How to apply for registration

1. Check if you need to register

Anyone who works as or will use the title 'paramedic' (including people in non-clinical roles) must register with the Paramedicine Board of Australia (the Board). Students, medics, volunteer ambulance officers and EMTs do not need to apply for registration but registration is open to anyone who can satisfy the Board they are qualified and suitable for registration. Read more about who needs to register.

2. Prepare to apply for registration

Read the information provided by the Board about the registration standards which define the requirements that paramedics need to meet to be registered.

You need to be qualified and suitable for registration. There are different ways to demonstrate your qualifications. For example, you may need to request a transcript or employment documents from relevant institutions.

3. Create an account and apply online

To begin the registration process, create an online services account using the 'Apply for registration' button below.

From 1 December 2018, paramedicine became a nationally regulated profession under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law) and the titles ‘paramedic’ and ‘paramedicine’ became protected by law. This means that from 1 December 2018, only people who are registered with the Board or who have applied for registration before then, will be able to lawfully call themselves a paramedic.

Read the fact sheet provided by the Board on using the title paramedic after 1 December 2018.

Once you are registered, your registration will appear on Ahpra's online Register of health practitioners and you can download a copy of your registration certificate from your Ahpra online services account.

Apply for registration

Continue online application

4. Upload the required documents and make payment

Depending on your background, you may need to upload supporting documents, like copies of qualifications or letters from employers.

To finish your application, make a payment by credit card. The national fees for paramedic registration are a one-time application fee of $190 and an annual registration fee of $282. You’ll get an email confirmation that payment has been received.

5. Wait for an email update about your registration

You’ll get an email from the Board and AHPRA to let you know the outcome of your registration application or if we need more information from you.

Once your application is submitted you can also track its progress by logging into your AHPRA online services account.

It is an offence under the National Law (and penalties may apply) if you call yourself a ‘paramedic’ and have not submitted a complete application before participation day. It is also an offence to call yourself a ‘paramedic’ if your application has been considered and you have not been granted registration.

• Video transcript: National Registration and Accreditation Scheme - Paramedicine

Why you must be registered as a paramedic

The National Law is primarily concerned with protecting the health and safety of the public. The National Law provides strong penalties for those who breach it.  From 1 December 2018, it will become an offence for a person who is not registered with the Board, or who has not applied for registration prior to 1 December 2018 under the National Law to:

• use the title ‘paramedic’ or ‘paramedicine’
• claim to be qualified to practice as a paramedic, or
• otherwise hold themselves out as a paramedic.

The National Law also requires that employers and engaging organisations (e.g. volunteer organisations) must ensure that the people they hold out or employ as paramedics are registered.

Under the National Law, a person must be a registered paramedic if they:

1. use the title ‘paramedic’ with or without any other words (s. 116(1)(a))
2. take or use a title, name, initial, symbol, word or description that, having regard to the circumstances in which it is taken or used, indicates or could be reasonably understood to indicate, that the person is a paramedic or is authorised or qualified to practise in the paramedicine profession(s. 116(1)(b))
3. claim to be registered under the National Law or hold themselves out registered under the National Law (s. 116(1)(c)), or
4. claim to be qualified to practise as a paramedic (s. 116(1)(d))

It is not a breach of the National Law for a person to use the knowledge and skills of a paramedic without being registered provided they do not contravene the above provisions. However, in addition to the use of the title ‘paramedic’, other organisations such as employers or insurers may require you to register.