Conditional registration

Doctors who are not eligible for full medical registration in Australia may be eligible for conditional medical registration. Categories for conditional registration include positions of postgraduate (occupational) training, supervised training, teaching or research, Public Interest/Areas of Need, disciplinary or health conditions, or an Overseas Trained Specialist (OTS) with qualifications deemed equivalent to an Australian trained specialist by one of the Australian Specialist Medical Colleges. The types of conditions of medical registration vary depending upon the category of registration and the individual doctor.

Most overseas trained doctors (OTDs) have conditional medical registration when they begin working in Australia. This generally means that the OTD or OTS needs to work in an Area of Need (AON). Your medical registration in these circumstances is job specific. Once you have received registration for a particular position, you may not change jobs without reapplying for medical registration, Medicare provider number (where applicable) and, for temporary residents, your visa.

It is important that you check the registration requirements of the Medical Board for the particular State or Territory in which you are applying, as requirements may vary between them.

Please note: Specialists never receive 'full' registration. In their case, the equivalent of full registration is where the only condition of registration is their field of practise. It is more common to refer to this form of registration for specialists as registration to practise independently/unsupervised.