Medical Registration for Overseas Doctors

What Registration Involves

Before you can legally practise medicine in Australia, you must hold current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). There are no exceptions — regardless of where you trained, your experience level, or your employment arrangements, every doctor practising in Australia must appear on the AHPRA national register.

The registration process is not a single step. It is a multi-stage assessment that brings together several independent bodies and involves gathering documents, sitting examinations, and waiting for verification processes that can take many months. The good news is that it is entirely achievable with the right preparation and a clear understanding of what lies ahead.

The exact steps you will follow depend on your registration pathway. However, all pathways share certain common elements:

• Primary source verification via EPIC — your medical qualifications must be verified directly with the institution that issued them, using the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) system operated by ECFMG.
• English language proficiency — you must demonstrate a high level of English through an approved test (IELTS, OET, PTE Academic, or TOEFL iBT) unless a specific exemption applies.
• AHPRA application fee — a non-refundable application fee is payable upon lodging your AHPRA registration application.

Beyond these universal requirements, the pathway you follow determines what additional assessments are needed:

• Standard Pathway — requires passing both the AMC MCQ (computer adaptive) examination and the AMC Clinical (OSCE) examination. This is the most common pathway for graduates of non-recognised medical schools and is the longest route to registration.
• Competent Authority Pathway — for doctors registered with a recognised medical authority (such as the UK General Medical Council, the Medical Council of Canada, or the Irish Medical Council). Bypasses both AMC exams entirely.
• Specialist Pathway — for overseas-trained specialists seeking recognition in a defined specialty. Assessment is conducted by the relevant Australian specialist college (e.g., RACP, RACS, RANZCOG) rather than the AMC.
• GP Pathway — for overseas-trained general practitioners seeking recognition through RACGP or ACRRM. Different colleges have different assessment processes.

If you are unsure which pathway applies to you, visit our Pathways section for a detailed comparison before reading further.

Key Registration Requirements

The following requirements apply to all or most overseas doctors seeking registration in Australia. Understanding each one before you begin will help you avoid costly delays.

1. Primary Source Verification (EPIC)

AHPRA and the AMC cannot accept photocopies or certified copies of your qualifications at face value. Your medical degree and your registration history must be verified by ECFMG directly with your medical school and your home country licensing authority. This process is called primary source verification and is conducted through the EPIC system. It is mandatory for virtually all overseas doctors and typically takes 6 to 16 weeks, depending on how quickly your institutions respond. Starting this process as early as possible is critical — it is the most common source of delay in the entire registration journey.

2. English Language Proficiency

The Medical Board of Australia requires all overseas doctors to demonstrate English language proficiency before registration can proceed. The accepted tests and minimum scores are:

• IELTS Academic — minimum 7.0 in each of the four bands (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking), all achieved in a single sitting
• OET (Occupational English Test) — minimum Grade B in each of the four sub-tests, in a single sitting. The OET uses healthcare-specific content and is particularly popular with doctors
• PTE Academic — minimum 65 in each communicative skill, in a single sitting
• TOEFL iBT — minimum scores of Listening 24, Reading 24, Writing 27, Speaking 23, all in a single sitting

You cannot combine scores from multiple test sittings or from different test types. Results are valid for two years from the test date, so you need to ensure they remain current when you submit your AHPRA application. Exemptions exist for doctors who completed their entire medical qualification taught in English at an institution in Australia, the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, or the USA and have practised in one of those countries for at least two consecutive years immediately prior to application — but these are assessed case by case by AHPRA.

3. AMC Assessment (Standard Pathway)

Doctors following the Standard Pathway must pass two AMC examinations. The AMC MCQ (Computer Adaptive Test) is a written examination of medical knowledge delivered at Pearson VUE centres worldwide, meaning you do not need to be in Australia to sit it. The AMC Clinical Examination is a 16-station OSCE held in Melbourne and tests clinical skills, communication, and clinical reasoning in an Australian context. Both examinations must be passed to receive the AMC certificate, which is then submitted as part of the AHPRA registration application. The AMC does not itself register doctors — it assesses eligibility and issues a certificate.

