Registration

This section of the website provides you with information regarding:

Registration
Conditional registration
Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC) Supervised Clinical Practice
Registration via Mutual Recognition Act or the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement
Voluntary withdrawal
Re-registration following voluntary withdrawal
Restoration following penalty withdrawal
Registration for interstate practitioners to attend professional development seminars, sporting events, etc.
Change of name
Certificate of Good Standing
Criminal record screening

Unconditional Registration

Full unconditional registration is available to applicants who hold prescribed qualifications.

As registration only takes a short while, it is preferable for applicants to register in person bringing original documentation with them. If this is not possible, certified copies may be forwarded by post. The following documents are required:

Application form.
Physiotherapy qualification relied upon for registration.
Photographic identification (driver's licence or passport).
A Certificate of Good Standing from their current registering authority, if registered elsewhere.
Pay the prescribed fees:
- Application Fee: $70.00
- Practising Fee: $130.00 if payment made July to December
- or $65.00 if payment made January to June
- Totalling: $200.00 or $135.00(depending on the month of application)
Current Criminal Screening. This must be no older than four years, and can be one of the following:
- National Police Clearance applied for through a post office.
- Working With Children Check applied for through a post office.
- Department of Health screening.
- Department of Education screening.

If applying from overseas, this police screening must be obtained from the country of residence.

Providing all documentation is acceptable, an interim receipt will be issued, and following approval at a meeting of the Board, a Certificate of Registration will be issued and forwarded by Certified Mail.

Conditional Registration

The Board has the ability to provide Conditional Registration to overseas applicants who do not qualify for unconditional registration, for the purpose of postgraduate study, training or teaching at an institution approved by the Board.

This form of registration is limited to 12 months, and the applicant would not have the ability to practise at any private practice or to raise fees for services provided outside the parameters of their course of study.

The following procedures are applicable:

The approved institution would first make a written application to the Board to provide the applicant with conditional registration. Specific details of the applicant’s qualifications, the proposed course of training/study/teaching and the term of appointment would be required at this stage.
Subject to the Board granting initial approval to the institution’s request at a formal meeting of the Board, the applicant would then be required to comply with the following requirements:

Apply in person at the office of the Board.
Complete the application form.
Produce the original or certified photocopy of their degree in physiotherapy.
Photographic identification (driver's licence or passport).
A Certificate of Good Standing from their current registering authority, if registered elsewhere.
A current criminal screening from their country of residence.
Pay the prescribed fees:

The Board may consider applications for extension of the term of appointment beyond the initial 12-month period, however the approved institution would need to provide specific reasons why the conditional registration was required beyond the original term, and the Board gives no guarantees approval would be granted.
Institutions wishing to utilise this form of registration must first make application to the Board to be approved as a suitable teaching institution.

Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC) Supervised Clinical Practice

Overseas-trained physiotherapists, who hold unregistrable qualifications, must be assessed by the APC before being eligible for registration. Refer www.physiocouncil.com.au

Once the applicant has successfully completed the first stage of the process and is in receipt of an Interim Certificate from the APC, the applicant can arrange for a period of supervised clinical practice.

At this stage, the applicant will need to make application for conditional registration with the Board for the six-week period of supervised clinical practice.

The Board will require a letter from the applicant stating: specific dates, the location and name of the registered physiotherapist who will be supervising the clinical practice.

In addition, the Board requires a letter from the supervising physiotherapist acknowledging their responsibilities and the conditions of the conditional registration.

The conditional registration will be for the purpose of clinical practice only, and will be restricted to the dates and location as outlined in the written application.

Documentation required for conditional registration is:

Application form.
Interim Certificate from the APC.
Photographic identification (driver's licence or passport).
Current Criminal Screening. This must be no older than four years, and can be one of the following:
- National Police Clearance applied for through a post office.
- Working With Children Check applied for through a post office.
- Department of Health screening.
- Department of Education screening.
Pay the prescribed fees:
- Application Fee: $70.00
- Practising Fee: $130.00 if payment made July to December
- or $65.00 if payment made January to June
- Totalling: $200.00 or $135.00 (depending on the month of application)

Conversion from Conditional to Full Registration

Following successful completion of the accreditation process, the APC will award the applicant with a Final Certificate. A certified copy of this certificate must be forwarded to the Board in order for the conditional registration to be converted to full registration.

Registration via Mutual Recognition Act/Trans-Tasman Agreement

A person who holds current registration in another State or Territory of Australia is entitled to apply for registration in Western Australia via the Mutual Recognition Act.

A person who holds a current Annual Practising Certificate and registration in New Zealand is entitled to apply for registraiton in Western Australia via the Trans-Tasman Agreement.

Applications can be processed either in person or through the mail.

The requirements for this form of registration are:

A Certificate of Good Standing to be forwarded directly by post to the WA Registration Board from the applicant's current registering authority.
Completed application form.
A certified copy of photographic identification (driver's licence or passport).
Criminal screening.
Pay the prescribed fees:
- Application Fee: $70.00
- Practising Fee: $130.00 if payment made July to December
- or $65.00 if payment made January to June
- Totalling: $200.00 or $135.00 (depending on the month of application)

When an application is lodged with the Board, a request for confirmation of registration is forwarded to the appropriate Board and when satisfactory confirmation is received, the application is accepted and the applicant permitted to commence practising.

