Nepali Nurse Registration
in Australia
Namaste! This 2027 guide follows the NMBA's Stream B pathway from the Nepal Nursing Council to registration in Australia: the Self-check, Orientation Part 1, the Portfolio, the NCLEX-RN (there is no test centre in Nepal) and the OSCE in Australia. Qualified on or after 1 January 2017 and registered through the UK, Irish, US, Canadian (BC or Ontario), Singaporean or Spanish exam route? Check Pathway 2, which has no NMBA exams.
NCLEX-RN ATT
90 days
to sit, from the date Ahpra authorises you
NMBA fees
$4,957
IQNM, one OSCE, application and first year
NCLEX-RN fees
USD 350
USD 500 if you register from 1 February 2027
OSCE
In Australia
Adelaide or Melbourne, $4,000 a sitting
Your Complete Registration Journey
The NMBA's order for Stream B: Self-check, Orientation Part 1, Portfolio, NCLEX-RN, OSCE, then your registration application
NMBA Self-check: find your stream
Create an Ahpra portal account and complete the NMBA Self-check, entering your qualification exactly as it appears on your certificate. It assigns you to Stream A, B or C, or tells you Ahpra must assess your qualification first. The stream depends on your qualification, not your nationality, and an agent cannot complete the Self-check for you.
Open the NMBA Self-check pageThe Self-check only assesses your qualification, not every registration requirement
IQNM fee and Orientation Part 1
Stream A and B candidates pay the non-refundable IQNM assessment fee (assessment and orientation), then complete Orientation Part 1, an online course on Australia and its healthcare system.
You have 90 days from creating your account to finish Orientation Part 1
Portfolio
Upload certified copies of your degree or diploma certificate, academic transcript, proof of identity and any change-of-name evidence, with English translations of anything in Nepali. Ahpra checks them against your Self-check answers. Passed the NCLEX-RN within the last 10 years? Upload the evidence here.
Documents must meet Ahpra's certification and translation guidelines
NCLEX-RN (the MCQ exam)
Once your Portfolio is finalised, follow the link on your IQNM dashboard to Pearson VUE to register and pay: USD 200 (USD 350 for registrations from 1 February 2027) plus a USD 150 international scheduling fee. NCSBN's October 2026 list has no test centre in Nepal; the nearest listed centres are in India. Outside the US your passport is the only ID accepted, and its first and last names must match your Pearson VUE registration exactly.
Ahpra emails your result within 6 weeks; Quick Results is not available to Ahpra candidates
OSCE (in Australia)
Ten stations, each with two minutes' reading and eight minutes' performance, held only in Australia: at Adelaide Health Simulation (Adelaide University) or RANZCOG in Melbourne, in each calendar month at one of those locations. If you are offshore, Ahpra will not offer you a date until you have provided an Australian visa.
Don't book flights or accommodation until your confirmation letter arrives, 4 to 8 weeks before your date
Apply for registration
After an OSCE pass you have 90 days to lodge your complete application. Include proof of English and a Statement of Service from your employers covering the past five years, and ask the Nepal Nursing Council (and any other regulator you have been registered with in the past five years) to send Ahpra a Certificate of Good Standing directly. Orientation Part 1 comes before registration; complete Part 2 within six months of registering.
Certificates of Good Standing are valid for three months from the date of issue
We don't give migration advice. For visas, see the Department of Home Affairs (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) or a registered migration agent (mara.gov.au).
Required Documents Checklist
Important: Ahpra needs your Certificate of Good Standing (or Certificate of Registration Status) straight from the Nepal Nursing Council, and from every other regulator outside Australia you have been registered with in the past five years. These certificates are valid for three months from the date of issue. Documents must meet Ahpra's certification and translation guidelines.
Regulator Fees (as at November 2026)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| IQNM assessment fee (NMBA, non-refundable) | $410 |
| NCLEX-RN registration (NCSBN) | USD 200 (USD 350 from 1 February 2027) |
| NCLEX-RN international scheduling fee (any centre outside the US) | USD 150 |
| OSCE, per sitting (Adelaide or Melbourne) | $4,000 |
| Application for general registration | $346 |
| First year's registration | $201 ($193 in NSW) |
| NMBA fees, one OSCE sitting | $4,957 + NCLEX-RN |
NMBA fees from its schedule effective 9 October 2026; NCLEX-RN fees from NCSBN. The total is our sum ($4,949 in NSW). Not included: your English test, certifying and translating documents, Nepal Nursing Council fees, travel to India for the NCLEX-RN and to Australia for the OSCE, and visa costs.
