Registration in Victoria

• Application timeframes
• Eligibility for registration
• Options if you do not have a recognised qualification
• Registration fees
• Using other Australian registration to work in Victoria

Application timeframes

Each month, the Board considers applications for the registration of veterinary practitioners. Please lodge your application by the cut-off date for the appropriate registration date listed below. If you have missed a cut-off date or wish to be registered earlier than the next registration date, you can request fast track processing of your application (for a fee). If fast tracking is possible, processing usually take place within 7 days; however, we cannot guarantee that your application will be assessed or registration granted within a fast-track timeframe.

• GRADUATING SOON? Apply now to be registered the day after your university awards ("confers") your degree. Please lodge your application no later than 2 weeks before the date your degree will be conferred. Application form: New graduate registration
• VETS RECENTLY RELOCATED TO VICTORIA: If you are registered in South Australia or the ACT, you must register immediately after you move to Victoria. If registered in NSW, NT, Queensland, Tasmania or WA, you must lodge an application at least a month before your current registration expires. Application form: General registration

Application cut-off dates for general registration applications (specific registration applications should be lodged 3 days earlier):

• 30 April 2024 for registration on 14 May 2024
• 28 May 2024 for registration on 11 June 2024
• If transferring interstate registration which expires 30 June, 14 June 2024 for registration on 1 July 2024
  EXCEPTION: Vets registered in the SA or the ACT must register immediately after relocating to Victoria
• 25 June 2024 for registration on 9 July 2024
• 30 July 2024 for registration on 13 August 2024
• 27 August 2024 for registration on 10 September 2024
• 24 September 2024 for registration on 8 October 2024
• 29 October 2024 for registration on 12 November 2024
• 26 November 2024 for registration on 10 December 2024
• If transferring interstate registration which expires 31 December, 6 December 2024 for registration on 1 January 2025

Eligibility to apply for registration in Victoria

You are eligible to apply for general registration in Victoria if you have a recognised veterinary qualification in this list: Qualifications generally recognised (download from AVBC website). International applicants: in addition to holding a recognised veterinary qualification, check the list to see if you also need to have passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) to be eligible.

To apply for general registration, select the option that applies to you from the following list:

• New graduate applying for first time registration as a veterinary practitioner
• Practising veterinary practitioner who has never registered in Victoria before
• Veterinary practitioner who previously held general registration in Victoria

If your qualification is not recognised for general registration: Options if you do not have a recognised qualification

Specialist endorsement
You can apply for specialist endorsement of your general registration if:

1. you either currently hold or are eligible to apply for general registration in Victoria and you have been recommended for specialist registration by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council, or
2. you are currently registered as a specialist in another Australian State or Territory.

Apply for specialist registration

Non-practising registration
You can apply for non-practising registration if:

1. you are eligible to apply for general registration, or
2. you currently hold general registration and wish to cease practising in Victoria either temporarily or permanently.

Apply for non-practising registration

Options if you do not have a recognised qualification

If you do not have a recognised veterinary qualification, you may still be able to apply for registration in Victoria:

• If you currently hold registration in another Australian State or New Zealand, you can apply for registration under mutual recognition principles. More information about this registration pathway: Contact us
• If you are not eligible for general registration, you may be able to apply for specific registration. Check if you meet the threshold for applying in the table below:

