Applying for registration

You must apply as an overseas qualified applicant if you:

• are relying on any qualifications obtained overseas to apply for registration as a Chinese medicine practitioner in Australia, and
• have not held registration in Australia before.

How to apply for registration

You can lodge your application for registration, and supporting documentation, by post or in person at an Ahpra office in the state or territory in which you plan to live and work. 

All applications from overseas applicants are subject to the same assessment regardless of where the application is lodged.

We do not accept applications by email because we need your original signature (not a scanned signature) on the application documents.

Applying for registration does not guarantee that you will be granted registration. Granting registration is a decision of the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia (or its delegate).

Supporting documents for us to assess your application

The Board and Ahpra rely on the documents you submit with your application form to accurately assess your application for registration. Please ensure that all supporting documents meet the Ahpra certification and translation guidelines.

The Board and Ahpra view fraud very seriously and will carefully review the responses and documents you provide in support your application. If you provide false or misleading responses or documents with your application, your registration will be refused.

To enable us to assess your application, you need to provide all of the supporting documents identified in the application forms. Your application cannot be assessed until we receive all of these documents.

If you hold more than one qualification

When we assess your application, we will consider all your qualifications, as long as they are related to practice of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine or Chinese herbal dispensing (or equivalent profession in the country where you completed your studies). We recommend you provide the required supporting documents for all your qualifications with your application. Please note certificates of attendance at professional development activities and conferences are not qualifications under the National Law.

English language skills

Please note that registration standards for English language requirements are changing by April 2025

Applicants for registration in Australia are required to demonstrate English language skills to be suitable for registration. For full details of the English language requirements please read the following standard:

• English Language Skills Registration standard (PDF 84.5 KB)
• English Language Skills Registration standard (DOCX 578KB)

For further information on English language requirements visit the English language skills section of the Ahpra website and the Board’s English language skills registration standard FAQ.

Further information

Before applying for registration as a Chinese medicine practitioner in Australia you must ensure you are familiar with the Board’s standards, codes, guidelines and policies which set out the requirements for obtaining and maintaining registration in Australia. Click on the links below to access the documents.

• Registration standards 
• Codes and Guidelines

Further information is also available in fact sheets and FAQ and on the overseas practitioners page of the Ahpra website.
All the Board’s application and reporting forms along with supplementary information for applicants are available on the Forms page.

You need to supply:

• Official documents for all your Chinese medicine qualifications:
  • certified copy of course certificate awarded (e.g. degree)
  • certified copy of the academic transcript
• proof of any change of name
• proof of identity
• a signed and dated curriculum vitae that describes your full practice history and contains all the elements as defined in AHPRA’s standard format for curriculum vitae at www.ahpra.gov.au/cv
• Proof that you meet the Board’s English language skills registration standard
• Fees for your registration application:
  • Application fee
  • Registration fee
    Note: the application fee is non-refundable.

If relevant or applicable you need to supply:

• a separate sheet with an explanation of circumstances of your criminal history in Australia
• a separate sheet with an explanation of circumstances of your criminal history in another country
• a separate sheet with details of your impairment and how it is managed
• a separate sheet with your current suspension or cancellation details in Australia or another country
• a separate sheet with your previous conditions, undertakings or limitation details
• a separate sheet with your disqualification details in Australia or another country
• a separate sheet with details of your conduct, performance or health proceedings in Australia or another country, and
• a separate sheet with your previous cancellation, refusal or suspension details

To be supplied directly to AHPRA from regulatory authorities:

• Certificate of Registration Status (CORS) or Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from every jurisdiction outside of Australia in which you are currently, or have previously been, registered in during the past five years.
  Note 1: if the regulatory authority sends a CORS, it must include information on your standing.
  Note 2: CORS and COGS are valid for three months from date of issue.