Deadlines to Plan Around
From the NMBA's IQNM pages and the MCQ and OSCE candidate handbooks (7 July 2026). Missing some of them closes your IQNM case. Your IQNM dashboard shows your own dates.
90 days
to complete Orientation Part 1 after you create your account following the Self-check
About 180 days
at the MCQ stage after your Portfolio, or your IQNM case is closed. You can ask the IQNM Exams Team to reopen it. Check the date on your dashboard
90 days
from the date Ahpra authorises you to sit the NCLEX-RN (your Authorisation to Test). Miss it and you must register and pay again; Ahpra can extend it only in extenuating circumstances
120 days
to pay the OSCE fee once your IQNM dashboard is set to the OSCE stage, or the case is closed
180 days
after paying to sit your OSCE, or the case is closed and the OSCE fee refunded
90 days
after receiving an OSCE pass to submit your complete registration application
Top Tips for Nepali Nurses
Register with Pearson VUE in exactly the name on your passport, and plan the trip to an NCLEX-RN centre in India. Ask the Nepal Nursing Council for your Certificate of Good Standing when you are ready to apply: it goes straight to Ahpra and lasts three months. If you will sit the OSCE from outside Australia, sort out your visa early, because Ahpra will not offer you a date without it. तपाईंले सक्नुहुन्छ! (You can do this!)
Common Questions from Nepali Nurses
Can I sit the NCLEX-RN in Nepal?
No. NCSBN's October 2026 list of international test centres has no centre in Nepal. The nearest listed centres are in India, which has 20, including New Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Chandigarh. Outside the US the only ID accepted is your passport, and the first and last names on it must match exactly the names you registered with Pearson VUE. NCSBN says the list can change, so check nclex.com before you book.
Do Nepali nurses need the NCLEX-RN and the OSCE?
It depends on your qualification, not your nationality. The NMBA Self-check assigns you to Stream A, B or C, or tells you Ahpra must assess your qualification first. Stream B candidates complete Orientation Part 1, the Portfolio, a multiple-choice exam (for registered nurses, the NCLEX-RN) and then the OSCE. Stream C means upgrading your qualification first.
Is my PCL diploma enough, or do I need a BSc Nursing?
The Self-check decides, from the exact qualification on your certificate. If it assigns you to Stream C, the NMBA says the only way to proceed is to upgrade your qualification, for example to a Bachelor degree (AQF level 7 or comparable), in Australia or another country. If your qualification is not in the Self-check list, Ahpra assesses it at the Portfolio stage.
Does my experience in the Gulf or the UK let me skip the exams?
Only through Pathway 2 of the NMBA's registration standard for internationally qualified registered nurses, and only if all of these apply: you completed your nursing qualification on or after 1 January 2017; you passed the exam process for internationally qualified nurses in the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada (British Columbia or Ontario), Singapore or Spain, leading to general registration there (in the UK, the CBT in the adult field); and you have practised at least 1,800 hours as a registered nurse in any of those jurisdictions since 1 January 2017. Practice in other countries, including the Gulf states, does not count. If you qualified before 1 January 2017 you are not eligible under Pathway 2.
Do I still need an English test if I studied nursing in English?
Usually, yes. Nepal is not on the NMBA's list of recognised countries, so English-medium study in Nepal does not meet the standard's education options. For tests taken on or after 23 April 2026 the minimums are IELTS Academic 7 (writing 6.5), OET 350/360/350/360, PTE Academic 63 (speaking 76), TOEFL iBT 91, Cambridge C1 Advanced 178 or C2 Proficiency 185. Results generally count for two years before you lodge your registration application (exceptions apply for continuous work in a recognised country or continuous approved study), and at-home versions such as OET@Home are not accepted.
What about visas, and bringing my family?
We don't give migration advice. For visas, see the Department of Home Affairs (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) or a registered migration agent (mara.gov.au). For the OSCE, Ahpra will not offer offshore candidates an exam date until they have provided an Australian visa.
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