Question	Answer & eligibility under Veterinary Practice Act 1997 (VPA)	Evidence required in addition to standard documentation listed on specific registration application page
Are you enrolled or have you been offered study, training or a course at the University of Melbourne (including Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital), e.g. an internship?	YES, apply for specific registration under section 7(1)(a) VPA  NO, you are not eligible to apply for specific registration	Letter from University and full curriculum Indirect supervision formed signed by principal and secondary supervisors
Have you been offered an internship or other study, training or a course at a private practice?	NO, you are not eligible to apply for specific registration under section 7(1)(a) of the VPA the VPA.
Have you been offered a teaching/research position at the University of Melbourne?	YES, apply for specific registration under section 7(1)(b) of the VPA NO, you are not eligible to apply for specific registration	Letter from University
Have you been offered employment in Victoria by a government department or agency?	YES, apply for specific registration under section 7(1)(ba) of the VPA NO, you are not eligible to apply for specific registration	Letter from Government employer
Are you enrolled in one of the following qualifications and have you passed the written examinations for the qualification?: the Australasian Veterinary Examination (AVE) - written exam is the MCQ the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) - written exams are the BCSE + NAVLE, or the Canadian Certificate of Qualification (CQ) - written exams are the BCSE + NAVLE If yes, have you also been offered a position at a veterinary practice where you can train under the direct supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner? NOTE the Board does not help applicants to find such positions. However, AVE candidates may be assisted to find a potential employer through the AVE Candidate Hub.	If YES to both questions, apply for specific registration under section 7(1)(c) of the VPA NO, you are not eligible for specific registration	Either: certified proof that you have passed the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) Examination of the AVE  or certified proof and basic vault transfer from Veterinary Information Verifying Agency that you have passed both the Basic Clinical Sciences Examination (BCSE) and the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) of the ECFVG or CQ. Direct supervision form signed by your proposed principal supervisor and secondary supervisors
Have you been offered a position to meet an identified need for a veterinary practitioner with your skills? NOTE it is unlikely the Board would consider new graduates offered internships to have the skills and experience required to be registered to meet an identified need. To understand what this means, you and your prospective employer must read the Veterinary Board's Identified Need Policy. You should only consider applying for this type of registration if your employer can provide the information listed in the policy which shows that there is a need to employ a person with your qualifications and skillset.	YES, apply for specific registration under section 7(1)(d) of the VPA NO, you are not eligible for specific registration	Documents and information from you and your employer, as listed in the Board's Identified Need Policy, that there is a need to employ you. Indirect supervision formed signed by principal and secondary supervisors.

Registration and other service fees

After you have submitted your application, we will send you a payment email containing a link to pay your fees online. Fees include an application fee and a registration fee (plus fast-track fees if you apply late or need to be registered earlier than the next Board meeting held the second Tuesday of every month). Refer to current fees at: Registration fee schedule

Using other Australian registration to work in Victoria

Relocating to Victoria

If you have relocated, or will be relocating, so your principal place of residence is/will be in Victoria, you must apply for registration in Victoria by the dates set out below. This is required under section 4(1A) of the Victorian Veterinary Practice Act 1997.

• If you are registered in South Australia or the ACT:  you must apply for registration immediately after moving to Victoria because veterinary practice laws in those jurisdictions require your name to be removed from the ACT/SA veterinary register if your principal place of residence is no longer in the ACT or SA. 
• If you are registered in the Northern Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania or Western Australia: submit your application in the first week of June to be registered in Victoria from 1 July.
• If you are registered in Queensland: submit your application in the first week of December to be registered in Victoria from 1 January the following year.

Living in another State but temporarily practising in Victoria

Veterinary practitioners with current registration in another Australian State or Territory sometimes come to Victoria to work temporarily. If your principal place of residence is in another State or Territory and you are only coming here for a brief period as a one-off or from time-to-time, the Victorian Board automatically recognises your interstate registration as giving you the right to practise in Victoria (under section 3A of the Veterinary Practice Act 1997 and the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (Cth)). This automatic recognition of veterinary registration also applies to persons who live in another State or Territory close to the Victorian border and who frequently practise in Victoria. NOTE if you have conditions, limitations or restrictions on your interstate registration, you may NOT be able to practise in Victoria (please contact the Board about this). 

If you are practising in Victoria under automatic recognition of your interstate registration, you must comply with Victorian laws relating to veterinary practice including the Veterinary Practice Act 1997. You must also comply with the Board's Guidelines for appropriate standards of veterinary practice and veterinary facilities. The Board has the power to investigate concerns about the professional conduct of veterinary practitioners practising in Victoria, including persons who are registered in another State or Territory.

Living in another country

Automatic recognition of veterinary registration does not apply to people registered in other countries including New Zealand - you can NOT come to Victoria and immediately start working if you are not registered here. If you will be living in Victoria and you wish to practise here as a veterinary practitioner, you must first apply for registration in Victoria before you can start practising.