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Competent authority - registration pathway

This pathway is for practitioners who have full and unconditional registration with a competent authority and recent practice experience in one or more competent authority jurisdictions.

This pathway is not available to specialists in oral and maxillofacial surgery and oral medicine​​.

The Dental Council recognised competent authorities are:

  • Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and Dental Board of Australia (DBA)
  • Dental Council of Ireland (DCI) (Republic of Ireland)
  • General Dental Council (GDC) (United Kingdom)
  • Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) and Canadian provincial dental regulators and the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB)
  • Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and USA state dental boards

Eligibility

To apply, you need to have current, full and unconditional registration appropriate for an eligible scope of practice, and you must meet the practice experience requirement. 

Dental specialists

  • You must hold current full/unrestricted/unconditional registration appropriate for specialist practice in the scope you are applying for registration in, with one or more competent authority(s) recognised by the Dental Council; and
  • You must have practised clinically in your specialty scope of practice in a competent authority(s) for at least 24 months (working 20 hours or more per week) in the past five years, including 12 months within the last 18 months immediately prior to application.

This pathway is not available for oral and maxillofacial surgeons, or oral medicine specialists.

All other practitioners

  • You must hold current full/unrestricted/unconditional registration in the scope of practice that you are applying for registration in, with one or more competent authority(s) recognised by the Dental Council; and
  • You must have practised clinically in your identified oral health profession in a competent authority(s) for at least 33 months (working 20 hours or more per week) during the 48 months immediately prior to application.

To apply

You will need to create an account on the practitioner portal, and then select the competent authority - registration form in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, if you complete the self-assessment tool you will be prompted to set up an account and can then continue your application from there.

Before applying, you need to ensure that you prepare all of the documentation required. The documents that you need to provide with your application are listed in the Supporting documents guide. 

Most applications on this pathway are completed within 25 working days from receipt of a complete application. A complete application is when we have received your application form, payment, and all of the documentation required to support your application. 

Visit the Registration - what you need to know page for further information.

Post-registration requirements

Once you start practising in New Zealand, you will need to complete a period of oversight to support your entry to the New Zealand practising environment. Your oversight practitioner and protocol will need to be approved before you are issued a practising certificate. Your protocol will include the requirement to complete the Oral health practice in New Zealand course, a series of e-learning modules.

Oversight is set at six months, on the basis of a minimum 20 hours clinical practice per week. You will need to apply to have the oversight condition removed once you complete the requirements set out in your protocol.

Eligible oral health scopes of practice and corresponding competent authorities

scope

UK

Ireland

Canada

USA

Australia1
General dental practice General dentist General dentist General dentist General dentist General dental practice
Public health dentistry (or Community dentistry) specialist Dental public health Dental public health Dental public health Public health dentistry
Endodontic specialist Endodontics Endodontics Endodontics Endodontic specialist
Orthodontic specialist Orthodontics Orthodontics Orthodontics Orthodontics Orthodontic specialist
Oral pathology specialist Oral and maxillofacial pathology Oral medicine/pathology Oral and maxillofacial pathology Oral pathology specialist
Oral surgery specialist Oral surgery Oral surgery Oral surgery specialist
Paediatric dentistry specialist Paediatric dentistry Paediatric dentistry Paediatric dentistry Paediatric dentistry specialist
Periodontic specialist Periodontics Periodontics Periodontics Periodontic specialist
Prosthodontic specialist Prosthodontics Prosthodontics Prosthodontics Prosthodontic specialist
Special needs dentistry specialist Special care dentistry Special needs dentistry specialist
Oral health therapy Dental hygiene - dental therapy Oral health therapy
Dental therapy Dental therapy Dental therapy Dental therapy
Dental hygiene Dental hygiene Dental hygiene Dental hygiene Dental hygiene Dental hygiene
Dental technology Dental technician Dental technician
Clinical dental technology Clinical dental technician Clinical dental technician Dental prosthetist
Orthodontic auxiliary Orthodontic therapist Orthodontic therapist

1.  If you hold current, full/unlimited registration with Ahpra, then you would usually apply for registration via Trans-Tasman mutual recognition

Ready to apply via the competent authority - registration pathway?

Use the self-assessment tool to identify the pathway most appropriate for your qualifications and experience.

You can create a practitioner portal login and continue your application from the self-assessment tool.

Self-assessment tool