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This pathway shows you how to apply for a Skills Assessment Outcome so that you can register and work as a pharmacist in Australia. It applies if you completed your pharmacy qualification in any country other than Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA.
You'll need this outcome issued to:
This process applies if you completed a pharmacy qualification in any country that is not:
Your qualification needs to incorporate the knowledge of pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences that form the foundation of the pathway to general registration in Australia.
The qualification must also be the equivalent of either:
As well as holding a pharmacy qualification, you must be either:
If any of the above criteria are not true for you, this pathway does not apply to you. See Skills assessments.
Skills Assessment structure
The process for requesting a Skills Assessment Outcome has 2 parts:
There is no expiry on the eligibility check.
Time frames
We cannot guarantee that your application will be assessed in time to register for your preferred exam. But making sure you lodge your application at least 12 weeks prior the registration closing date may help.
Cost
This section describes what documents you will need at each step of the process including:
To start your Eligibility Check, head to the Candidate Portal.
Before you start, translate any non-English documents into English. It must be a translation of the full document.
We will not accept an extract translation of the document unless it is provided from an Australian Government Department, such as the Department of Home Affairs.
You must use a translator who is accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). We will not accept documents that have been translated by anyone else.
You will need to submit both original and English-translated documents.
When you apply for an Eligibility Check in the Candidate Portal, you will include the following:
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Passport |
If you do not have a current passport, you can complete your application with an alternative Australian or New Zealand identification document. The only accepted alternatives include:
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Official photo-bearing document |
We require an official ID as proof of identity. This must be an ID document issued by an overseas or Australian authority. It must include your photo. |
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Birth certificate |
We require a birth certificate as proof of identity. If you do not have a birth certificate you can provide a second photo-bearing document (see above). |
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Qualification certificate or letter of completion |
You must include your qualification certificate or letter of completion if your certificate has not yet been issued.
If you have more than one qualification, please combine them into one file. |
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Academic transcript |
The academic transcript issued by the education provider must:
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Evidence of registration |
You must provide evidence that you're eligible to register as a pharmacist. Provide one of the following:
To obtain this evidence, contact your pharmacy registration authority, not your university. If the document is to show ‘eligibility to commence the registration process’, it must refer to both you and your university by name. |
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Evidence of your pharmacist work experience (optional) |
You do not need to have worked as a pharmacist to apply for an eligibility check. However, if you request for us to comment on your work history to support your visa/migration application, we'll need to see evidence of your work experience. We can only consider your work experience if you've worked:
In the portal, include your Work Experience Reference Templates combined with secondary evidence such as a payslip, income tax statement or Government issued letter. You'll need to complete one template per employer. |
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Resume or Curriculum Vitae (optional) |
If you'd like us to assess your work history, you need to provide an up-to-date resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
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Agent authorisation form (optional) |
If you want to nominate someone to communicate with us on your behalf, upload the original APC Agent Authorisation Form. Both you and your agent must sign the agent’s authority. |
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Evidence of name change (optional) |
Your name must appear the same way on all your documents. If you have changed your name, you need to upload proof of any name change in the portal. If your name is spelt incorrectly in any of your documents, you will need to have them corrected by the organisation who originally issued them. Documents that prove a change of name include:
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For more information on the criteria that your qualification needs to meet, see our Assessment Standards.
For specific details about the required documents, see our Skills Assessment Documents Policy.
You do not need to:
If you leave out any documents or provide incorrect information, the process will take longer than usual.
Once you've passed the eligibility check you can register for the KAPS exam. To register and sit the exam you will need the following documents:
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Registering for the exam |
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Sitting the exam |
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Once you've passed the eligibility check you can register for the KAPS exam. You'll need to upload a recent headshot. It should be passport sized.
Do not take a photo of your passport. Your photo must look like this:
If you usually cover your head for religious reasons, or you wear facial jewellery, your photo can include these items.
If you have a disability or health-related needs, you may request extra support or an adjustment on the day of the exam. We call this type of support special accommodation.
Examples of special accommodation requests might include:
You'll need to provide evidence to justify your request.
If you'd like to request special accommodation, you'll need a medical certificate from a recognised healthcare worker. This certificate must include:
For details on what we require when you apply, see our Special Accommodation Policy.
You'll need to show 2 forms of ID to enter the test room. At least one must be an acceptable form of primary ID from the list below. They must be valid (unexpired) and also be original, not a photocopy or digital ID.
Usually, ID documents would be issued by the country where you're sitting the exam. If you do not have an acceptable primary ID from that country, use an international travel passport from your country of citizenship as your primary ID.
