First-time renewing

How do I renew my registration?

1. Use the online services portal to renew your registration and pay the required fee.
2. If you have any questions, visit the Registration renewal page on the Ahpra website.
3. You (and your employer) can check the status of your registration at any time on the online register of practitioners.

What if I got my registration less than a year ago?

Registration for nurses and midwives is renewed annually by 31 May, regardless of how long you were registered for during the previous 12 months.

If you are a graduate who registered within two months prior to the 31 May annual renewal date, you are registered to practise until 31 May of the following year. Check the national register if you are not sure when your registration is due for renewal.

How do I answer the renewal questions?

What are the CPD requirements for this renewal?

When you renew your general registration, you are asked to declare if you have met the CPD registration standard in the previous registration period. The studies which qualified you for registration as a nurse or a midwife do not count as CPD. You need to do CPD even if you haven’t been practising as a nurse or midwife.

If you have been registered less than a year, the CPD hours you are required to do will be calculated on a pro-rata basis, as below:

• registered for 0-3 months ≥ 5 hours CPD required
• registered for >3-6 months ≥ 10 hours CPD required
• registered for >6-9 months ≥ 15 hours CPD required
• registered for > 9-12 months ≥ 20 hours CPD required.

Nurses and/or midwives who obtain general registration part way through a registration period need to complete CPD for the period they hold general registration (that is, on a pro rata basis). 

I have a health issue – do I need to declare it?

You only need to declare an impairment – which means a condition which is likely to detrimentally affect your practice. Most health issues are not impairments.

You do not need to declare well-managed health conditions that don’t affect your practice. For example, you don’t need to tell us about needing prescription glasses or taking time off work for a short-term illness or injury.

If you do have an impairment that either affects or you think is likely to detrimentally affect your ability to practise, you must tell us about it and about what you’re doing to manage it. You should provide documents outlining your current diagnosis and/or treatment plan and a statement from your treating health practitioner confirming your current fitness to practise.

Do I have to hold private indemnity insurance (PII) if I’m not working?

When you renew your general registration, you are asked to declare if you have met the PII registration standard in the previous registration period and will do so for this registration period.

You are not required to hold PII when you are not practising. If you have had periods of not holding PII when you were not practising, you can still meet the standard. Remember, practice means any role, whether remunerated or not, in which the individual uses their skills and knowledge as a health practitioner in their profession.

Please see the Professional indemnity insurance arrangements section of the NMBA website for further information.

Do I have to meet recency of practice requirements?

If you are a recent graduate, you do not have to meet the Recency of practice registration standard. Recent graduate means a person applying for registration for the first time whose qualification for registration was awarded not more than two years prior to the date of their application.

What kind of changes to my criminal history do I need to declare?

Your criminal history includes any:

• charge against you for an offence
• conviction you have received
• guilty plea you have entered, or
• time a court has found you guilty, whether or not you were convicted.

If you declare a change to your criminal history, you will need to provide a written statement and correctly certified photo ID. The registration renewal form will give you more information on what to include.