You may think that you have cleared all the hurdles to practise medicine in Australia. But when you pass AMC Clinical, it is not the end of the journey. It is the point where the real paperwork starts. Once you clear this exam, you apply for AHPRA registration through the Medical Board of Australia. You get either Provisional registration or Limited registration, depending on whether you already completed an internship overseas. From there, you complete a period of supervised practice, usually 12 months, before you reach General registration and can work independently. This guide walks through each of those steps: which registration type fits you, how to apply, what supervised practice actually requires, and where IMGs realistically get internship positions in Australia.
What Passing AMC Clinical Actually Gives You
Passing AMC Clinical does not register you as a doctor. It gives you the AMC Certificate, which confirms you have cleared both parts of the AMC Standard Pathway: the AMC CAT MCQ and the Clinical Exam (or an approved Workplace-Based Assessment instead of Clinical). Think of the AMC Certificate as proof you meet the knowledge and skills bar. Registration is a separate step, handled entirely by AHPRA, not the AMC. Before you apply, check two things: your English test result must still be valid, since IELTS, OET, and PTE Academic scores expire after two years, and your primary source verification through EPIC needs to be complete and on file.
Which AHPRA Registration Type Applies to You
Your registration type depends on one question: did you already complete an internship, or something comparable, in your home country?
If you did, and it meets AHPRA's standard, you apply for Provisional registration. This lets you complete your remaining supervised practice under a more flexible setup.
If you have never completed an internship anywhere, you apply for Limited registration, which ties your practice to one specific, approved position. You cannot hold Limited registration in the abstract; a hospital or employer has to sponsor the role first.
| Registration Type |
Who Qualifies |
What It Allows |
Leads To |
| Provisional |
Passed both AMC exams, completed internship or comparable overseas |
Supervised practice in an approved position |
General registration after 12 months / 47 weeks FTE |
| Limited (Postgraduate Training or Supervised Practice) |
Passed AMC exams, no prior internship, tied to a specific job |
Supervised work under that employer only |
Progresses toward Provisional, then General |
| Limited (Area of Need) |
Filling a designated workforce-shortage role |
Practice limited to that one position |
Renewable while the role continues |
Ask yourself this before you apply: do I have an internship certificate from my home country, or not? That single answer decides which form you fill out on the Ahpra portal.
How to Apply for AHPRA Registration
You apply online through the Ahpra portal, under the Medical Board of Australia. The process is not complicated, but it is document-heavy, and a missing certificate can add weeks to your timeline.
Steps to follow:
1
Set up your account on the Ahpra portal.
2
Select the appropriate type of registration for your situation. If you are unsure, you can follow along with Ahpra's guided video which covers the questions.
3
Submit all the required documents in the appropriate format.
4
If you are applying for Limited registration, submit the Supervised Practice Plan (SPPA-30) along with your Supervisor's Declaration (DFLP-00). These come as PDF forms, not portal fields.
5
Pay the fee and wait for processing.
Documents you will need:
- AMC Certificate
- Proof of identity
- Valid English test result
- Criminal history check
- Certificates of good standing from every regulator you registered with in the last 10 years
- Employer offer letter, position description, and supervisor details, if applying for Limited registration
- Professional indemnity insurance evidence
| Item |
Cost (AUD) |
Processing Time |
| AHPRA registration (annual) |
Approximately $1,058 |
4 to 12 weeks |
Gather your certificates of good standing early. They come from institutions overseas, and slow replies from those offices cause more delays than anything AHPRA itself does.
The Supervised Practice Requirement
General registration requires 12 months of supervised practice, with a minimum of 47 weeks full-time equivalent. You can complete this through an accredited internship, or through a Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA). Since you have already passed Clinical, WBA here is not an alternative exam route. It is your supervised practice pathway, assessed on the job rather than through a single exam day.
There is one important exemption. If you already completed an internship or something comparable overseas, the Medical Board can waive the internship requirement, but only if you already hold an offer for an accredited Australian internship. Without that offer in hand, the waiver does not apply automatically.
| Route |
Best For |
Duration |
Key Condition |
| Accredited Internship (PGY1) |
IMGs with no prior internship anywhere |
12 months |
Priority goes to Australian graduates first |
| Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA) |
IMGs already working under supervision in Australia |
Structured placement period |
Must run through an AMC-accredited program |
| Exemption |
IMGs who completed internship or comparable overseas |
Not applicable |
Requires an accredited Australian internship offer |
If you fail to complete supervised practice within the expected timeframe, your registration does not automatically lapse, but you will need to work with your supervisor and AHPRA to extend or restructure your plan.
Can IMGs Actually Get an Internship in Australia?
Yes, but only through a small number of realistic routes. Internship allocation in Australia runs state by state, not nationally, and priority almost always goes to Australian graduates first.
| State |
IMG Route |
Realistic? |
| Queensland |
Group D |
Yes, the clearest formal route for IMGs |
| Western Australia |
Centralised process, includes WA Country Health |
Yes, but local graduates are prioritized |
| Northern Territory |
Limited places, weighted toward rural and remote applicants |
Narrow, but genuine |
| New South Wales |
Excluded from the main intern allocation system |
Backup only, through local JMO vacancies |
| Victoria |
Excluded from the Victorian Intern Match |
Weak as a primary target |
Applications open once a year, on fixed dates, not on a rolling basis. Miss the window in Queensland or the Northern Territory, and you wait for the next cycle. Apply to every state you are eligible for at the same time, and put rural and regional hospitals ahead of metro ones. Metro hospitals almost never take IMGs into their intern intake.
From Provisional or Limited to General Registration
Once you complete your supervised practice and meet the standard requirements, including CPD, professional indemnity insurance, and recency of practice, you apply for General registration. This is the registration type that lets you practice independently, without a supervisor signing off on your decisions. It also opens the door to Fellowship training programs through the specialist colleges.
General registration is not the end of your obligations. Every doctor registered with AHPRA must complete structured CPD hours each year to keep their registration active.
Common Problems and What to Do
- You cannot find an internship position. Widen your applications across every eligible state, rank rural and regional hospitals first, and consider the WBA route if a supervised placement becomes available before an intern position does.
- You already completed an internship overseas. Apply directly for Provisional registration and request the internship exemption, rather than spending a year chasing a PGY1 spot you may not need.
- You failed part of your supervised practice or WBA assessment. This does not end your eligibility. Talk to your supervisor and AHPRA about extending the placement or repeating the assessed component.
- You want to work while your application is pending. You cannot practice informally. You need both an approved position and the matching registration type in place before you start.