4. Good Character and Professional Standing

AHPRA assesses whether you are a fit and proper person to hold medical registration. You must disclose any criminal history, disciplinary findings, health conditions that may affect your ability to practise, and any matters before regulatory bodies in any country. Police clearances from every country in which you have lived for 12 or more months in the past 10 years are required. Certificates of good standing from every medical regulatory authority with which you have been registered are also required. Failure to disclose relevant matters is itself a serious issue that can lead to refusal of registration or later cancellation.

5. Health Requirements

The Medical Board of Australia requires that doctors are physically and mentally fit to practise medicine safely. You may be required to provide evidence of your health status, particularly if you have any condition that could affect your ability to practise. AHPRA assesses these matters with reference to the Medical Board's guidelines on health impairment. Having a health condition does not automatically disqualify you, but it must be disclosed and managed appropriately.

6. Professional Indemnity Insurance

Before commencing clinical practice in Australia, you must hold professional indemnity insurance. Many employers provide this through an institutional policy, but you remain personally responsible for ensuring adequate cover is in place. Medical indemnity insurance is mandatory for all registered doctors and cannot be deferred — you should not treat a single patient without it.

7. Recency of Practice

AHPRA requires evidence that you have been practising medicine recently. If you have had a significant break from clinical practice (generally more than one year), you may need to demonstrate that your skills and knowledge remain current. Employment references, payslips, job descriptions, and other evidence of recent practice form part of your AHPRA application.

Navigate the Registration Section

Use the cards below to explore each component of the registration process in depth. We recommend reading them in the order presented if you are new to Australian medical registration.

How Registration Connects to Visas and Jobs

Medical registration and your Australian work visa are deeply interconnected. You cannot work as a doctor without AHPRA registration, and most employer-sponsored visas require at least evidence that you are progressing toward registration — if not full registration itself. Understanding this relationship is essential for planning your move to Australia.

Here is how the pieces fit together in practice:

• Provisional registration is accepted by many employers — particularly for doctors following the Standard Pathway who have passed the AMC MCQ but are still working toward general registration. Many hospitals, health services, and area-of-need positions will accept provisional or limited registration and provide the supervised practice environment you need.
• AMC certificate + AHPRA general registration = Medicare provider number eligibility — once you hold general registration, you can apply for a Medicare provider number, which allows you to bill Medicare and function as an independent practitioner. This is the critical threshold for many employment arrangements, particularly in private practice and general practice.
• Employer-sponsored visas — the most common visa pathway for overseas doctors is the Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage) or Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) visa, both of which require an Australian employer to sponsor you. Employers typically require evidence of AHPRA registration or a clear timeline to registration before offering sponsorship. Having your AMC certificate already in hand significantly strengthens your position during the job search phase.
• Area of Need positions — some regional and rural positions are designated as Area of Need, which allows limited registration under area of need provisions even before all standard requirements are fully met. These positions can provide a faster pathway to working in Australia while you complete remaining requirements.

The practical advice is to start your job search in parallel with your AMC exam preparation — not after. Many recruitment agencies and health services are happy to discuss future opportunities with candidates who are mid-way through the process. Explore our Visas section and Jobs section to plan these steps alongside your registration journey.

Planning Your Registration Timeline

One of the most important things to understand about Australian medical registration is that it takes time — often significantly more time than candidates initially expect. Having a realistic sense of the timeline from day one will help you manage your finances, family commitments, and career planning.

As a broad guide:

• Competent Authority Pathway — approximately 3 to 6 months from initial application to AHPRA registration
• Standard Pathway — approximately 12 to 24 months with first-attempt passes; up to 36 months if resits are needed
• Specialist Pathway — approximately 6 to 18 months, depending on the college and your specific circumstances
• GP Pathway — approximately 6 to 12 months, depending on RACGP or ACRRM assessment processes

The single biggest variable in all pathways is the speed of the EPIC verification process, which is largely outside your control. Contacting your medical school proactively to alert them of the incoming ECFMG verification request is one of the most effective things you can do to speed up your timeline.