New Zealand Nursing License
Helpful tips to getting your New Zealand nursing registration - from someone who's been through it
Are you an overseas nurse interested in working in New Zealand?
Don’t know where to start? - I’ve been in your shoes and I’m here to help!
When I first decided I wanted to nurse abroad I spent hours scouring the internet, hopelessly trying to find answers to my many questions. Was it possible to work abroad on my US nursing license? Are there international travel nursing agencies that I can contract with? Or do I have to get registered abroad? The more I searched, the more questions I had, and as with most things, the simple answer to all of this was: it depends.
Different countries all have their own process and regulatory boards, and as such different requirements for nursing registration. The hard truth is that just because you are qualified to practice nursing in your home country, doesn’t guarantee you will meet the requirements to practice in another. But fear not, it can be done! - I've been through it personally.
So if you are looking to nurse abroad, the first thing I suggest you do is decide where you want to go. I originally had looked at Europe and found a travel nurse company called Continental Travelnurse which works in the UK - so check them out if that’s where you’d like to go and they will walk you through getting your UK nursing registration! In the end however, I decided I wanted to practice in New Zealand, a place I had studied abroad in during university and wanted to go back to. I struggled to locate any similar travel nursing companies that would assist with getting my New Zealand nursing license, and began the process myself.
From start to finish this process took me 8 months, much longer than I anticipated, with many questions and delays. So here are my tips to help guide you through getting your own nursing registration in New Zealand without all the hassle and hopefully in much less time:
Everything nursing related in New Zealand, including registration, is run through their equivalent of the board of nursing: the Nursing Council of New Zealand. They will be who you apply through, contact with questions, and ultimately get approval from for your registration. You can start the application, download a guide to the process, and get most of your questions answered here: http://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/Nurses/International-registration
Some basic information to know when applying:
Registration requirements differ if you are an Australian applicant compared to another international applicant (such as myself).
To apply as a Registered Nurse vs Enrolled Nurse, you must hold an equivalent qualification to that of New Zealand’s. This is usually the equivalent of a 4 year bachelor’s degree in nursing.
You must hold a current registration in your own country.
You must have completed 2 years of post-registration practice (minimum 2,500 hours) within the last 5 years.
You must complete an International Criminal History Check.
Based on your applicant and qualifications, the Nursing Council may decide you need to complete a Competency Assessment Program (C.A.P. course). More on that below.
After getting your registration approved, you will have to apply to get an Annual Practice Certificate. You CANNOT practice in New Zealand without one, and it is a separate (but quick) process that is completed online.
Anticipated Costs:
Internationally Qualified Nurse (IQN) registration application:
$650 NZD ($464 USD)
International English Language Testing System (I.E.L.T.S.):
$235 USD
OR Occupational English Test (O.E.T.): $587 AUD
International Criminal History Check (ICHC):
$149 AUD ($118 USD)
Annual Practice Certificate:
$110 NZD ($79 USD)
Total Cost (assuming you take the I.E.L.T.S, not the O.E.T.):
$898 USD
* Additional costs: Be aware that if the Nursing Council decides you must complete a Competency Assessment Program (C.A.P. course), these can run around $8000 to complete. Based on my experience, R.N.s from Australia and the U.S.A. did not have to complete one, but nurses I met from the Philippines and India did. This runs on an individual basis and is determined based on whether New Zealand views your nursing qualification as equivalent to their own.
Now you know the costs, let’s break down the registration process. I recommend you start by downloading the International Registration Guidelines on the Nursing Council website (or I’ve attached it here). This provides a detailed account of the application process with a convenient checklist on page 6. I’ll outline tips for each part of this checklist below. To prevent redundancy please refer back to this document for complete information.
The registration process itself consists of two steps. Step one involves completion of the online application and submitting all supporting documents. Step two involves getting information from your school of training and verification from your regulatory body.
Fill out the online application form on the Nursing Council website. You will need a valid email address as you will be sent a checklist of required supporting documents. You must sign and include this checklist when you send the documents in!
You must provide a certified copy of your INITIAL registration as well as your CURRENT registration.
Anytime a certified copy is requested, this must be completed by a notary public, justice of the peace, or solicitor authorized to certify documents.
If you do not have a physical registration like me (coming from the state of Nevada mine was electronic), you can print a copy and have a notary sign this.
Both the I.E.L.T.S. and O.E.T. are recognized by the Nursing Council of New Zealand. I recommend the I.E.L.T.S. as it is half the price and I found it to be more widely accepted (for example if you want to apply for a UK license you will need the I.E.L.T.S.)
The I.E.L.T.S. has many testing centers all over the world, simply sign up online for one near you, and make sure you bring your passport as you will need to show it and get fingerprinted to test.
You must score above a 7.0 in each band of the I.E.L.T.S.: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. If you are a native English speaker this should not be a problem. The test does not cover medical language, but the one I took was a very British form of English (so practice listening to those accents, you only get to hear some parts of the test once!)
Two professional references are required by someone who has supervised your nursing practice (nurse manager, senior nurse, supervisor, doctor etc.) and must be on letterhead paper.
There is a long list of what must be included in the reference letters on the application guidelines. I suggest you give this list to the people writing your references and stress that these must ALL be included or your reference may be rejected.
