Examinations registration pathway
You can apply for registration via this pathway if, within the last five years, you have passed either the New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX Clinical); or Part 1 and Part 2 of the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test.
Prerequisites
To apply for registration via this pathway you must:
- hold an acceptable primary medical qualification; and
- have passed the NZREX Clinical or Part 1 and Part 2 of the PLAB test in the last five years; and
- meet our fitness for registration requirements.
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Any doctor applying for registration in New Zealand must be fit for registration and fit to practise medicine. It's a legal requirement on us to ensure they are. We determine this as part of our assessment of your application for registration.
Applying for registration
You can apply for registration via this pathway if you:
- meet all the prerequisites; and
- have a job offer as a postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) in accredited clinical attachments with an accredited training provider.
Before you apply for registration, please refer to Checklist 3 to find out which documents you will need to submit for us to consider your application.
You must work with your employer to complete your application, as there are documents that only your employer can complete.
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Application for registration in New Zealand
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CHKL3: Passed approved examinations
Primary source verification of documents
You must send the required documents for primary source verification through the EPIC system before you submit your application. The verification process can take time and we cannot start processing your application until we have received evidence that this process is underway.
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Doctors who hold overseas qualifications and who want to apply for registration in Aotearoa New Zealand must have key documents verified from their primary source.
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Special instructions and FAQs for applicants to the Medical Council of New Zealand
Eligibility for registration
We will consider your application once it is complete and then let you know the outcome of your application. Our processing time is 20 working days from the time we receive a complete application.
If your application is successful, we will send you an 'eligibility for registration' letter. This confirms for other agencies like Immigration New Zealand that you can be registered and give you the instructions for your registration meeting.
Registration meeting
The purpose of the registration meeting is to confirm your identity, complete registration formalities, apply for a practising certificate and discuss your supervision requirements while working in New Zealand.
Following the meeting and once payment for your practising certificate has been received, we will grant you registration within the provisional general scope and you will be issued with a practising certificate.
Please allow three days after your meeting for your practising certificate to be issued. You cannot practise in New Zealand until your registration has been confirmed and you have a practising certificate. You can only work within the endorsement and any conditions specific to you noted on your practising certificate.
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All international medical graduates coming to New Zealand to practise medicine for the first time must attend a registration meeting and be able to produce the information we have asked for.
Working under supervision and variations
Once your registration is confirmed, we will issue you a practising certificate allowing you to commence the two-year prevocational training programme. Your practising certificate will list your work locations and permit you to work as a house officer in accredited clinical attachments under the supervision of a prevocational educational supervisor.
You must contact us in advance to apply for a variation if you want to change work locations and/or extend your practising certificate.
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You cannot work outside the requirements of your scope of practice and any requirements set by Council specific to you. These are shown on your practising certificate. If you are registered within a provisional general, provisional vocational or a special purpose scope of practice, you need our approval of any change to your employment, supervision, position or location.
Once we've received and approved your variation application we will issue you a new practising certificate.
Progression to general scope and PGY2
Progression to postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) and registration within the General scope of practice is not automatic. You must apply in ePort once you have successfully completed the PGY1 requirements.
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Graduates of Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian accredited medical schools and doctors who have sat and passed an approved medical registration examination, including the New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX Clinical) complete prevocational medical training.
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ePort is a national e-portfolio programme which will record and track skills and knowledge acquired by new doctors during their first two years of medical practice.
PGY2 requirements
When you are registered within the General scope of practice, your practising certificate will include an endorsement that requires you to work towards meeting PGY2 requirements.
At the end of PGY2, you must apply to have the endorsement removed in ePort.
Recertification requirements after PGY2
After your PGY2 endorsement is removed, you must meet the Council’s recertification requirements for doctors registered in the General scope of practice. The Council requires this to maintain the high standards of competence and fitness to practise expected of doctors in New Zealand.
You can meet requirements by participating in either:
- Inpractice, the Council-approved recertification programme run by bpacnz; or
- an accredited vocational training programme.
Evidence of enrolment needs to be provided within one month from the date of application for endorsement removal to pgy3@mcnz.org.nz.
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This page sets out the recertification programme requirements for doctors registered and practising in the General scope of practice only. This is typically either participation in a medical college vocational training programme, or in the Inpractice recertification programme.
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Inpractice is a recertification programme for doctors registered in the General scope of practice.