Looking to work in Aotearoa New Zealand? Check out the video above and our welcome to practice guide here.
Who can apply?
Physiotherapists who:
- were not trained in Aotearoa | New Zealand, or
- were not trained and registered in Australia, or
- do not hold a recognised qualification or unrestricted registration in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, or South Africa.
Recency of Practise requirements have been removed from this pathway, these are now incorporated in the Annual Practising Certificate application.
What does it cost?
Please refer to our Fees Schedule here. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable.
How long does it take?
Once all required documents are confirmed to have been received, International General applications are taking on average 6-9 months to process and assess. Please note these timeframes are subject to change.
To avoid delays in processing your application ensure you include all the required information. Your application may be declined or returned for further work if it is not complete.
What is the process for this application?
Phase 1: Initial Review
After you submit your application, we will review it for completeness. If documents or evidence are missing or we have concerns about your eligibility, we will email you for further information before your application is sent on for processing.
If your application does not meet criteria for any reason, one of the following will occur:
- You are given the opportunity to Withdraw your application.
- Your application is Returned.
Phase 2: Curriculum Review
If your application is complete, it is put into a queue for Curriculum Review. Once an assessor is available, it is assigned out for review. This process involves one of our Curriculum Reviewers reviewing the curriculum of your primary physiotherapy degree to determine how well it aligns with New Zealand curriculum. There are two outcomes from this process:
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- If your curriculum aligns with New Zealand curriculum, your application is put forward for Registration.
- If your curriculum does not align with New Zealand curriculum, you are given an opportunity to provide us with additional evidence to support your application.
Phase 3: Assessment of additional evidence (if required)
Once this additional evidence is received, your application is sent to our assessors for further review to determine if the clinical experience you have gained post-graduation meets registration criteria.
- If your additional evidence meets criteria, it is put forward for registration.
- If your additional evidence does not meet criteria, you are given an opportunity to submit additional evidence based on the assessor’s feedback.
- If your additional evidence does not meet criteria after a 2nd assessment, one of the following will occur:
- You are given the opportunity to Withdraw your application.
- We propose to Decline your application.
- If your additional evidence does not meet criteria after a 2nd assessment, one of the following will occur:
Phase 4: Registration
Applications deemed to meet the minimum requirement for registration are sent to our Registrar for approval. Once this is completed you will receive an email confirmation.
Required Documents:
- *Passport or Birth Certificate
- *Evidence of Name Change (if applicable)
- Relating to your primary physiotherapy degree:
- *Degree
- *Academic Transcript
- *Curriculum
- *Clinical Hours Profile
- If available to you, you can also submit the following:
- Clinical Assessment Forms, or
- Standardised Assessment Forms
- Please note there is not an upload section for these and not all programmes supply them, so you will need to email them separately.
- *Proof of English language proficiency
- *†COGS from all regulatory authorities you have or are registered with as a Physiotherapist
- *†Police Certificates from any country you lived in for more than 12 months in the last 10 years since the age of 18
- Curriculum Vitae on Board template (see resources below)
- Certificates from 2 of the following Cultural Competency Courses:
- Foundations in Cultural Competency course offered by Mauri Ora Associates;
- Foundations Course on Healthcare and The Treaty of Waitangi offered by Mauri Ora Associates;
- Ngā Paerewa Te Tiriti eLearning modules One and Two offered by the New Zealand Ministry of Health.
- Note that we require certificates from Module 1 and 2 of this course. This course only counts as ONE of the TWO you are required to complete.
* Document must be certified or sent directly to [email protected] by the issuing authority
† Document must be less than 3 months old on the date you submit your application
Application Resources
Confirmation of Fitness to Practise Form
Validation of Work History Form
If you have any questions, please see our comprehensive help page or contact us via [email protected].
We can provide advice on the preparation of your application; however, we are not able to advise you on whether or not it will succeed.