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🇦🇺 Australia · Pharmacists from the Philippines

How to work as a pharmacist in Australia from the Philippines

A pharmacist from the Philippines registers with Ahpra in 7 steps over about 24 months on the main route, with AUD 3,845 in published fees, and one thing is different from the Philippines: the Department of Migrant Workers' Overseas Employment Certificate.

Checked 23 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

Pharmacy Board registration via the Knowledge Stream (OPRA exam and an internship) · Pharmacy Board of Australia · ~24 months · 7 steps
  1. 1
    Pharmacy degree equivalent to four years' full-time study (three years if completed before 2006)
    Source ↗
  2. 2
    English (Ahpra standard): IELTS 7 overall with 6.5 writing and 7 elsewhere; OET 350 (360 in reading and speaking); PTE 63; TOEFL 91; two sittings within 12 months may be combined; valid two years
    you pay · Source ↗
  3. 3
    APC eligibility check (AUD 810; within five working days of the documents; no expiry)
    ~4 weeks · ~AUD 810 · you pay · Source ↗
  4. 4
    Pass the OPRA exam (AUD 2,245 per attempt; 120 questions in two and a half hours)
    ~16 weeks · ~AUD 2,245 · you pay · Source ↗
  5. 5
    Provisional registration and a year of supervised practice (internship), with the Intern Written Exam (AUD 790) and the Board's oral exam
    ~52 weeks · ~AUD 790 · you pay · Source ↗
  6. 6
    General registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia
    ~4 weeks · you pay · Source ↗
  7. 7
    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 ↗

The published fees leave out the English test, the visa or work permit and one step whose fee is not published.

Other routes

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

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

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