Specific registration

In limited circumstances, persons whose qualifications are not recognised for general registration in Victoria may be eligible to apply for a type of registration called specific registration. These limited circumstances are listed in section 7(1) of the Veterinary Practice Act 1997 (the VPA). Click on the dropdown below for eligibility information.

It is the Board's general practice to impose conditions on specific registration, limiting practice for a specific period to a specific employer under the supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner. The Board decides if supervision is required on a case-by-case basis with reference to the VPA and the Board's supervision policy.

Specific registration is granted for a limited period of between 12 and 36 months. Persons who wish to be granted another period of specific registration must lodge a new application before their current registration expires. The Board assesses each new application as a stand-alone application and decides if registration will be granted on the individual merits of that application.

To apply for specific registration in Victoria, please complete the application form below using Chrome internet browser on a desktop or laptop computer for best results. Before you complete the form, please click on the items (+) below to read important application information.

To be eligible to apply for specific registration, you must have been offered a position AND, if applicable, be enrolled/undertaking the training listed below. If your circumstances are different from those listed below, you are not eligible to apply for specific registration.

If you apply for one of the categories of specific registration below, the Board will assess your application and decide whether to grant registration on the merits of the information in your application, with reference to the Veterinary Practice Act 1997.

 Circumstances Evidence required in addition to standard documentation
You are enrolled or have been offered study, training or a course at the University of Melbourne (including Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital), e.g. an internship
  1. Letter from University and full curriculum
  2. Indirect supervision formed signed by principal and secondary supervisors (download a copy of the form from the next section, 'Standard documents required for specific registration')
You have been offered a teaching/research position at the University of Melbourne

Letter from University
You have been offered employment in Victoria by a government department or agency Letter from Government employer
  1. You are enrolled in one of the following qualifications and have passed the written examination/s for that 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
    AND
  2. You have 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.
  1. 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.
  2. Direct supervision form signed by your proposed principal supervisor and secondary supervisors (download a copy of the form from the next section, 'Standard documents required for specific registration')

You have been offered a position to meet an identified need for a veterinary practitioner. You and your your employer can provide the information listed in in the Board's Identified Need Policy demonstrating that there is a need to employ a person with your qualifications and skillset.

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.
  1. Documents and information from you and your employer, as listed in the Board's Identified Need Policy, that there is an identified need to employ you.
  2. Indirect supervision formed signed by principal and secondary supervisors (download a copy of the form from the next section,  'Standard documents required for specific registration')
You have received the Board's approval to exchange practice with a registered veterinary practitioner for a limited period. Letter from the registered veterinary practitioner with whom you propose exchanging practice
  1. Arrange for the registration or licensing authority where you are currently registered to email a letter of professional standing or license verification directly to the Board. You cannot send the letter to the Board yourself. The authority where you are registered must send the letter directly to us.
    • If you have active registration with more than one registration or licensing authority, you must arrange for all of those authorities to send the Board a letter of professional standing or license verification.
    • If you are not currently registered with any authority, you must arrange for the authority where you were last registered to send the letter or license verification.
    • If you are already registered in Victoria and only registered here, you do not need to arrange for a letter of professional standing.
  2. Prepare high-quality colour PDF copies of the following documents to attach to the application form:

    NOTE: for documents in the list below that must be certified, this means that an authorised certifier of documents must state on the copy that it is a true copy of the original document. This must be stated on the front page of the copy (not a blank back page), and each page must be certified if there is more than one page. The certifier must add their name and details to the document, including the occupation or position they hold that authorises them to certify the document, e.g. veterinarian. Please note that the Board does not accept documents that have been witnessed or certified by a relative, housemate, or someone with whom you are in a relationship. For a list of people who can certify documents and how they must be certified, see Department of Justice website: certified copies of original documents.

