How do overseas nurses register with Ahpra and the NMBA?

What the official guidance says

• Ahpra says you cannot work in your profession in Australia before you are registered with your profession’s National Board.
• You must complete the NMBA Self-check before applying for registration. It only assesses your qualification and cannot be done by an agent.
• Stream A and B candidates pay a non-refundable IQNM assessment fee (assessment and orientation) of $410 and complete Orientation Part 1.
• Stream B goes through Orientation Part 1, the Portfolio and then the outcomes-based assessment: an MCQ exam and an OSCE. Stream C can only proceed by upgrading the qualification.
• Registered nurses sit the MCQ as the NCLEX-RN at Pearson VUE test centres in most countries. The OSCE is an in-person exam held in Australia only.
• The IQRN standard, in effect since 23 April 2025, offers a route for registered nurses from jurisdictions the Board approves (as at April 2025: the UK, Ireland, the US, British Columbia and Ontario, Singapore and Spain) with at least 1,800 hours of practice there since 1 January 2017.
• Orientation Part 2 is an online module you must complete within 6 months of becoming registered.
• When invited to apply, you need your qualification documents and transcripts, proof of identity, a statement of service covering the past five years and English evidence; your regulators send certificates of registration status directly to Ahpra.

What it does not mean

• ✕An ANMAC skills assessment is not registration. It supports some visa applications; registration is through the NMBA and Ahpra.
• ✕A UK, US or Irish registration does not register you in Australia automatically. The IQRN standard is a faster pathway, not an exemption.
• ✕Nurses registered in New Zealand use mutual recognition instead of the Self-check.

What to do next

1. 01Complete the NMBA Self-check yourself and note your stream.
2. 02Check whether the IQRN standard applies to you.
3. 03Follow your stream’s stages: orientation, Portfolio and, for Stream B, the MCQ and OSCE.
4. 04Apply to Ahpra when invited, and complete Orientation Part 2 after registering.

Questions

Official sources

• Ahpra: Information for international practitioners
• NMBA: Completing the Self-check
• NMBA: Steps after the Self-check
• NMBA: Multiple-choice question exam
• NMBA: Objective structured clinical exam
• NMBA: General registration for internationally qualified registered nurses (IQRN standard)
• NMBA: Orientation Part 1 and Part 2
• NMBA: Applying for registration (IQNM)

Checked October 2026. Regulators change their rules, fees and scores, so confirm them on the official page before you act.

The visa side

Registration and the visa are separate. Migo’s visa guides cover the routes for this country, from the official government pages.

• ANMAC skills assessment vs Ahpra registration
• Australia: Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
• Australia: skilled visas 189, 190 and 491

Related guides

• English testsWhat English test scores does Ahpra need?
• Other countriesHow do internationally educated nurses take the NCLEX?
• NMC (UK)How do I register with the NMC if I trained as a nurse outside the UK?