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.
If you are trained or registered as a physiotherapist in the UK, Ireland, Canada or South Africa you should apply under the Express Pathway.
If you hold registration as a physiotherapist with AHPRA in Australia, you should apply under the Trans‐Tasman Mutual Recognition (TTMR) pathway.
All applications for registration are assessed against the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
You will need to provide the following documents:
- *Passport or Birth Certificate
- *Evidence of Name Change (if applicable)
- Relating to your primary physiotherapy qualification:
- *Proof of English language proficiency
- *† Certificates of Good Standing (COGS) from all regulatory authorities you have been or are registered with as a Physiotherapist
- *†Police Certificates from any country you lived in for more than 12 months in the last ten years since the age of 18
- Curriculum Vitae on Board template (see Application Templates 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.
- To access these two modules, you must request an account via the Ko Awatea LEARN platform using the above link and provide your international registration number in the relevant field of the request form.
- Note that we require certificates from Module 1 and 2 of this course. This course (Module 1 and 2) 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 three months old on the date you submit your application
Application Templates
What is the assessment process for the application?
Phase 1: Document Check
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: Qualification Assessment
In Phase 2, your application is put into a queue for a qualification assessment. Once an assessor is available, it is assigned out for assessment.
The qualification assessment involves the assessment of the curriculum of your primary physiotherapy degree to determine how well it aligns with the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
There are two outcomes from the qualification assessment:
- If the curriculum of your primary physiotherapy degree meets the threshold competence for each of the key competencies in the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds, your application is put forward for registration.
- If the curriculum of your primary physiotherapy degree does not meet the threshold competence for each of the key competencies in the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds, your application will move to Phase 3.
Phase 3: Request for Supporting Evidence
If your application moves to Phase 3, you will receive a request for supporting evidence, outlining which of the key competencies in the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds need to be demonstrated. The key competencies that have been demonstrated through the curriculum review will not need to be demonstrated again.
You will have 3 months to submit your supporting evidence.
The evidence should include specific examples and detail from your training or work as a physiotherapist.
Please ensure that you read the Guidance on providing supporting evidence. This will help you to select high quality evidence to demonstrate that you meet the required competencies.
Document naming and sharing
Supporting evidence is best shared as file attachments, OneDrive, or Google Drive. Please note, if sharing via OneDrive or Google Drive, you need to ensure that the Board has been given access, and your documents are downloadable.
Name your documents clearly with an appendix. File and folder names need to be as short as possible. Please avoid putting small numbers of documents into separate folders.
Supporting evidence guidance document and templates
Guidance on providing supporting evidence (General Scope)
Confirmation of fitness to practise form
Validation of work history form
Phase 4: Assessment of Supporting Evidence
Once your supporting evidence is received, your application will be added to the assessor queue. You will be notified once it has been allocated to an assessor, who will review the evidence to determine whether you meet the threshold competence for each of the key competencies in the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds.
- If your supporting evidence meets the criteria, your application is put forward for registration.
- If your supporting evidence does not meet the criteria, you are given an opportunity to submit additional supporting evidence based on the assessor’s feedback.
- If your additional supporting evidence does not meet criteria after a second assessment, one of the following will occur:
- You are given the opportunity to withdraw your application.
- We propose to decline your application.
Phase 5: 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.
What happens after registration is granted?
Annual Practicing Certificate
Once you have obtained registration with the Board, you will then need to apply for an Annual Practising Certificate (APC) to be legally allowed to practise as a physiotherapist in Aotearoa New Zealand. This includes you advising us when you last legally practised as a physiotherapist, as outlined in the Recency of Practice Requirements.
You cannot practice until you have received an Annual Practicing Certificate.
The Public Register of Physiotherapists
If you are registered, some of your details will be added to the New Zealand Register of Physiotherapists. The register is available for the public to view on the Board’s website and lists all physiotherapists who are registered in New Zealand, whether the physiotherapist holds a current Annual Practising Certificate and any applied conditions.
Health Practitioner Index (HPI) Number
After registration, you will be issued a Health Practitioner Index (HPI) number by Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health. HPI numbers uniquely identify every health professional currently practising in New Zealand.
What does the application cost?
Please refer to our fees schedule here. Please note that the application fee is non‐refundable.
How long does it take?
Once all of the correct, required documents are received, International General applications are taking on average six to nine 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.
How do I apply?
All applications need to be submitted through the MyPBNZ portal. To use this portal, you need to first create an account and profile. Please see more information in our MyPBNZ guide.
International Physiotherapy Graduates – Handbook
We’ve worked with recently registered international physiotherapy graduates (IPGs) to develop a handbook for newly arrived IPGs that outlines some of the key aspects of living in Aotearoa New Zealand and working in its health system and provides resources and advice on making this transition as easy as possible. You can download the handbook as a PDF file here.
If you have any questions, please see our comprehensive help page.