Official-body pillar · NMBA / Ahpra
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia / Ahpra
The NMBA sets the registration standards and Ahpra processes the applications. The mandatory Self-check works out which assessment pathway or stream applies to you.
Source reviewedEdited by Alex KReviewed as of
The role
What this body does
Australia-wide nursing regulator and registration administrator
Jurisdiction boundary
Where this role applies
Australia-wide professional registration
The role stops at that scope. Licensing, registration, immigration, work authorisation, and eligibility decisions belong to other bodies.
Applicability
Who needs this body, pathway by pathway
- Every internationally qualified nurse considering registration and work in Australia. For Keep professional registration and immigration separate in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Every internationally qualified registered nurse starting the NMBA/Ahpra process. For Complete the mandatory Ahpra Self-check in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Applicants whose Self-check and evidence satisfy every Pathway 1 condition. For Follow streamlined Pathway 1 if Self-check identifies it in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Applicants whose later comparable-jurisdiction registration and practice history satisfies every Pathway 2 element. For Follow streamlined Pathway 2 if Self-check identifies it in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Applicants whose Self-check result assigns Stream A. For Complete Stream A assessment if assigned in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Applicants whose Self-check assigns Stream B and who have not received an accepted examination exemption. For Complete the Stream B portfolio and examinations if assigned in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Applicants whose Self-check or qualification assessment assigns Stream C. For Obtain qualification upgrading if Stream C is assigned in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Every applicant, with exact evidence determined by facts and the current standards. For Meet English, recency, criminal-history and document standards in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
- Applicants who have completed the assessment and examination stages assigned to them. For Submit the registration application and complete orientation in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway.
Connected pathway pages
Connected process steps
- Keep professional registration and immigration separate in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Sort out national registration first, and treat permission to work as its own decision. Scope: Australia-wide professional registration and separate federal immigration. Verified .
- Complete the mandatory Ahpra Self-check in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Let the official tool route you from your full history instead of guessing your branch. Scope: Australia-wide internationally qualified nurse routing. Verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Ahpra: Registration standard: General registration for internationally qualified registered nurses Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Completing the Self-check Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Steps after Self-check Source verified .
- Follow streamlined Pathway 1 if Self-check identifies it in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Use Pathway 1 only if your comparable-jurisdiction chain is complete. Scope: Australia-wide streamlined Pathway 1. Verified .
- Follow streamlined Pathway 2 if Self-check identifies it in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Claim Pathway 2 only with the full chain: the exam, general registration in the comparable jurisdiction, then the practice hours after that registration. Scope: Australia-wide streamlined Pathway 2. Verified .
- Complete Stream A assessment if assigned in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Work through Stream A as its own branch; the streamlined pathways have different rules. Scope: Australia-wide Stream A assessment. Verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Steps after Self-check Source verified .
- Complete the Stream B portfolio and examinations if assigned in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Follow the evidence and examination branch for a relevant but non-equivalent qualification. Scope: Australia-wide Stream B assessment and examinations. Verified .
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing and Pearson VUE: Fees and Payment Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Multiple-choice question exam Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Objective Structured Clinical Exam Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Portfolio Source verified .
- Obtain qualification upgrading if Stream C is assigned in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Follow the sourced post-Self-check branch without guessing an education path, price or duration. Scope: Australia-wide Stream C qualification upgrading. Verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Steps after Self-check Source verified .
- Meet English, recency, criminal-history and document standards in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Clear the standards every branch shares before the final registration decision. Scope: Australia-wide professional registration standards. Verified .
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: International criminal history checks Source verified .
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Accepted English language tests Source verified .
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Translating documents Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Registration standard: Recency of practice Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Qualification and registration requirements Source verified .
- Submit the registration application and complete orientation in Philippines to Australia registered nurse pathway: Take the file from assessment to the national registration decision, then finish orientation. Scope: Australia-wide professional registration. Verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Applying for registration Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Orientation to health care in Australia Source verified .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Registration application stages Source verified .
Connected official evidence
Fees, timing, and other official information
Official fee facts
- AUD 193 — Annual registration fee outside the stated New South Wales rebate; effective .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
- AUD 410 — Conditional IQNM assessment and Orientation Part 1 fee (conditional or optional); effective .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
- AUD 4,000 — Conditional Stream B OSCE fee per sitting (conditional or optional); effective .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
- AUD 332 — General registration application fee; effective .
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fees for nurses and midwives Source verified .
Published timing information
No confirmed duration is shown for this body. Check the official source directly; no end-to-end estimate is inferred.
Other official information
- 450 hours within the previous five years — Current general recency-of-practice hours subject to listed alternatives; effective .
- At least 1,800 hours — Minimum Pathway 1 RN practice in an approved comparable jurisdiction; effective .
- At least 1,800 hours — Minimum Pathway 2 RN practice after comparable-jurisdiction registration; effective .
- 2017-01-01 — Earliest date from which Pathway 1 comparable-jurisdiction RN practice is counted; effective .
- 2017-01-01 — Earliest qualifying education date for Pathway 2; effective .
Connected-step cautions
Common mistakes in connected steps
- Choosing a visa route as though it determines the NMBA assessment stream.
- Automatically assigning every Philippines-trained nurse to Stream B.
- Treating Self-check as a registration approval.
- Using practice in a comparable jurisdiction without the qualifying same-jurisdiction education and registration chain.
- Treating NCLEX-RN passage without general registration and qualifying practice as sufficient.
- Treating Stream A as automatic registration.
- Gathering registration evidence for the portfolio when the qualification assessment never asked for it.
- Equating an NCLEX result with streamlined Pathway 2 eligibility.
- Budgeting the unknown upgrade cost as zero because no number is published.
- Assuming Philippine education automatically meets the English pathway.
- Using an unapproved criminal-history supplier or untranslated non-English document.
- Treating an in-principle outcome as permission to practise before identity and registration are complete.
Questions about this official body
- What decides which Australian assessment pathway or stream I get?
- The mandatory Self-check works that out. The NMBA sets the registration standards and Ahpra administers the applications.
Evidence record
Official source ledger
Each entry records who published the source, what it covers, and when it was last checked.
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
International criminal history checks
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
Accepted English language tests
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
Translating documents
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing and Pearson VUE
Fees and Payment
- Scope
- United States and Canada NCLEX administration
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Applying for registration
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Fees for nurses and midwives
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration; schedule effective 2025-09-18
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Ahpra
Registration standard: General registration for internationally qualified registered nurses
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration; standard effective 2025-04-23
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Immigration and employment in Australia
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Multiple-choice question exam
- Scope
- Australia-wide internationally qualified nurse assessment
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Orientation to health care in Australia
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Objective Structured Clinical Exam
- Scope
- Australia-wide internationally qualified nurse assessment
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Portfolio
- Scope
- Australia-wide internationally qualified nurse assessment
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Registration standard: Recency of practice
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Qualification and registration requirements
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Registration application stages
- Scope
- Australia-wide professional registration
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Completing the Self-check
- Scope
- Australia-wide internationally qualified nurse routing
- Last verified
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Steps after Self-check
- Scope
- Australia-wide internationally qualified nurse routing
- Last verified
The NMBA sets the registration standards and Ahpra processes the applications. The mandatory Self-check works out which assessment pathway or stream applies to you.