you know that your registration has been granted with conditions, or, if the proposal was to refuse your registration, that it has been refused.  You will also be informed of any appeal rights if we register you with conditions on your registration or refuse your application for registration.

Can I apply for registration under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act?

If you hold practising registration in New Zealand, you can apply for registration in Australia under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act.

This applies to the following professions: 

• Chinese medicine
• Chiropractic
• Dental
• Medical radiation practice
• Midwifery
• Nursing
• Occupational therapy
• Optometry
• Osteopathy
• Paramedicine
• Pharmacy
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Psychology

You must hold a current practising certificate in New Zealand to be eligible.

Registration in Australia will only be granted in the same category as your New Zealand registration. Any conditions, limitations, or endorsements that apply in New Zealand may also apply to your registration in Australia.

How do I apply under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act?

You can apply for registration online. Once you have created your account in the Ahpra practitioner portal, you’ll need to:

• provide your personal details
• pay the relevant fee(s) using a credit or debit card
• upload documents to support your application, and
• make a declaration.

What supporting documents will I need to provide?

You’ll need to provide the following documents and information:

A current passport

You will need your passport to complete your proof of identity using our third-party provider, InstaID+.

Evidence of any name changes 

You must attach a certified copy of evidence of a change of name if;

• you have ever been formally known by another name(s), or
• any of the documents you provide in support of your application are in another name(s). 

Evidence of current registration in New Zealand

You must provide evidence of current registration in New Zealand, such as;

• an annual practising certificate, or
• a registration certificate, or
• a valid registration number

What happens next?

We will assess your application within 30 days and contact you to let you know the outcome of the assessment.

We will either register you, register you with conditions or your application will be refused.

If you are granted registration, you will receive an email with your registration details and information about when to renew your registration. 

What if there are conditions placed on my registration, or my application is refused?

If we intend to grant registration with conditions or to refuse your application, we will let you know. You may then choose to make a submission which will be considered before making a final decision.

If you do not provide a submission, we will grant the registration subject to the proposed conditions or refuse your application.