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Primary ID |
This ID document must be issued by your government and contain:
Types of acceptable primary ID include:
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Secondary ID |
This ID document must either contain:
Types of acceptable secondary ID include:
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ID requirements |
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If you have an issue with any of your ID documents, email us on info@pharmacycouncil.org.au for advice.
Step 1
You must have completed a pharmacy qualification in any country that is not:
Your qualification needs to incorporate the knowledge of pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences that form the foundation of the pathway to general registration in Australia. We'll assess it to check that it does. If it doesn't, we cannot accept it.
Besides holding a pharmacy qualification, you must also be either:
If any of the information above is not true for you, this process does not apply to you. See Skills Assessments.
You'll need to provide us with documents to:
You may want us to communicate with another person, such as a migration agent or family member, instead of you.
If you want to nominate someone else to work with us, download and fill in our Agent Authorisation form. Both you and your nominated agent must sign it.
Your nominated agent must use a different email address to yours.
You'll need upload the completed form in the Candidate Portal.
If you nominate someone else, we'll only talk to your authorised agent about your application.
Your card must be issued by a bank in your country of residence.
It will take us about 12 weeks to complete your eligibility check.
If you provide the wrong documents or leave any out, the process will take longer than usual.
We may email you to tell you we need more information.
If we ask for more information, you have 6 months to get this to us.
If we do not receive the correct information from you within 6 months, our system will close your application. If this happens, you'll need to re-apply and pay the fee again.
We'll tell you (or your agent) by email whether or not you can sit the KAPS exam.
Step 2
To register for the exam, you must have received confirmation from us that you're eligible to sit the exam.
Go to the Exam dates and centres page to find out where and when the next exam will be.
The KAPS exam includes 2 papers. You must sit both papers on the same day. You must pass both papers to get a Skills Assessment Outcome.
You can request special accommodation during the registration process. You will be prompted to upload your supporting documents.
For example, if you need to, you can request to have a break. All breaks must be scheduled and pre-approved.
We'll review your request and your documents. We'll then email you the outcome of your request.
Once registrations open, book your exam through our Candidate Portal. You'll see the option to book your exam in your Dashboard.
Once you've booked, you'll receive an email from our exam provider PearsonVUE. Paying your fee in the next step will secure your seat.
Paying the fee secures your seat at the exam.
Please note:
We'll email you a receipt for your payment after we process the order.
We'll send you a reminder email around 3 days before your exam.
Read this email carefully. It will include:
We offer several resources that will help you prepare to sit the exam. These include:
Step 3
To enter the exam room, you'll need your ID documents.
The KAPS exam is 'closed-book'. This means you can bring with you:
At your desk, Pearson VUE will provide:
However, at your exam desk, you cannot have:
The KAPS exam includes 2 separate papers. You must sit both papers on the same day.
Each paper includes 100 multiple choice questions that cover both theory and practice.
You'll have 2 hours to complete each paper, with a 30-40 minute scheduled break between papers 1 and 2.
An additional 15 mins is allowed to familiarise yourself with the exam tutorial, and 5 minutes at the end of the exam to complete a feedback survey.
During your scheduled break you can:
If you have a scheduled break, your invigilator will specify the time permitted. You will need to perform admission procedures and security checks when you return.
If you return after the break ends, you will not be given extra time to complete your exam.
The 2 papers that make up each KAPS exam are:
Learn more about what's in the exam in the KAPS Examination guide.
You must complete all questions in the paper or papers you sit.
To pass the exam, you need:
You will receive a results certificate showing your outcome.
Step 4
We'll email you or your agent when your results are available. Expect this to be around 2 weeks after you sit the exam.
If you do not see your results in the Candidate Portal, email us on info@pharmacycouncil.org.auand provide your:
We release all results as 'Pass' or 'Unsuccessful' only. We do not release the mark we calculated for your exam.
After we release the results, we'll email you a copy of your Skills Assessment Outcome within 5 to 10 business days.
Your outcome will be valid for our purposes for 3 years from the date we issue it.
If you were unsuccessful in one or both of the exam papers, you will see a breakdown of your results in your candidate portal.
You may sit an unsuccessful paper again as many times as you need to.
If you passed 1 paper of the KAPS, you will have 2 years to pass the unsuccessful paper. If you do not pass this paper within 2 years, you'll need to register to sit both papers again.
You'll need to pay the full fee again when you register.
If you are unhappy with an APC decision, please see our Appeals policy.
Once you have a Skills Assessment Outcome from us, you can:
The Department of Home Affairs sets the validity period for your Skills Assessment Outcome for visa applications. Contact them to check how long it will be valid.
If something significant changes after we issue your Skills Assessment Outcome, you can ask us for an updated Skills Assessment.Learn about other pathways to getting your pharmacy qualification recognised so you can migrate to, or register as a pharmacist in, Australia
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