I am an overseas registered midwife


Requirements for registration


Te Tatau o te Whare | Midwifery Council (the Council) will only consider applications from internationally qualified midwives who are registered with a registration authority that performs a similar function to the Council.

Please click HERE for application guidelines.

The following are the criteria for registration:

  1. Identity

    2. You must be able to prove who you are by providing identification documents in accordance our Evidence of Identity documents.

  2. Midwifery qualification

    3. Must be equivalent in content and competencies to the New Zealand Bachelor of Midwifery for registration by the New Zealand graduate midwives. Please complete the qualification compatibility assessment form.

  3. Post registration midwifery practice

    4. Must be a minimum of one year post registration midwifery practice across the midwifery scope. Must be within the immediate 5 years preceding application.

  4. Post registration midwifery education

    5. Please include evidence of at least three years post registration midwifery continuing education as well as reflections of how you have incorporated your ongoing education into your practice.

  5. Self-assessment

    6. You must complete the self assessment form and provide details of how your practice meets the New Zealand competencies.

  6. English language

    7. You must be able to communicate effectively. The approved English language tests are Occupational English Test (OET) and International Language Testing System (IELTS).

    For OET you should achieve a minimum pass mark of A or B in each section.

    For IELTS you should achieve an overall pass in the Academic module of no less than 7.5, with no less than 7 in any of the 4 bands.

    You must achieve the score in one sitting.

  7. Current registration

    8. You must have been registered as a midwife in the Country where you received your education and also hold current registration in that or another country.

    You must provide verification of good standing from all countries you have been and are registered with.

  8. Fitness for registration and practice

    9. You must be able to demonstrate that you are of good character and that you have no mental or physical condition that adversely affects your ability to practise as a midwife.

  9. Police Certificates

    10. You must provide a current police report from your country of residence and from every country where you have resided for a period of 12 months or more from the age of 18 years. The police report(s) in support of your application must be produced by the National Police Authority for the country, not a local or state office, and sent directly to the Midwifery Council. This is completed through our provider Fit2Work - click HERE to go to their website portal and request your police report(s). Fit2 Work will send the report(s) directly to the Council.

    If Fit2Work is unable to provide a police report for a country you have resided for a period of 12 months or more from the age of 18 years, you will need to go to the New Zealand Immigration website to obtain a relevant police certificate that is of the standard acceptable to the Council. Applicants are advised that these police checks must be sent to the Council directly from the issuing authority.

    If you do not follow this process the Council may not accept your evidence of police vetting.

    During the application process, if declare you have resided in Aotearoa New Zealand for 12 months or more from the age of 18 years , you will be prompted to download the Police Vetting Service Request and Consent Form for the New Zealand Police | Nga Pirihimana o Aotearoa. Complete the form and upload this with your application. (do not send it to the Police, the Council staff need to do this).

  10. Registration with other authorities

    11. You are required to provide verification of registration and current good standing from the national or state regulatory authority where you are currently registered as a midwife and from any other health practitioner authority where you have been registered in the past.


Other important information


  • All applications are considered by the Council on an individual basis against the competencies required for registration and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Once we receive all required information, it may take up to one month before your application can be determined and you are advised of the Council decision. The Council may come back to you for further information.
  • While we will allow you to upload documents during the application process, you must send the certified physical copies to the Council by post. Once documents are checked they are securely destroyed or returned to you upon request.
  • Applicants unable to submit all required application documentation within six (6) months of initial application will have to reapply to the Council and pay a new application fee. Where the application is incomplete due to Council process or information required from a third party, then the timeframe will not apply. Please also view the Registration for Internationally Qualified Midwives Policy.
  • The Council does not currently operate any reciprocal registration agreements except with Australia pursuant to a government to government agreement covering all services and professions.
  • The Council does not accept applications from internationally qualified new graduate midwives, or from midwives whose skills are not current.
  • You may wish to explore work opportunities in Aotearoa New Zealand while your application is in progress. However, the Council strongly advises that you do not enter into any employment arrangement or make any immigration arrangements based on a presumption that your application will be successful, or a presumption as to when a decision on your application will be received.
  • For more information about moving to Aotearoa New Zealand and working in healthcare, please click HERE.

Internationally qualified midwives and midwives applying under Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement


Any midwife who obtained their midwifery qualification outside of Aotearoa New Zealand, including Australian registered midwives applying under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTMRA)  are likely to have conditions imposed on their scope of practice (usually regarding required further education and supervision of midwifery practise in Aotearoa)


The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement


The TTMRA came into force on 1 May 1998. It recognises the regulatory standards adopted in Australia regarding goods and occupations.

The Act allows people registered in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand who practise substantially the same registered occupations, where there is similar legislation in both countries, to move freely between the two countries.

This agreement between the Aotearoa and Australian governments provides that persons registered in Australia and New Zealand who practise substantially the same registered occupations can move freely between both countries. Conditions may apply to achieve equivalence of occupations.

The agreement has been ratified in law by Aotearoa and all the Australian states. If you are registered to practise midwifery in Australia, you are entitled to seek registration as a midwife in Aotearoa. This right is exercised by giving notice in the form of making an application, completing a Statutory declaration as part of this process, and paying the application fee.

The fee is for making the application and is not refundable if the application is unsuccessful.

Click HERE for more information about applying for registration in Aotearoa under the TTMRA.


How to apply for Registration


To begin the application process click HERE.

Information correct as at January2024