Standard pathway

IMGs seeking general registration in Australia.

This pathway leads to general registration.

The flowchart outlines the steps to general registration through the Standard pathway.

Flowchart - IMGs Standard pathway  (120 KB,PDF)

All IMGs must have a primary qualification in medicine and surgery awarded by a training institution recognised by both the AMC and the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS).

To be eligible for the Standard pathway, you must pass the AMC CAT MCQ written exam before you apply for registration.

• Apply to the AMC for primary source verification (PSV) of your primary medical qualification. You will need to create an AMC account and portfolio. The AMC use the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) verification services.
• Apply to the ECFMG to establish a MyIntealth account and an EPIC portfolio for verification of your qualifications.
• Pass the AMC MCQ exam.

Once you have passed the AMC CAT MCQ written exam, you can complete either the AMC clinical examination or the workplace-based assessment (WBA) to get your AMC Certificate.

1. AMC exams
• Assessment by exam only:
  • AMC CAT MCQ examination
  • AMC Clinical examination.
• The clinical exam can be completed before or after registration is granted.
• Most non-specialist IMGs are assessed through this method. 

More information about the AMC exams is available on the AMC website.

2. Workplace-based assessment (WBA)
   • Assessment includes
     • AMC CAT MCQ examination
     • WBA of clinical skills and knowledge by an AMC-accredited WBA authority.
   • You can only complete the WBA after you are granted registration.
   • Places for the WBA are limited, so relatively few IMGs are assessed this way. See the section below for a list of AMC-accredited authorities for WBA.

The AMC-accredited authorities for WBA are:

There are different fees charged by different organisations for different purposes.

• The AMC charges a fee to establish an AMC candidate account for you, so that it can arrange PSV of your qualifications. Contact the AMC for fee information.
• ECFMG charge a fee for the MyIntealth and EPIC PSV service to verify your qualification. Contact the ECFMG for fee information.
• The AMC charges fees for the AMC MCQ , the clinical exams and WBAs. Contact the AMC for fee information.
• Ahpra and the Medical Board charge an application fee and a registration fee for limited or provisional registration. See the Medical Board fees page.
• Continuing professional development (CPD) homes charge a joining fee. See the relevant CPD home for fees.

Use our checklist to gather all the documents you need to apply. The checklist lists all the information and documents you will need. While we are updating the online form, use the checklist as your primary reference point.

Checklist – Standard pathway – Provisional registration  (1.29 MB,PDF)

Checklist: Standard pathway – Limited registration – Post graduate training and supervised practice (available soon)

Checklist: Standard pathway – Limited registration - Area of need (available soon)

You must complete 12 months of supervised practice. The Board must approve the position you have secured and your proposed supervision arrangements.

As part of the supervised practice requirement, you must include the following information in your application for registration:

• details of a nominated supervisor for Board approval
• a completed Supervised practice plan and supervisor’s agreement for IMGs with limited or provisional registration - SPPA-30
• a Declaration form (application) - DFLP-00 completed by your supervisor.

The online form tells you when to upload your SPPA-30 and DFLP-00 documents.

If you need to upload the documents after you have submitted your application, click Upload documents on your dashboard in the Ahpra portal.

See the Guidelines - Supervised practice for international medical graduates on the Board’s IMG supervision page for more detail and downloadable PDF forms.

You need to apply for limited or provisional registration so you can complete a period of supervised practice.

• If you have passed both the AMC CAT MCQ and the AMC clinical exam you can apply for provisional registration.
• If you have passed the AMC CAT MCQ, you can apply for limited registration.

The type of limited registration you need depends on the position you have secured:

• Limited registration for postgraduate training or supervised practice
• Limited registration for area of need – if you will be working in an area of need

When you have satisfactorily completed 12 months of supervised practice (minimum of 47 weeks of full-time equivalent (FTE) practice) and either the clinical exam or WBA, you can apply for general registration.

Step A: Before registration

• Pass the AMC MCQ exam.

Step B: Choose your path

There are three options depending on when you complete the AMC clinical exam or WBA:

You can apply for registration online in the Ahpra portal.

Once you have set up your Ahpra portal and are ready to start your application, watch the video. It will help you answer the initial questions, so you apply for the right pathway and registration type.

We still use PDF forms for some information, including the supervised practice plan (SPPA-30) and supervisor’s declaration (DFLP-00). We recommend you upload the PDF documents as part of your application; the online form will prompt you when to upload the documents.

Note:

• Applications for provisional registration on the Standard pathway used to be made using the form Application for provisional registration – Australian Medical Council certificate holders or applicants via the competent authority pathway (APRI-30).
• Applications for limited registration on the Standard pathway used to be made using the forms:
  • Application for limited registration for an area of need (AANG-30), or
  • Application for limited registration postgraduate training or supervised practice as a medical practitioner (ALPS-30).

We recommend that you apply at least three months before your intended start date, we can accept applications as early as six months before you intend to start work.

Once your application is decided, we can delay the start of your registration up to 90 days. You and your employer should discuss the date you need registration before you lodge your application.

You can nominate an authorised representative (e.g. your employer or a recruiter) in the online application form or using this form, Authorised representative nomination form - ANOM -00 (314 KB, PDF)

Your authorised representative needs to have an Ahpra portal account.

More information is available for authorised representatives on the Ahpra website.

Registration standards set out the requirements to apply for registration and for ongoing registration.

Applying for limited or provisional registration

When you apply you must meet these standards:

• English language
• recency of practice
• criminal history.

If you are applying for limited registration, you must also meet whichever standard below is relevant to your application:

• Limited registration for postgraduate training or supervised practice registration standard, or
• Limited registration for area of need registration standard

While registered

After you are granted registration, you also need to meet these standards:

• CPD
• professional indemnity insurance
• recency of practice.

Applying for general registration

When you apply for general registration, you must meet the:

• Registration standard: Granting general registration to medical practitioners who hold an Australian Medical Council certificate.

All of these standards can be found on the Board’s registration standards page.

While you hold provisional or limited registration and are working towards general registration, you and your supervisor need to complete two reports to the Board after three months of practice:

• Orientation report for IMGs with limited or provisional registration – ORIG-30 (246 KB,PDF)
• Work performance report for IMGs with limited or provisional registration - WRIG-30 (260 KB,PDF)

See the Guidelines - Supervised practice for international medical graduates on the Board’s supervision page for more detail.

If you have provisional or limited registration and are near the end of your 12 months of supervised practice, you can apply for general registration in the Ahpra portal (previously AGEN-30).

To support your application for general registration, you must show that you have achieved the expected learning outcomes – either during completion of core rotations or through other learning experiences. The Board has developed guidance on the documents you need to provide as evidence:

• Evidence of supervised practice to support applications for general registration from AMC certificate holders (101 KB,PDF)

A CPD home is an AMC-accredited organisation for CPD. You need to have a CPD home and do 50 hours of CPD each calendar year.

You can choose an AMC-accredited CPD home that is suitable for your scope of practice – either a college or non-college CPD home. The CPD homes are listed on the Board’s About CPD homes page.

General information about CPD is on the Board’s CPD page.