Voluntary withdrawal from the Register

A physiotherapist who does not intend practising in Western Australia can apply to have their name withdrawn voluntarily from the Register. The Board requires this request to be in writing (facsimile, email or letter).

Upon receipt of a request for voluntary withdrawal, the registrar will refer the request to the Board and may, if the Board so approves, remove the name of the physiotherapist from the Register and cancel the physiotherapist’s registration.

Re-registration following voluntary withdrawal from the Register

Applicants wishing to re-register following voluntary withdrawal from the Register are required to adhere to the same requirments as those outlined in Unconditional Registration above.

In addition:

If they have been practising outside Western Australia, a current Certificate of Good Standing issued by their most recent registering authority should be forwarded directly to the office of the Board by mail.

Complete a statutory declaration outlining their professional activities since removal from the Register. If the applicant has not been practising anywhere else since their withdrawal from the Register, or has been practising physiotherapy in a region where registration is not required, these details should be included on the statutory declaration giving these details. In addition the applicant should advise of any actions that may have been or are pending against them.

However the re-registration fee is different from that which applies when the name has been removed from the Register by order of the Board.

Following ratification at the next scheduled meeting of the Board, the applicant will received a new Certificate of Registration, but retain their original registration number.

Restoration following involuntary withdrawal from the Register

Physiotherapists whose names have been removed from the Register for either disciplinary reasons or non-payment of the annual practising fee are required to comply with the following requirements to have their name restored to the Register:

Apply in person at the office of the Board to complete the appropriate documentation and application form.
Photographic identification (driver's licence or passport).
Current Criminal Screening. This must be no older than four years, and can be one of the following:
- National Police Clearance applied for through a post office.
- Working With Children Check applied for through a post office.
- Department of Health screening.
- Department of Education screening.
Pay the prescribed fees:
- Penalty Fee: $130.00
- Practising Fee: $130.00
- Totalling: $260.00
- Practising Fees applicable since removal from the Register - it is recommended the applicant contacts the office of the Board to obtain these charges.
If they have been practising outside Western Australia, a current Certificate of Good Standing issued by their most recent registering authority should be forwarded directly to the office of the Board by mail.
Complete a statutory declaration outlining their professional activities since removal from the Register. If the applicant has not been practising anywhere else since their withdrawal from the Register, or has been practising physiotherapy in a region where registration is not required, these details should be included on the statutory declaration giving these details. In addition the applicant should advise of any actions that may have been or are pending against them.

Following restoration to the Register, applicants are issued with a new Certificate of Restoration,but retain their original registration number.

Registration requirements for interstate practitioners to attend professional development seminars, conferences or sporting events in WA?

If there is any hands-on component during your visit, even if you are demonstrating on a fellow participant, you are required to obtain conditional registration.

While a registration number will be allocated, and a letter confirming the applicant’s registration will be issued, a registration certificate will not be produced.

The requirements for conditional registration are summarised below:

For events less than seven days’ duration, applicants will need to provide the Board with certified copies of:

Application form.
Photographic identification (driver's licence or passport).
Current practising certificate from the state in which registration is held.
A letter outlining the event, and dates for registration.

Please note the Board has agreed to waive the application and registration fees under these circumstances.

For events in excess of seven (7) days, applicants will be required to provide the Board with the normal documentation:

Application form.
Photographic identification (driver's licence or passport).
Current practising certificate from the state in which registration is held.
A letter outlining the event, and dates for registration.
Current National Police Clearance.
Pay the relevant application and practising fees.

To facilitate the registration process, applicants are permitted to mail applications providing copied documents bear original certification by someone authorised to sign statutory declarations.

Change of Name

A physiotherapist can make application to amend their name on the Register by complying with the following requirements:

Produce the original or certified photocopy of the marriage certificate, birth certificate or deed poll document.
Pay the prescribed fee of $20.00.

Following a change of name on the Register, applicants are issued with a new Certificate of Registration, but retain their original registration number.

Certificate of Good Standing

Certificates of Good Standing are issued nationally by registration boards to provide evidence that a physiotherapist practising within their legislative domain has not been guilty of an offence in accordance with their Act, and that no actions are pending against them.

The purpose of the Board requiring applicants to provide a Certificate of Good Standing at the time of their initial application for registration, or restoration of their name to the Register, is to ensure they are not the subject of any formal investigation by registration boards in other areas of Australia or the rest of the world.

If a physiotherapist is unable to provide the Board with evidence that they are in good standing with their current registration board, then the Board may exercise its right and refuse registration in Western Australia.

Physiotherapists who propose to practise overseas or interstate will probably be required to produce evidence of their good standing in Western Australia before being considered for registration by another registration board.

The cost of a Certificate of Good Standing is $20.00, as stipulated in the Regulations, and the physiotherapist should make a written request for this document, naming the recipient registration board for mailing purposes.

If the physiotherapist intends remaining overseas/interstate for an extended period of time, consideration should be given to withdrawing their name voluntarily from the Register.

Criminal Record Screening

To assist in the protection of members of the public, the criminal screening process applies to:

All currently registered physiotherapists.
Physiotherapists applying for re-registration or restoration to the Register.
New applicants for registration.

Updated criminal record screenings are required every four years, and may be in the form of:

National Police Clearance applied for through a post office.
Working With Children Check applied for through a post office.
Department of Health screening.
Department of Education screening.

If applying from overseas, a police screening must be obtained from the country of residence.

Please click here regarding the provision of an address for registration