International Doctors Registration to Be Fast-Tracked
On 15 July 2025, the Medical Council of New Zealand announced several updates designed to streamline the registration and employment process for overseas-trained doctors in New Zealand, all while maintaining the high standards of safe care that the public relies on.
The New Zealand healthcare system is under strain and is experiencing significant shortages of medical professionals across various specialisations. The recent changes are intended to streamline the registration process for qualified, overseas doctors who wish to live and work in New Zealand.
In summary, the changes are:
Fast-track registration for GPs from the USA, Canada and Singapore
New countries recognised for registration – Chile, Luxembourg and Croatia
Shorter processing time for other specialist registration applications
Fast-track registration for GPs from the USA, Canada and Singapore
A new expedited registration process has been launched for GPs trained in the United States, Canada, and Singapore. In collaboration with the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, this allows applications for provisional vocational registration to be processed within two months.
New countries recognised for registration - Chile, Luxembourg and Croatia
Doctors with recent clinical experience in Chile, Luxembourg, and the Republic of Croatia will now be eligible to apply for provisional general registration through the Comparable Health System pathway. This follows the addition of Japan and South Korea to the list in February 2025.
This recognises their experience within a health system comparable to New Zealand's and expands the Council’s list of comparable countries to 29, including the recent additions Japan and South Korea. Applications from overseas doctors seeking registration via the comparable health system pathway are processed within 20 working days.
Shorter assessment timeframes for overseas-trained specialists
The fast-track registration pathway simplifies and speeds up the process for eligible doctors from the UK, Ireland, and Australia to obtain specialist registration and begin practising in approved medical fields. These fields include anaesthesia, dermatology, emergency medicine, general practice, internal medicine, pathology, and psychiatry. Applications are processed within 20 working days.
Besides the fast-track pathway, there will be shorter processing times for specialists from other countries using the provisional vocational registration pathway. These applications will be reviewed within three months.
(Source: Medical Council of New Zealand)
