Physiotherapists

Registration

Application for registration with a special purpose scope of practice for overseas qualified physiotherapists seeking to undertake postgraduate physiotherapy study at a New Zealand School of Physiotherapy.

All persons seeking to undertake postgraduate study in physiotherapy, who have not received their primary physiotherapy degree in New Zealand, are required to hold registration and a current practising certificate from the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand.

Before commencing your course of post graduate study in New Zealand you must apply for registration with the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand. The Board has a Special Purpose Scope of Practice specifically linked to postgraduate study. If your application is successful you will be issued with a practising certificate for your first academic year of study. If the course is longer that one year you will need to apply to the Board for renewal of your practising certificate.

This will only allow you to undertake study in physiotherapy at a New Zealand School of Physiotherapy. It will not allow you to practice as a physiotherapist. You require registration with a general scope of practice in order to practice in New Zealand.

Registration with a special purpose scope of practice does not lead to registration with a general scope of practice. If you wish to practice physiotherapy in New Zealand under a general scope of practice you will need to lodge a separate application to do so.

Eligibility Criteria for Registration with a Special Purpose Scope of Practice

1. You must have received a letter from either:
   - Auckland University of Technology or
   - University of Otago
   comfirming an offer of a place on a specified course of postgraduate physiotherapy study and provide the start and finish dates for the course. This letter must be received with your application.
2. You must meet the fitness for registration under section 12 HPCA Act
3. Be competent to practice within the special purpose scope of practice

Communication Requirements

In order to practice as a physiotherapist in New Zealand you must have an excellent command of the English language to allow you to communicate effectively with patients, clients and other health professionals.

The Board will accept the English language screening criteria of your New Zealand School of Physiotherapy for registration with a special purpose scope of practice.

Click here to download the Application Form

If you are considering applying for registration within the postgraduate scope of practice, please refer to the Application form carefully.

Processing of Application

• All documentation provided to the Board must be in English. If it is not in English it will need to be translated by an official translation service
• Please make sure your application is complete with all the required documentation before sending it to the Physiotherapy Board
• Once the application is received and it is compliant with all the requirements it will be processed.

More detail is provided in the guidance notes within the application form.

Immigration requirements

Immigration to New Zealand is a separate process administered by the Immigration Service.