Competent Authority pathway

IMGs seeking general registration in Australia.

An international authority the Medical Board has decided is competent to assess the applied medical knowledge and basic clinical skills of IMGs.

The Medical Board-approved competent authorities are:

This pathway leads to general registration.

The flowchart outlines the steps to general registration through the Competent Authority pathway.

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 Competent Authority pathway, you must meet the criteria of one of the seven competent authority categories (A–F). Each category has an assessment component (a medical course or exam) and an experience component.

Prescribed assessment component - medical course

For your university medical course to meet the competent authority criteria:

• the relevant competent authority must have accredited your university medical course, and
• you must have studied and completed the course in the competent authority country, or
• your course must be on the Board’s list of eligible offshore courses. There are offshore courses for competent authority categories B and F, see What are the eligible offshore courses for categories B and F? below.

Prescribed assessment component - exam

For your exam to meet the competent authority criteria:

• it must have been completed within the dates listed in the criteria.

Eligible specialist IMGs who meet the requirements for the Specialist pathway or the Expedited Specialist pathway can also meet the requirements for the Competent Authority pathway at the same time.

• Medical Board - Requirements for eligibility for competent authority pathway - updated October 2024 (PDF 208KB)

To meet the criteria for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway, experience in another competent authority country can be substituted for the category experience.

The Board will accept an application from an IMG who has completed a medical program or assessment from one category and the experience component from another category. When an applicant has completed the experience component from a different category, the experience component completed must be exactly as defined in that category and approved by the competent authority of the country in which it was completed.

For example:

• Completion of the LMCC (Category C) AND 12 months of supervised training (internship equivalent) in the UK (category A or B). In this case, the experience component is approved by the General Medical Council in the UK, not by the Medical Council of Canada.
• Completion of the LMCC (Category C) AND successful completion of a minimum of two years of graduate medical education within a residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education.

Australian experience

• To meet the criteria for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway, Australian clinical experience can be substituted for the post-examination or post training experience.
• This period of practice in Australia may also be accepted as meeting the requirements for the 12-month period of supervised practice required to gain general registration via the Competent Authority pathway.

For the Competent Authority pathway categories B and F, the Medical Board will accept applicants who have successfully completed:

• an accredited medical course completed in the competent authority country (United Kingdom or Ireland), or
• an accredited medical course completed wholly or partially outside the competent authority country, provided the course is on the Board's list. This list is reviewed regularly.
• Eligible offshore courses (PDF 171KB)

• Apply to the AMC for primary source verification (PSV) of your primary (and specialist if relevant) medical qualifications. The AMC use ECFMG verification services.
• Apply to the ECFMG to establish an EPIC/MyIntealth account for verification of your qualifications.
• Secure a suitable position in Australia. This can be an ‘area of need’ position.
• If you will be working in general practice and are not concurrently applying for a general practice assessment on the Specialist pathway, you need to complete a pre-employment structured clinical interview (PESCI). See the PESCI page for more information.
• Apply to the Medical Board for provisional registration. The Board must approve the position you have secured and your proposed supervision arrangements.

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 primary source verification (PSV) of your qualifications. Contact the AMC for fee information.
• ECFMG charges a fee for verifying your qualifications. Contact the ECFMG for fee information.
• Ahpra and the Medical Board charge an application fee and a registration fee for provisional registration. See the Medical Board fees page for more information.
• 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: Competent Authority pathway – Provisional Registration (1.41 MB, PDF)

What documents do I need if I am Category A?

See our checklist that lists the documents. This is additional information for category A applicants:

• Information sheet - How to provide evidence of 'internship equivalent' for the Competent Authority pathway Category A (United Kingdom) (PDF 83KB)

What documents do I need if I am Category B?

See our checklist that lists the documents. This is additional information for category B applicants:

• Information sheet - Evidence requirements for eligibility for the Competent Authority pathway Category B (United Kingdom) (PDF 109KB)

You must complete 12 months of supervised practice.

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.

For the Competent Authority pathway, you must first apply for provisional registration so you can complete a period of supervised practice.

Once you have satisfactorily completed 12 months of supervised practice (minimum 47 weeks full-time equivalent practice), you can apply for general registration.

Apply for registration online in the Ahpra portal.

Once you have set up your Ahpra portal and are ready to start your application, watch this 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 Competent Authority 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.

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.

Your authorised representative needs to have an Ahpra portal.

More information is available for authorised representatives.

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

When you apply you must meet these standards:

• English language
• recency of practice
• criminal history.

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

• CPD
• professional indemnity insurance
• recency of practice.

See the mandatory registration standards on the Board’s registration standards page.

You can start practising when the Board has granted you provisional registration. You need to successfully complete 12 months of supervised practice (47 weeks full time equivalent). While you are completing your supervised practice, you must:

While you hold provisional 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)

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

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.