Restoration to the register
If you were previously registered in New Zealand, and your registration was cancelled, you may be able to be restored. You will be restored to the scope of practice (or scopes of practice) you held before you were cancelled.
Restoration to the Register is separate to applying for a practising certificate. If you want to practise in New Zealand you need to be restored and apply for a practising certificate.
Can I be restored to the medical register?
In some circumstances, yes. We can restore you to the register if you:
- held registration in either the provisional general scope, the General scope, a provisional vocational scope or vocational scope of practice after 18 September 2004; and
- either agreed to us cancelling your registration following a proposal we made to cancel your registration or did not respond in the given timeframe; and
- are fit for registration; and
- are not subject to any pending disciplinary proceedings; and
- are not subject to an order under s101(1)(a) of the HPCAA (relating to an order of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal that your registration be cancelled).
If you asked to be removed from our Register of your own accord, you will not be eligible to be restored to the Register.
If you do not meet the criteria to be restored to the register, you will have to submit a new application for registration.
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.
How to apply and what happens next
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1
Submit an application
Complete and submit your application form, along with the required documentation.
The documentation you will be required to provide is:
- A completed REG6 form
- A copy of the photo page of your current passport
- An up to date CV
- Original Certificates of professional status (COPS) sent directly to MCNZ from each regulatory authority under which you have practised during the last 5 years or since you last practised medicine in New Zealand (whichever is shorter). The COPS must be dated within 3 months of the date we make a decision on your restoration application. If you are also applying for a practising certificate, it must also be valid within 3 months of the start date of your employment in New Zealand.
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2
Processing Timeframe
We assess your application and determine if we need more information from you or another party. This can take up to 20 working days from receiving a complete application.
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3
Verification of Identity
You may be required to attend a registration meeting with a Council staff member.
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4
We make a decision on your application
When we have made a decision on your application we will email you the outcome. If your application is approved we will restore you to the register.
How can I practise in New Zealand?
If you want to practise medicine in New Zealand you will also need to apply for a practising certificate. This is separate from the application to be restored.
If you have a job offer you can apply for a practising certificate at the same time as a restoration application. Complete section 7 of the form in this case.
Alternatively, you can apply to be restored and contact us at a future time to arrange a practising certificate once you have a job offer.
Please see Applying for a practising certificate.
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.
Forms
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
Policies
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This policy covers when doctors who were previously registered in New Zealand can apply to be restored to the register rather than complete a full registration application.
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Where a doctor wishes to resume practice in New Zealand, but has not held a New Zealand practising certificate 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.