What is an AHPRA registration number?

An AHPRA registration number is a unique identifier assigned to every registered health practitioner in Australia. It confirms that the professional is accredited and authorised to practice medicine under Australian law.

How can I check a doctor's registration?

You can verify a doctor's status by searching their name or registration number on the public Register of Practitioners, available on the official AHPRA website.

What does the prefix "MED" mean in a registration number?

The prefix "MED" followed by a series of digits (e.g., MED0001234567) specifically identifies the practitioner as a registered Medical Practitioner (Doctor) within the AHPRA system.

Why is it important to verify the registration number?

Verifying the registration number ensures that your medical certificate is issued by a legitimate, currently registered doctor. This guarantees the document is legally valid for workplace, school, or university purposes.

Understanding AHPRA Numbers on Medical Documents

Introduction

Whenever you receive a medical certificate, whether in hard copy or digital format, you can see a unique code beneath the doctor's name, typically starting with "MED". It is the AHPRA doctor registration number.

Identifying your doctor in telemedicine is significant. Just as you can visually verify diplomas in a physical clinic, telehealth needs you to trust digitally. An AHPRA number is a credential confirming that the person at the other end of your telemedicine session is a registered medical professional in Australia and that their registration is current.

Here, we explain the meaning of an AHPRA number format, why it appears on genuine online medical certificates, and how a patient or employer can use the national register to verify a doctor's qualifications.

That number is the starting point of their authority. For a more comprehensive view of how we guarantee document authenticity, visit our document validity page.

What Is an AHPRA Number?

AHPRA stands for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. It is the federal organisation responsible for the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in Australia.

Healthcare professionals, including a GP, nurse, dentist, or surgeon, must be registered with AHPRA before they can practice and be recognised. When registering, they automatically get a personal identification number.

Format: Usually, the digit sequence is preceded by three letters denoting the profession (e.g., MED practitioner, NMW nurse/midwife), followed by numbers (e.g., MED000123456).
Permanence: This number is the practitioner's lifetime number and will remain with them throughout their career, regardless of which clinic or hospital they work in. Laws are stringent on how these systems are run. Find information about the regulatory framework in our Legal Compliance section.

Why AHPRA Numbers Appear on Medical Certificates

A medical certificate, among all other things, is a legal document. A qualified person must issue it so that employers, courts, or universities accept it.

There are two main reasons for including the AHPRA number on the certificate. They are:

Accountability: It identifies the doctor responsible for the patient's examination and for issuing the certificate.
Traceability: It enables third parties (e.g., employers) to verify independently (without access to the patient's confidential medical records) that the doctor is a legitimate, currently registered practitioner.

If you receive a medical certificate without an AHPRA registration number or provider number, verify the document's authenticity, as it may not comply with regulatory standards.

Measures to prevent fraud have been incorporated into our platform from the ground up. Learn how we secure documents with our Digital Signature Verification guide and Quality Compliance standards.

How to Verify a Doctor's AHPRA Registration

Given that transparency is a patient's right, the public register is accessible to all, including patients and employers, to verify a doctor's status.

Going through the Register: Visit the official website of AHPRA (ahpra.gov.au)
Searching: Enter the doctor's name and registration number in the fields using the certificate you have with you.
Interpreting the Status: The results will show the registration type ("General" or "Specialist") and indicate whether there are any limitations or disciplinary actions on their license.

Do you want help with the verification? Our Help Centre is here for you, or you may wish to review our Privacy Policy, which addresses public versus private data.

Understanding AHPRA Registration Categories

Not all "doctors" are the same in what they can do. The AHPRA directory helps users understand the kind of registration a practitioner holds.

General Registration: A medical practitioner who has completed their internship and is qualified to perform routine clinical tasks. Depending on the circumstances, additional qualifications or evaluations may be required for specific telehealth services or certificates.
Specialist Registration: A medical practitioner who has completed additional training and is specialised in a particular field (e.g., Psychiatry). Specialist registration is often required when issuing certificates for conditions within a specialist's field of expertise.
Provisional/Limited Registration: physicians who are still in training or supervised by a physician.

Prime Medic guarantees that doctors set the level of their registration to reflect their ability to conduct independent telehealth assessments when issuing certificates.

We uphold stringent standards in recruiting. Learn more about our clinical governance in Quality Compliance.

Protecting Patients Through AHPRA Compliance

The compulsory display of AHPRA numbers is a safeguard. It prevents patients from being attended to by unregistered individuals or those with revoked registrations.

Suspension: If a doctor is found to be unethical, AHPRA has the authority to suspend their registration. Upon suspension, the doctor's registration status is immediately updated to "Suspended" in the public register, meaning they are not authorised to issue valid certificates.
National Standards: They ensure that a doctor in Perth meets the same standards as a doctor in Sydney, resulting in safe cross-border telehealth.

Rest assured that your information is in safe hands with registered professionals. See Data Privacy and Access Rights.