Applying for registration

You must apply as an overseas qualified applicant and use application form APOS-76 if you:

have not held registration in Australia before, and
are relying on any qualifications obtained overseas to apply for registration as a psychologist in Australia.

How to apply for registration

You can lodge your application for registration, and supporting documents, by post or in person at an AHPRA office in the state or territory in which you plan to live and work.

All applications from overseas applicants are subject to the same assessment regardless of where the application is lodged.

We do not accept applications by email because we need your original signature (not a scanned signature) on the application documents.

Applying for registration does not guarantee that you meet the registration standards. Granting registration is a decision of the Board or its delegate.

Filling in your application form

There is a specific form for overseas qualified applicants. Please use the following form when applying for provisional registration:

Application for provisional registration for overseas qualified applicants - APOS-76

It is important that you fill out your application form accurately. Read the instructions carefully and pay attention to the symbols used in the form, as these will help you complete the form correctly.

The symbols used in the form are:

	Additional information: provides specific information for you about a question or section of the form.
	Attention: highlights information about the form that is particularly important for you to read.
	Attach document(s) to this form: identifies when you need to include documents with your application. Processing cannot occur until all required documents are received.
	Signature required: requires you or appropriate parties to sign the form.
	Mail document(s) directly to AHPRA: identifies when you need to arrange delivery of documents directly to AHPRA. These documents may be from another organisation or from you.
	Stop: means you are not eligible to use the APOS-76 form to apply for provisional registration.

Supporting documents that we need to assess your application

The Board and AHPRA rely on the documents you submit with your application form to accurately assess your application for registration. Please ensure that all your supporting documents meet the AHPRA certification and translation guidelines.

The Board and AHPRA take fraud very seriously and will carefully review the responses and documents you provide in support of your application. If you provide false or misleading responses or documents with your application, your registration will be refused because you are not considered a fit and proper person for registration.

To enable us to assess your application, you need to provide ALL of the supporting documents. Your application cannot be assessed until we receive all of these documents.

You need to supply:

proof of any change of name
proof of identity
a signed and dated curriculum vitae that describes your full practice history and any training undertaken
proof that you meet the Board’s registration standards, and
fees for your overseas application:
- overseas assessment fee, and
- registration fee.

Note: the overseas assessment fee is non-refundable. However, the registration fee will be refunded if your application for provisional registration is not approved.

If relevant or applicable you need to supply:

a copy of offer of enrolment from an Australian university to complete a Board approved postgraduate qualification accredited as a fifth and sixth year of study (higher degree)
a separate sheet with an explanation of circumstances of your criminal history in Australia
a separate sheet with an explanation of circumstances of your criminal history in another country
a separate sheet with details of your impairment and how it is managed
a separate sheet with your disqualification details
a separate sheet with details of your conduct, performance or health proceedings in Australia or overseas
a separate sheet with your current suspension or cancellation details, and
a separate sheet with your cancellation, refusal or suspension details.

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) do not assess qualifications for the purposes of registration or endorsement. As such, an APS assessment of qualifications that are “comparable to six years of study” does not mean that you are eligible for registration or endorsement. Further, an APS assessment of qualifications “that are comparable to five years of study” does not mean that you are eligible for provisional registration under a 5+1 Internship pathway. You must apply to the Board and submit all of the supporting documentation requested on the form to enable the Board to assess your qualifications and supervised practice for substantial equivalence according to the General registration standard.

If your qualifications have been assessed by the APS, please submit the outcome of the assessment with your application for registration as it may still assist the Board in assessing suitability for registration and endorsement.

To be supplied directly to AHPRA from your education institution:

You must arrange for your institution to send your original academic transcript for all relevant psychology qualifications directly to AHPRA. The Board only accepts original documents about your academic qualifications.

NOTE: You may be asked to provide a copy of the course syllabus or course handbook for each qualification to be assessed including a list of learning outcomes, assessment tasks and textbooks for each unit studied.

To be supplied directly to AHPRA from regulatory authorities:

Certificate of Registration Status (CORS) or Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from every jurisdiction outside of Australia in which you are currently, or have previously been, registered in during the past five years, and
any additional registration history.

Note 1: if the regulatory authority sends a CORS, it must include information on your standing.

Note 2: CORS and COGS are valid for three months from date of issue.

If you hold more than one psychology qualification

When we assess your application, we will consider all your psychology qualifications, as long as the only discipline name in the title of the qualification and program of study is psychology (or equivalent profession in the country where you completed your studies). We recommend you provide the required supporting documents for all your psychology qualifications with your application.

English language skills

Applicants for registration in Australia are required to demonstrate a high level of English language skill. For full details of the English language requirements please read the following standard:

English language skills registration standard (361 KB,PDF) Word version (577KB,DOCX)

For further information on English language requirements visit the English language skills section of the AHPRA website and the Board’s English language skills registration standard FAQ.

Further information

Before applying for registration as a psychologist in Australia you must ensure you are familiar with the Board’s standards, codes, guidelines and policies which set out the requirements for obtaining and maintaining registration in Australia. Click on the links below to access the documents.

Further information is also available in fact sheets and FAQ and on the overseas practitioners page of the AHPRA website.

All the Board’s application and reporting forms along with supplementary information for applicants are available on the Forms page.