    1. Download and complete the Specific registration statutory declaration below then sign it in front of an authorised statutory declaration witness who must also sign the document and add their details (the document contains more information about this process):  
    2. Certified copy of your original degree in veterinary science or veterinary medicine. This is your base line degree which qualified you as a veterinary practitioner in the country where it was awarded. 
    3. Certified translation of your degree in veterinary science or veterinary medicine if it is not in English.
    4. Certified evidence of English tests taken (if taken).
    5. Certified copy of your photographic identification. All international applicants must provide the photo page of their passport.
    6. If applicable, certified copy of change of name documentation, e.g., if you are registering under a different name than the name on your photo ID or degree testamur.
    7. Personal resume covering your education, work and veterinary activities up to the present. The resume should explain any gaps in your veterinary work or activities. The resume should include your place of birth and places of primary, secondary and tertiary education and, if English is not your first/primary language, it should also provide details of your English language education.
    8. Check the table in the eligibility section above for particular documents that must be provided based on the type of registration you are applying for, e.g. letter from university or employer, supervision form or other evidence.
      If a supervision form is required, please ensure you and your proposed supervisor read the Board's supervision policy first, Supervision of veterinary practitioners. Your proposed supervisor must meet the criteria for a supervisor listed in the policy and you will both have responsibilities under this policy. The Board will determine the level of supervision required:
      • For indirect supervision, a supervisor must be able to be consulted (e.g. by telephone or email) if the supervised veterinary practitioner needs assistance while practising. While the supervised veterinary practitioner has primary responsibility for each individual patient, the supervisor has broad responsibility for the standard of care provided by the person under their supervision. The supervisor is expected to oversee the supervised person’s practice and ensure that there are mechanisms in place to monitor whether the supervised veterinary practitioner is practising safely.
      • For direct supervision, the supervisor must be physically present at the workplace at all times the supervised veterinary practitioner is practising, including during any after hours or on-call practice. The supervisor must accompany the person being supervised if practice occurs elsewhere, e.g. a home or farm visit. The supervisor has principal responsibility for the standard of care provided to each individual patient seen by the person under their supervision.

Privacy of your information

The Board will only use and disclose personal information collected in the registration form for the purposes of registration, unless the Board has obtained your consent to use the information for additional purposes..

More information: Privacy and data protection policy.

Some of the documents listed above must be witnessed by an authorised statutory declaration witness or certified by a person authorised to certify documents.

The statutory declaration for specific registration applicants may be witnessed remotely in Victoria. However, documents cannot be certified remotely. They must be certified by an authorised certifier of documents in person. 

Persons who are authorised to witness statutory declarations or certify documents in Victoria are listed in the pages linked below. Note that the Board does not accept witnessing or certifying by persons who are related to or live with an applicant. If you are in another State or Territory of Victoria, the equivalent Government department will have a similar information page.  To have documents certified outside Australia, follow the process for certifying documents in your country or have the documents certified by an Australian consulate or embassy official or a notary public. 

More information:

After you have submitted your application, we will email you a link to pay your fees online. Fees include an application fee, a complex assessment fee and a registration fee (plus fast-track fees if you apply late or need to be registered earlier than the next Board registration date). The registration fee component will depend on how long you wish to be registered, e.g. 12 , 18, 24 or 36 months. Refer to current fees at: Registration fee schedule

The Board considers registration applications once a month. Please select your preferred registration date from the list below and lodge your application by the cut-off date for that registration date. If you have missed a cut-off date or need to be registered earlier than the next Board registration date, you can request fast track processing of your application for an extra fee. However, it may not be possible for you to start on your preferred start date (if you are granted registration) because it can take time for the Board to assess specific registration applications. 

Application cut-off dates for the next months are:
  • 23 March 2024 for registration on 9 April 2024
  • 27 April 2024 for registration on 14 May 2024
  • 25 May 2024 for registration on 11 June 2024
  • 22 June 2024 for registration on 9 July 2024
  • 27 July 2024 for registration on 13 August 2024
  • 24 August 2024 for registration on 10 September 2024
  • 21 September 2024 for registration on 8 October 2024
  • 26 October 2024 for registration on 12 November 2024
  • 23 November 2024 for registration on 10 December 2024