Specifically, all your references MUST include a specific statement saying that “to their knowledge there are no known factors against the applicant’s (your) registration in New Zealand and no known criminal convictions against the applicant (you)”. I did not have this specific wording and had to have all of my references resubmit updated documents - don’t make that mistake!
This reference must come from someone who has known you for two years or more and is not family. It does not have to be a nurse.
As with the professional references, there is a long list of things that must be included in this reference letter. Refer to the application guidelines for this and again, all your references MUST include a specific statement saying that “to their knowledge there are no known factors against the applicant’s (your) registration in New Zealand and no known criminal convictions against the applicant (you)”.
This is a letter from your employer to prove your clinical hours over the last two years. I found that someone in HR was able to do this for me using my hire date and the number of hours worked per week. While this didn’t have the exact number of clinical hours, it was sufficient.
This must be on letterhead again and include your name, birth date, and registration number!
Once you have submitted all the above documents along with a signed checklist, Step One will be complete. The Nursing Council will review your application from here, a process that can take up to 30 days. I recommend that you go ahead and get working on the Step Two process, as it can take a while to get information from your school and nursing board. Both will have to send forms directly to the Nursing Council, so please account for mail time as well!
The school where you did your nursing training will need to send official transcripts directly to the Nursing Council.
More than that, the council requires original transcripts of your training and theoretical content. This basically means the Nursing Council wants a full syllabi for every nursing related course you’ve taken. Each course syllabus must have content descriptions and include total hours. If your school (like mine) uses credits, then each course should state how many hours make up a credit.
Don’t underestimate how long it may take to get all this together. If it has been a while since you graduated, the nursing program you attended may have new curriculum and therefore new syllabi. Tracking down old syllabi for your courses is a long process and getting signed official documents can be slow too.
Once Step Two of the application process is completed, the Nursing Council will review all your documents and make a decision on your registration. If all goes well and the Nursing Council decides your qualification is equivalent to that of New Zealand’s, you will be issued your New Zealand nursing registration! Congratulations! However if the council decides your qualification is not up to their standards, you may be asked to complete a Competency Assessment Program, or CAP course.
CAP courses are generally 6-8 weeks long with a theoretical and clinical component, and you have 24 months from when you are notified that you require a CAP course to complete it. I worked with a few CAP students myself in New Zealand, and from the sounds of things these courses can cost thousands of dollars (a quick google search shows courses costing $8,000!). Be aware of this cost when you apply. Coming from the USA I did not have to complete this, but every nurse I met from the Phillipines or India did.
Once you have hopefully received your New Zealand nursing registration, you will need to obtain an Annual Practice Certificate (A.P.C.) to legally practice nursing in the country. Luckily as you are newly registered, this simply consists of paying the fee online ($110 NZD). This is something you will need to renew annually, and with subsequent renewals will need to meet requirements for continuing education. It is worth noting that the renewal period for your A.P.C. is based on when your birthday is, meaning you may have to renew before a year has passed from your initial A.P.C. The schedule for renewal is as follows:
BIRTHDAY
1 January - 31 March
1 April - 30 June
1 July - 30 September
1 October - 31 December
ANNUAL RENEWAL DATE
1 April
1 July
1 October
1 January
APPLICATIONS EMAILED
Late January
Late April
Late July
Late October
In my case, I received my nursing registration on September 22nd, but based on my birthday my annual renewal date was October 1st. Due to this I simply waited until after October 1st to apply for my initial A.P.C.. Had I received my initial A.P.C. before October 1st, I would have had to pay the renewal fee all over again only weeks apart.
Finally, after receiving your A.P.C. and nursing registration (which will come as a card and certificate mailed to you) you are ready to practice nursing in New Zealand! Only one catch - you must have a valid work visa! Time for another application and some more paperwork.
When it comes to visas and immigration, things can get complicated and change frequently. I recommend you visit New Zealand Immigration to find the right one for you and check on current requirements.
From my research, as a Registered Nurse you fall under the skills shortage checklist based on your speciality. WIth this, you are eligible to apply for a temporary work visa (good for 5 years) under the New Zealand Essential Skills work visa scheme. However to apply for this visa, you must already have a job offer lined up in New Zealand. So get those C.V.s together and start applying.
If you are like me and want to enter the country prior to having a job lined up, you must consider other options. For those of you over the age of 30 I unfortunately don’t have any helpful experience in this area and you are best contacting New Zealand Immigration. But for those under the age of 30, you may be able to do as I did and enter the country under a Working-Holiday scheme. This is basically a work visa that is good for a year, and originally set up for people to be able to work in New Zealand while they travel. After a long phone call to immigration, I found however that I was able to enter the country with a Working-Holiday visa, and once I had gained employment I could then apply to have my visa rolled over to an Essential Skills work visa.
To apply for the Working-Holiday visa, you must be under the age of 30 and hold a return ticket, or have sufficient funds to pay for one. Simply fill out an application online, and within a few days you should receive your work visa by email. This is a fast, cheap visa to get, and provided a good solution for me to enter New Zealand prior to having a nursing job lined up.
With a work visa, nursing registration, and annual practice certificate in hand you are on your way to nursing in New Zealand. I know this can be a long process and I hope some of what I learned can help it go a bit smoother for you. New Zealand is a beautiful country and working as a nurse there is a rewarding experience - I would do it all again in a heartbeat. So start your application today and take the first step to getting your New Zealand nursing registration!
Get Your New Zealand Nursing License
Start your application today through the Nursing Council of New Zealand