The registration body for medical practitioners and the LIN-designated migration assessor. MedBA decides who gets to practise medicine in Australia; AMC handles the exams.
The Medical Board of Australia (MedBA) is the registration body for medical practitioners and the LIN-designated assessor for medical migration. It sits within AHPRA, the agency that administers the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. MedBA recognises six registration types (general, specialist, provisional, limited, non-practising, plus a teaching-and-assessing variant of general) and routes international medical graduates through three pathways: Standard (AMC delivers the MCQ and Clinical exams), Competent Authority (for graduates of recognised overseas medical schools), and Specialist (delivered by approximately 16 specialist medical colleges). The registration decision is MedBA's; AHPRA processes the application administratively.
AHPRA is the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, the administrative body that processes registration applications across all 15 regulated health professions. MedBA is one of those 15 National Boards and is the body that actually decides medical registration. Applications go through ahpra.gov.au, but the registration standards, codes of conduct, and decision-making sit with MedBA. The practical effect is that MedBA's standards, not AHPRA's, govern what gets approved.
Unlike a typical skills assessment outcome (one fee, 3-year validity), MedBA registration is renewed every year. General registration is $1,058 nationally per year ($908 in NSW) on top of the initial $1,594 application fee. Specialist registration is the same annual figure. Provisional registration is $521 per year. Late renewal adds a $30 fee for general, specialist, limited, provisional, and teaching-and-assessing registrations (non-practising late renewal is $5). The annual cost stacks on top of AMC exam fees during the Standard Pathway and continues for the entire duration of practice in Australia.
MedBA recognises three IMG pathways with very different shapes. Standard (AMC delivers MCQ and Clinical exams; 12 to 24 months; around $6,562 AMC fees plus roughly $2,321 MedBA fees) applies to IMGs not from Competent Authority countries. Competent Authority (months not years; AMC role limited to a $642 PSV portfolio; around $2,963 total) is for graduates of UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, or NZ medical schools who meet MedBA categories A through F. Specialist (delivered by approximately 16 colleges; $10,000 to $20,000+; multi-year) is for college-recognised specialists.
MedBA requires IELTS Academic 7.0 in each of the four components, or OET B in each component, with prescribed PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT equivalents, applied through AHPRA's common English standard for medical practitioners. The threshold applies to every registration application except where MedBA grants a specific exemption (typically for secondary and tertiary education in English in a recognised country). Test results must be current at lodgement.
MedBA's registration standards require a criminal history check from each country where the applicant has lived for 6 months or more after age 18, not just the current residence or country of training. Sourcing checks from older or harder-to-access countries can extend the registration timeline by months. Plan check procurement in parallel with AMC exams to avoid a bottleneck at the registration stage. Health declarations and professional indemnity insurance are also part of the standard.
Source · medicalboard.gov.au
Passport identity page, evidence of address, and current registration in your home jurisdiction.Registration
AMC certificate (Standard Pathway), or competent-authority medical qualification plus eligibility evidence (Competent Authority Pathway), or specialist qualification recognised by an Australian specialist medical college (Specialist Pathway).Registration
English proficiency at IELTS 7.0 each band, or OET B in each component, or PTE/TOEFL equivalents per AHPRA's common English standard.Registration
Criminal history check from each country lived in for 6 months or more after age 18, plus health declarations and professional indemnity insurance.Registration
The Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List. Eligible for the skilled visas (189, 190, 491, etc.).
Short-Term Skilled Occupation List or Regional Occupation List. Visa eligibility differs from MLTSSL.
This page is general information about Medical Board of Australia and its publicly listed fees, processing times, and document requirements. It isn't immigration advice for your situation. Only a registered migration agent (MARA) or Australian legal practitioner can advise on whether you meet this authority's criteria or which visa pathway fits your circumstances. Find a registered agent at mara.gov.au.
