🇦🇺 Australia · Doctors from the Philippines

How to work as a doctor in Australia from the Philippines

A doctor from the Philippines registers with Ahpra in 6 steps over about 6 months on the main route, and one thing is different from the Philippines: the Department of Migrant Workers' Overseas Employment Certificate.

Checked 22 Oct 2026 · Ahpra ↗

What is different from the Philippines

If your passport is from the Philippines

What do I need from the Department of Migrant Workers?

A DMW (formerly POEA) clearance and an Overseas Employment Certificate, valid 60 days from issue and used once.

Direct hiring is prohibited except by the diplomatic corps, international organisations and senior government officials, and by others the administration allows, including employers of professionals and skilled workers on verified contracts above POEA standards (no more than five first-time hires) and relatives who are permanent residents of the host country.

Your steps, in order

Competent Authority pathway · Medical Board of Australia · ~6 months · 6 steps

1
Primary medical qualification recognised by the AMC and listed in the World Directory, verified through the AMC and ECFMG's EPIC
Source ↗
2
Confirm your medical school is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (search.wdoms.org)
Source ↗
3
English (tests from 23 April 2026): IELTS 7 overall with 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing, OET 350 to 360 per part, PTE 63 or TOEFL 91; two sittings within 12 months may be combined; One Skill Retake accepted
~8 weeks · ~AUD 480 · you pay · Source ↗
4
Assessed by a competent authority with the prescribed experience there: PLAB or a UK degree plus Foundation Year 1, the Irish Medical Council plus an Irish internship, the LMCC plus 12 months in Canada, USMLE Steps 1 to 3 plus two years' residency, or NZREX plus the New Zealand internship
Source ↗
5
Certificate of good standing from every regulator
~4 weeks · Source ↗
6
Overseas Employment Certificate from the Department of Migrant Workers, through a DMW-licensed recruitment agency or an employer the DMW allows to hire directly (Filipino workers)
who pays varies · Source ↗

Other routes

The Department of Migrant Workers' Overseas Employment Certificate applies on each of them too.

Standard pathway (AMC exams)
Medical Board of Australia · ~14 months · 7 steps · AUD 6,562

Every step on every route →

What to do next

Tell us about your training, your registration and your experience, and we show which of Ahpra's steps you have left, with each fee and how long it takes.

Sources

outcomeOS describes each regulator's published rules; it does not advise on your individual case. · What changed · Privacy · Terms

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