Specialist registration

Specialist registration is available to medical practitioners who:

• have an approved qualification for specialist registration (fellowship of an AMC-accredited specialist medical college)
• are a specialist international medical graduate (SIMG) whose specialist medical qualification is on the Expedited Specialist pathway: accepted qualifications list
• have been assessed by an AMC-accredited specialist medical college as being eligible for fellowship (fellowship is not a pre-requisite for specialist registration).

The Ministerial Council has approved a range of specialties for medicine. Some specialties also have specialty fields. The approved list of specialties, specialty fields and specialist titles for medical practitioners is provided below.

• List of specialties, fields of specialty practice and related specialist titles (61.5 KB,PDF)

Medical practitioners with the necessary qualifications in an approved specialty, who meet other registration requirements, are included on the Specialists Register and their specialist title is protected by law.

The Board’s Registration standard: Specialist registration sets out the requirements for specialist registration.

From 21 October 2024, doctors granted specialist registration need to have successfully completed supervised practice, an orientation to the Australian healthcare system and cultural safety education. Some exemptions may apply. For more information see:

• supervised practice requirements for specialist registration
• orientation requirements for specialist registration
• cultural safety education requirements for specialist registration.

Specialists Register

Ahpra publishes an online Register of Medical Practitioners that provides current information about a practitioner’s registration status. The Specialists Register includes details of practitioners’ specialty and field of specialty practice, consistent with the list of specialties, fields of specialty practice and specialist titles approved by the Ministerial Council.

Medicare Australia uses the publicly available specialist register to check that a doctor has specialist registration and that their patients can obtain a specialist-level rebate.

Updates to the Health Insurance Act 1973, effective since 16 June 2021, link GP access to Medicare rebates with specialist registration with the Medical Board of Australia. GP fellows must have specialist registration to access Medicare rebates.

See the GP fellows applying for specialist registration FAQs for more information.

Application forms for specialist registration are available on the Forms page.

Transitional arrangements 

Some medical practitioners were included on the specialist register as a ‘one-off‘ transitional arrangement in 2010, in the transition to the National Law.

These included:

1. Medical practitioners on the general practice vocational register on 30 June 2010
2. Medical practitioners recognised as specialists by a state or territory medical board
3. Medical practitioners who had been recognised by Medicare Australia as specialists after being assessed by a Specialist Recognition Advisory Committees (SRACs) or an Overseas Specialist Advisory Committees (OSACs)

Since 30 June 2010, no other medical practitioners have been eligible for recognition as specialists through these routes.