New graduate registration

Eligibility for new graduate registration

You are eligible to apply for general registration as a new graduate with the Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria (the Board) if:
  1. You plan to live in Victoria after you graduate
  2. You are not already registered or licensed (even just provisionally) as a veterinary practitioner with another registration or licensing authority, and
  3. In the 2018-2019 year, you were (or will be) awarded a degree in veterinary science or medicine from a tertiary institution accredited by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC). International graduates from some universities must also show they have passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) – these universities are also shown on the AVBC list (PDF). You may also need to demonstrate your English language competency. 

When to apply

When to apply depends on if you have been awarded your degree and when you want to start practising. The Victorian Board only grants registration to applicants who have been officially awarded their degree by their university or college. Completing your studies is not the same as being awarded your degree.
  • If you are applying to be registered on the date you will be awarded your degree, you must submit your application at least 2 weeks before that date.
  • If you have already been awarded your degree, apply to be registered at the next monthly Board meeting. See the cut-off dates for submitting applications.

If you have missed an application deadline, you can request fast track registration for an extra fee of $250.  Fast tracking takes up to 7 days and costs $250 in addition to standard fees.

How to apply and what to send us

You can email your application to Board communications@vetboard.vic.gov.au. All documents must be sent as PDF files, NOT .JPEG, .PNG or other files. 

You must send the Board the following documents:
  1. A completed new graduate application form.
  2. A personal resume covering all your education, work and veterinary activities up to now. Include your place of birth, and your places of primary, secondary and tertiary education. If English is not your primary language, include a section detailing your English education. 
  3. A certified copy of current photographic identification such as a passport or drivers licence (both sides of the licence).
  4. Proof that you have been or will be awarded your degree:
    • If you have already been awarded your degree, we will accept the following as proof:
      • Australian and New Zealand graduates only: digital documents shared from the My eQuals platform, e.g. your award certificate or an academic transcript which states you have been awarded or conferred your degree, or
      • a certified copy of your degree certificate, or
      • a certified copy of an academic transcript which states you have been awarded or conferred your degree
    • If you have not yet been awarded your degree: if your name is on a list of students scheduled to be awarded a degree which your veterinary school has sent to the Board, the Board will accept this list as proof instead of a degree certificate. Sometimes this list is known as a Deans list. As advised above the Board can only register you from the date the university awards the degree to you. Completing your studies is not the same as being awarded your degree.
  5. International graduates who have taken the NAVLE: you must also arrange for the Veterinary Information Verifying Agency to email a score transfer certificate to communications@vetboard.vic.gov.au.
  6. English language test results, if you have completed any of the tests listed in English language skills: AVBC Standards (PDF).

About certifying documents

  • Find out which types of people can authenticate documents in the country or State where you are located.
  • Do not have your documents certified by a relative, housemate, or someone you are in a relationship with.
  • The authorised person must write or stamp on the copy of the document: ‘I have sighted the document and certify this to be a true copy of the original.’ They must write this on the front of the copy (not a blank back page), and they must write this on each page if there is more than one page.

Application form

To help you complete the application form:
  • The form includes a statutory declaration which you must print, complete, and sign in front of person officially authorised to witness documents. More information: About certifying documents
  • If you do not have a residential address in Victoria yet, write TO BE ADVISED. You must advise us as soon as you do have a residential address.
  • If you do not have a practice address, write NO REGISTER ADDRESS.
  • For the payment section, the fee for new graduate registration is $335. This consists of a $150 application fee and $185 in registration fees which will give you registration until 30 June 2019. If you want to fast track your application, you must also authorise payment of a $250 fast track fee.

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

Cost of new graduate registration

In the 2018-2019 financial year, new graduate registration is AUD$335. This fee includes a $150 application fee and $185 in discounted registration fees. If you ask to fast track your registration, you would also pay a $250 fast track fee. Note these fees will give you registration until 30 June 2019, after which you will pay non-discounted standard registration fees to renew your registration. More information on fees:  Fees

Can I work in Victoria if I have provisional registration in another State or Territory?

No. The Board only recognises full registration from other States and Territories as giving a person the right to practise under national recognition of veterinary registration.  The Board does not recognise provisional registration as giving a person the right to practise in Victoria.