Meeting the registration requirements

To be eligible for general registration as a psychologist, you need to meet the requirements set out in the Board’s general registration standard.

If you gained your psychology qualifications overseas, you will need to hold provisional registration to meet some of these requirements. This means all overseas qualified psychologists need to apply for provisional registration and meet the requirements before they apply for general registration.

Applications for provisional registration from overseas qualified psychologists are assessed against:

• Board approved assessment criteria, and 
• the registration standards which are:
  • criminal history 
  • English language skills 
  • recency of practice, and 
  • professional indemnity insurance arrangements.

Applicants who meet relevant assessment criteria and all registration standards are eligible for provisional registration to complete a specified period of supervised practice.

Recognised international psychology qualifications

The Psychology Board of Australia has approved the accredited qualifications from the jurisdictions below as substantially equivalent to a four-year accredited sequence of study in psychology or substantially equivalent to a Board-approved postgraduate qualification accredited as a fifth-and-sixth year of study.

Applicants should refer to the Psychology general registration page for the specific requirements for general registration.

United Kingdom

British Psychological Society (BPS)

Qualifications accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) provide a streamlined pathway for registration in Australia.

The following BPS accredited courses and BPS Membership entitlements provide the following equivalency in Australia:

• A BPS accredited qualification that allows for BPS Graduate Membership (GMBPS) is considered substantially equivalent to a Board-approved four-year accredited sequence of study.
• A BPS accredited qualification that fulfils Stage One requirements towards BPS Chartered Membership is considered substantially equivalent to a Board-approved four-year accredited sequence of study.
• A BPS accredited qualification that fulfils eligibility for BPS Chartered Membership is considered substantially equivalent to a Board-approved postgraduate qualification accredited as a fifth-and-sixth-year of study.

Republic of Ireland

Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI)

Completion of a PSI accredited honours undergraduate or conversion course (with grade 2:2 honours or above) is considered substantially equivalent to a Board-approved four-year accredited sequence of study.

United States of America

American Psychological Association (APA)

Any qualification on the APA Accredited Programs list is considered substantially equivalent to a Board-approved postgraduate qualification accredited as a fifth-and-sixth-year of study.

Who is Ahpra?

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) supports the 15 National Boards in their role of protecting the public and setting standards that all registered health practitioners must meet.

Ahpra and the National Boards work together to register and renew health practitioners and, where required, investigate complaints or concerns regarding health practitioners.

Ahpra's operations are governed by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law which came into effect on 1 July 2010. This law applies in each Australian state and territory, and is sometimes referred to on our sites as ‘the National Law’.

All health practitioners registered to practise are included on the national register of practitioners.

Find out more about Ahpra.