Graduating soon and excited to start your career as a physiotherapist?

Or are you a registered physiotherapist due to renew your registration?

This month we share some tips on registration.

Before you can start practising and using the protected title ‘physiotherapist’, you must be registered with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia.

‘This means you’re suitably trained and qualified and meet the registration standards for the profession.

'Once you are registered, you can work as a physiotherapist anywhere in Australia,’ says Physiotherapy Board of Australia Chair Kim Gibson.

Applying for registration for the first time

Congratulations on your chosen profession—physiotherapy is a rewarding career.

Our latest workforce report shows it is also in growing demand, the fourth largest health profession.

If you’re set to complete your course within the next three months—apply for registration now.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) will start assessing your application while we wait for your graduate results.

You can apply for registration online via Ahpra or via the Board’s website.

Get your application right

Each year some applications are delayed because they are incomplete.

Some common causes for delay are:

• incomplete criminal history disclosures


• incomplete information about a health impairment (and how you’re managing it)


• not demonstrating how you’ll meet the English language standard.

It’s important that you provide correctly certified photo identification documents with your application.

Download the guide and take it with you to the authorised officer.

In addition to Justices of the Peace, most registered health practitioners, public servants, teachers, lecturers and members of the legal profession can certify photographic identification documents.

You’ll find helpful advice, tips for avoiding common causes of delay and downloadable information flyers on the graduate applications page of the Ahpra website.

Meeting the Board’s registration requirements

When you apply for registration, or when you renew annually, your application is carefully assessed against the Board’s requirements for registration.

For registration as a physiotherapist, you need to prove that you meet the following standards:

• criminal history


• English language skills


• professional indemnity insurance.

You will also need to declare any health impairments that may affect your ability to practise.

We cannot register you until we are satisfied that you meet the requirements for registration and are suitably trained and qualified.

You can also check out the Board’s website, which has helpful fact sheets and videos for graduating students that introduce you to the Board and outline both the standards that must be met to become registered and the professional standards expected of the profession in order to stay registered.

How long does it take to assess my application?

If you’ve submitted everything you need to prove you’ve met the requirements for registration, we aim to finalise your application within two weeks of receiving your graduate results.

Once we’ve received your graduate results from your education provider and we are satisfied that you have met all the requirements for registration, we will finalise your application.

When you are registered, we will publish your name to the register of practitioners and you can start working as a physiotherapist.

Renewal of registration

Practitioners are required to renew their registration annually.

If you’re a registered physiotherapist due to renew your registration, renew now to avoid unnecessary delays—late fees apply after 30 November.

You will need to declare that you meet the registration standards of:

• recency of practice


• continuing professional development


• criminal history


• English language standard


• professional indemnity insurance.

We hope the above guidance helps for a smooth registration process, whether you’re applying for registration for the first time or renewing your registration.

For registration enquiries or difficulties accessing the online application form, call 1300 419 495 (within Australia) or +61 3 9285 3010 (for overseas callers). Click here for more information.

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