This pathway shows you how to apply for a Skills Assessment letter that you can use to 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 letter to:
This process applies if you completed an approved* pharmacy qualification in any country that is not:
*An approved qualification must be recognised by the pharmacy regulator in the country of qualification.
The qualification must also be the equivalent of either:
Besides holding a pharmacy qualification, you must also 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 letter has 2 parts:
There is no expiry on the initial eligibility check.
Time frames
If you leave out any documents or provide incorrect information when you apply, the eligibility check will take longer.
Cost
When you apply for a Skills Assessment letter eligibility check, you need to include scans of your:
You do not need to:
If you leave out any documents or provide incorrect information, the process will take longer than usual.
Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.
We cannot accept scans of an expired passport.
To apply using this process, you must have graduated with a qualification in a country outside of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA. To show this, include scans of:
In the country where you completed your qualification, you must be:
To show this, provide scans of:
You do not need to have worked as a pharmacist to apply for an eligibility check.
However, if you've selected the option for us to comment on your work history, we'll need to see evidence of your work experience.
We can only consider your work experience if you've worked:
If this applies to you, and you want us to comment on your work history, also include scans of:
Your name must appear the same way on all your scanned documents as it does on your passport.
Send us proof of any name change. Documents that prove a change of name include:
Have all non-English documents translated into English. An extract translation of the document/s will not be accepted.
You must use a translator who is accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
Include scans of the original non-English document and the original translated document in 1 file.
Scan all original documents (English and non-English) in colour. We will not accept scans of a copy, even if you get it certified. We also cannot accept scans of laminated documents.
The images must be clear enough for us to read the file, so scan them in high resolution. Include all edges, corners and images from the original document.
If a document has more than 1 page, save all pages in 1 file.
Name each file in English with a descriptive title, for example:
To register for the KAPS exam, you'll need to upload a scan of a recent, passport-sized photo. This photo must have been taken within the past 6 months.
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 identification (ID) to enter the exam room and sit the exam.
For details on what we require as ID, see Exam dates and centres.
If you have an issue with any of your ID documents, email us on exams@pharmacycouncil.org.au now for advice.
You must have completed a pharmacy qualification in any country that is not:
Besides holding a pharmacy qualification, you must also:
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:
Anyone can help you fill out forms or give you general help with your application.
But you may want us to correspond 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.
Please note that your nominated agent must use a different email address to yours.
You'll need to scan and upload the completed form in your application where it says 'If you use an agent'.
If you nominate someone else, we'll only talk to your authorised agent about your Skills Assessment letter.
Create an account in our Candidate Portal using your name and address.
In the portal, you'll:
Make sure you have all the correct documents, and that they're correctly prepared.
We can accept payment by credit or debit card. Your card must be issued by a bank in your country of residence.
We'll email you to let you know when we've received your application.
It will take us about 8 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 90 days to get this to us.
If we do not receive the correct information from you within 90 days, 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.
To register for the exam, you must have received confirmation from us that you're eligible to sit the exam.
If you're a first-time user, create an account in our Candidate Portal.
If you're a returning user, sign in to your account with your username and password.
If you created a Candidate Portal account earlier but cannot sign in now, email us on exams@pharmacycouncil.org.au. We'll help you to fix the issue.
Do not try to create another account with a different email address. Our system only allows you to have 1 account.
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 pass both papers to get a Skills Assessment letter.
If you're registering for both papers, you must sit them on the same day.
If you'd like to ask for special accommodation, you'll need to email your supporting documents to us on exams@pharmacycouncil.org.au for us to assess.
We'll review your documents. If we approve your request, we'll email you extra information before the exam date. If we decline it, we'll email you to let you know.
Our exam provider, Pearson VUE, will email you to confirm that they've temporarily reserved a seat for you. 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:
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 60-minute scheduled break between papers 1 and 2.
During your scheduled break you can:
If you return before the break ends, you can start paper 2 immediately.
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:
You must complete all questions in the paper or papers you sit.
To pass the exam, you need:
Learn more about what's in the exam in the KAPS Examination guide.
We'll email you or your agent when your results are available. Expect this to be around 4 weeks after you sit the exam.
If you do not see your results in the Candidate Portal, email us on exams@pharmacycouncil.org.au and 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 letter within 5 to 10 business days.
You'll need the letter and your results certificate to apply to provisionally register with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.
Your letter 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, we'll send you a breakdown of your results.
You may sit an unsuccessful paper again as many times as you need to.
If you passed one 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 letter from us, you can:
The Department of Home Affairs sets the validity period for your Skills Assessment letter for visa applications. Contact them to check how long it will be valid.
If something significant changes after we issue your Skills Assessment letter, 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
More details