Restoration to the register
If you were previously registered in New Zealand, but your registration was cancelled, you may be able to be restored. Restoration will reinstate the registration you held before you were cancelled.
Can I be restored to the medical register?
In some circumstances, yes. Under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCAA) 2003, we may restore you to the register if you:
- previously held a permanent form of registration as at 18 September 2004, cancelled under the HPCAA
- satisfy the criteria for fitness for registration
- are not subject to any pending disciplinary proceedings
- are not subject to an order under s101(1)(a) of the Act (relating to an order of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal that your registration be cancelled).
If you do not meet the criteria to be restored to the register, you will have to submit a new application. If you need to submit a new application, please use our registration self-assessment tool to determine which registration pathway is appropriate for you.
If you are unsure whether you're able to be restored to the register, please contact us.
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The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 is the legislation that defines Council's responsibilities and powers.
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Use our registration self assessment tool to determine which pathway to registration (as a medical practitioner in New Zealand) you might be eligible for. Note: we do not cover student electives.
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Tell us who you are so we can better direct your enquiry
How to apply and what happens next
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1
Submit an application
You complete and submit your application form, along with the required documentation.
The documentation that we need from you will depend on whether you only wish to return to the register, or if you also wish to resume practice in New Zealand. If you wish to resume practice in New Zealand we will need additional information about your practising intentions. Depending on how long you’ve been away from New Zealand, and whether you’ve been practising abroad, or not practising at all, we may need to include conditions on your scope of practice, which will be reflected on your practising certificate (PC).
Once we've received your complete application we'll need 20 working days to manage the restoration process.
If you are registered and practising in both a vocational scope and in the General scope of practice, you do not have to join the Inpractice recertification programme provided by bpacNZ. You will however still need to meet recertification programme requirements in both scopes of practice. -
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We assess your application
We assess your application and determine if we need more information from you or another party, such as the relevant Medical College.
Working relationships with our key stakeholders are at the heart of everything we do to protect public health and safety. This page describes Council's relationships with District Health Boards (DHBs), the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), and other organisations where we have established a memoranda of understanding (MoU). -
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We make a decision on your application
If you satisfy the registration requirements of the Act, you intend to practise in New Zealand, and you are to be issued with a PC, we will invite you to attend a registration interview. You'll have to pay your PC fee at the interview. We will let you know the amount in advance. If you only want to return to the register and do not require a PC you will not need to have an interview. If you later wish to apply for a PC you will need to attend a registration interview.
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4
You attend a registration interview
At the registration interview, we or one of our agents in Auckland, Christchurch or Dunedin will sight any documents required, and collect payment of the PC fee (we will let you know the amount to be paid in advance).
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5
We restore you to the register
If you are returning to practice, we will also issue you a PC.
Restoration for provisional registrants
If you are restoring to a provisional scope, your application must also include an assessment to vary your scope of practice to the proposed position. This means we will need to make an assessment of your competence to practise in the new scope, and as such we will need to review your work history, job offer and proposed supervision, and obtain appropriate references. Please see the checklist at the end of the REG6 for the list of required documentation.
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REG6 - Application for restoration to the medical register
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Doctors on provisional general and special purpose scope: Employer application for approval of position and supervisor
Restoration after an absence of three or more years
If you are restoring to the full general or vocational scope and you have been absent from practising, or been practising abroad, over the last three years, we may propose conditions on your scope of practice. As part of this assessment we will ask for additional information such as your CV, references, and return to work plan. Please see the checklist at the end of the REG6 for the list of required documentation.
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REG6 - Application for restoration to the medical register
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Where a doctor wishes to commence or resume practice in New Zealand,but has not practised medicine within the last 3 years, the doctor does not have an automatic entitlement to a practising certificate. Council must consider such applications on a case by case basis.
Relevant documents
Here are some other documents that may be required depending on your scope of practice. Please see the checklist on the REG6 application form for a list of all the required documents.
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REG6 - Application for restoration to the medical register
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Doctors on provisional general and special purpose scope: Employer application for approval of position and supervisor
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Complete this form to confirm you are enrolled and actively participating in an approved recertification programme.
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Form to confirm that the doctor is enrolled and actively participating in Inpractice, the Council approved recertification programme for doctors registered in a general scope of practice, administered by bpacNZ.