Which Australian Registration Pathway Am I On?

There are three main routes for an international medical graduate to reach Australian registration, and which one is yours is decided by facts about your training and registration — not by how strong your CV is. This page is the decision tree in plain prose. For a personalised answer in two minutes, use the eligibility quiz — it asks the same questions below and shows your likely pathway and timeline.

The three pathways

  • Competent Authority pathway — no AMC exams, for doctors trained and fully registered with a recognised authority (UK, Ireland, US, Canada, New Zealand). Ends in general registration.
  • Specialist pathway — a college recognises your completed overseas specialty. Ends in specialist registration.
  • Standard AMC pathway — exam-based (AMC MCQ + clinical assessment), for everyone else. Ends in general registration.

The decision tree

Step 1 — Which exam or program did you pass, and what supervised experience do you have? If you passed an exam or program the Medical Board recognises (PLAB, a UK or Irish medical degree, USMLE or COMLEX, LMCC or NZREX) and completed the supervised experience that goes with it, you are eligible for the Competent Authority pathway — a streamlined route with no AMC exams. An Indian, Pakistani or other non-UK graduate who passed PLAB and completed 12 months of supervised practice in the UK (or equivalent) is on the Competent Authority pathway, not the Standard pathway. See Competent Authority vs Standard AMC.

Step 2 — Do you hold a completed specialist qualification you want recognised? If you trained elsewhere but have a completed specialty (including specialist general practice), test the Specialist pathway: the relevant Australian college assesses your training as substantially, partially, or not comparable to its Fellowship. This applies even to some doctors who also qualify for the Competent Authority route — see Competent Authority vs Specialist pathway for which to choose.

Step 3 — Otherwise: the Standard AMC pathway. If neither applies — you have none of the recognised exams or programs and no completed specialty to assess (or it was judged not comparable) — your route is the Standard AMC pathway: pass the AMC CAT MCQ, complete the clinical component, then progress through supervised practice to general registration. See the Standard AMC pathway guide.

A worked example

A UK-trained GP with MRCGP and CCT usually clears Step 1 through their UK degree and Foundation Year 1 and Step 2: MRCGP with CCT is on the Board's expedited specialist list, so the faster Expedited Specialist route is open too. They genuinely have a choice, and the trade-off is covered in Competent Authority vs Specialist pathway. A doctor trained outside the recognised countries with no completed specialty falls straight to Step 3 and the Standard pathway.

What is the same whichever pathway you are on

  • English language proficiency is required on all three (IELTS, OET, PTE Academic, or a recognised exemption) — see the English-test guide.
  • A period of supervised practice precedes unrestricted practice.
  • Section 19AB — the 10-year Medicare location restriction — applies to doctors whose medical degree is from outside Australia or New Zealand, whatever their pathway, when they bill Medicare, with the clock running from your first medical registration in Australia. New IMGs in metro areas typically earn first through after-hours work.
  • The end state — the ability to practise and bill in Australia — is the same; the pathway only changes how you get there.

Confirm before you rely on it

Recognised authorities, exam structures, and college criteria are set by the AMC, the Medical Board of Australia, and the specialist colleges, and change from time to time:

See also: Competent Authority vs Standard AMC · Competent Authority vs Specialist pathway · AMC Standard vs Specialist pathway · Check your eligibility now