Annual Practising Certificate (APC)
You must have a current annual practising certificate (APC) to work in any scope of practice in Aotearoa
New Zealand.
You'll be granted an APC if the Council is satisfied that you meet the criteria set out in section 27 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCA/the Act).
Holding a current APC means you:
- are fit to practise
- have maintained the standard of competence required for your scope of practice
- have lawfully practised your profession within the three-years immediately before the application
- have complied with any conditions included on your scope of practice
- have completed the requirements of any competence programme that we, the Council, may have directed you to undertake
- do not have a health condition that adversely affects your ability to practise.
It's an offence to practise without an APC
If you do so, you may be:
- prosecuted by the Ministry of Health and liable to a fine of up to $10,000
- and liable to disciplinary proceedings before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, and cancellation of your registration.
For new graduates from a New Zealand accredited programme, you're “deemed” to be competent if applying for your first APC within a year of graduation.
APC cycle
The practising year runs from 1 April to 31 March of the following year. An APC may be issued for a part of the relevant twelve-month period. APCs must be renewed before 1 April each year. If you haven’t renewed your APC by 1 April, you must cease practise until you have a current APC.
How do I apply for an APC/renewal?
You can apply for an APC through your portal (on the Council website) – follow the steps in the document How to Apply for an APC below.
You can track the status of your application on the ‘My submitted applications’ tab of your online portal.
APC fees paid using bulk funding
While this option is currently under review, it is not available for the 2026/2027 APC period.
Demographic data
The Council is required by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCA/the Act) (s123) to share practitioner information with the Ministry of Health for workforce and planning purposes. When you renew your APC you'll be asked for details about the work you're doing, how many hours you're working, as well as other demographic information.
For further information, please see the Council’s practitioner privacy statement below.
I’ve applied for my APC - what next?
If your APC application is approved and your APC is issued, you can access your APC through your online portal. Go to the ‘My Information’ tab and find ‘Registration and Practising Information’.
If you've applied and paid for your APC, but haven’t received it, this could be because the Council:
- is waiting for your nominated supervisor to confirm their role - ask your supervisor to check if they have received an email from the Council or check the ‘Supervision’ tab of their portal
- needs to review your declarations
- has requested further information from you - check if you've received an email from the Council or check the ‘more information requests’ on the home page of your portal
- requires further assessment of your application - check the ceasing or returning to practise page on our website for more information.
Annual Practising Certificate FAQs
As well as being registered, you must also hold a current APC to practise as a medical laboratory science or anaesthetic technician practitioner in Aotearoa New Zealand. Being registered and holding a current APC are two different things.
Being registered means you’ve applied for registration, the Council has assessed that you meet the requirements for registration, that you hold a suitable qualification, and have met the fitness for registration requirements. Registration is something that you only do once. Whereas you must renew your APC every year.
All registered practitioners must renew their Annual Practising Certificate (APC) every year – that’s how long an APC is valid for. The renewal period runs for about six weeks. This year it starts in mid-February and finishes on 31 March 2026. If you don’t have a current APC and you’re about to start work, you can apply for an APC at any time (don’t wait for the ‘renewal period’) – just make sure you have an APC before you start working.
Assuming you meet the criteria, and there is no further information required, you will likely receive your APC within two to five working days.
During the APC renewal period staff will process nearly 10,000 applications – it’s a very busy time, so please be patient. If you have any queries, we recommend you check the website details first before phoning or emailing.
The short answer is no. Practitioners can pay their fees individually (then request a reimbursement from their employer if that arrangement has been agreed).
In the past some employers have paid APCs for their staff using the bulk funding method. While we have offered this payment option before, we regret to advise that it’s not available for the 2026/27 renewal period.
You’ll still be on the register, but your previous APC will have expired – this means you’re not able to work legally. It is an offence to practise without a current APC. If you have any queries or concerns about this, please get in touch as soon as possible.
Yes, but you must apply, and pay for your APC, before 8 April if you don’t want to incur an additional administration fee. Remember: you cannot work without a current APC.
You’ll still be on the register but your previous APC will have expired – this means you’re not able to work legally. It is an offence to practise without a current APC. If you have any queries or concerns about this please get in touch as soon as possible.
Firstly, check your spam email in case the email is getting sent there. Note: you will need to reset your password since we recently updated the system. Send an email to msc@medsci.co.nz if you’re having trouble using the password reset function on the website.
You don’t need to renew your APC until you are ready to return to work. Please contact the Council by email - let us know when you stopped practising and why, and we’ll update this on your file. You should get in touch with us three-to-four weeks before you plan on returning to work so we can help you to renew your APC.
Yes, all practising certificates expire on 31 March each year. You will need to make sure you renew and pay your 2026/2027 APC fees to cover you for that period by 31 March 2026.
The short answer is yes. Practising before 1 April 2026 without a 2025/26 APC is illegal. You will need to apply for, and hold, a 2025/2026 APC if you will be practising before 1 April 2026. Once this has been issued, you will then need to apply to renew your APC for 2026/2027.
Fees payable to the Council for an APC are detailed on our website under Resources>Secondary legislation ǀ Gazette notices. The 2026/2027 fees were updated as part of a consultation held during October and November 2025 – read the outcome News item for details.
APC applications are handled by our staff. You need to ‘apply’ for a renewal - APCs are not issued automatically. Other possible reasons for a delay:
- The renewal period is a very busy time for us (staff will process nearly 10,000 applications) – please be patient. We encourage you to apply early, allowing enough time for the process to be worked through.
- You made a declaration on your APC that needs to be reviewed. These are all handled on a case-by-case basis, and some can take longer to resolve. Sometimes we may need to contact you for more information.
- If you recently graduated, we may be waiting for you to provide a certified copy of your qualification certificate.
Once your payment has been confirmed by our accounts team, a receipt will be emailed to you.
If, at any time, you have any concerns about a practitioner’s competency, please let us know. However, it’s no longer a requirement for immediate supervisors to confirm that a supervisee is competent as part of their APC application. For more about this read the Supervisor policies (MLS) and (AT) under the Resources section of our website.
Not as part of the APC process. Directors must notify the Council if they are concerned about the competence of the person they are directing. This may happen at any time of year, not just at renewal time. Information about making a notification is available on the Council’s website.
All registered practitioners get sent an email advising them of the need to apply for an APC within a certain period. It’s then up to you to -
- go to the website www.mscouncil.org.nz and log into your ‘user profile’ (you will need to reset your password since we upgraded the system)
- apply for your Annual Practising Certificate (APC).
How to save and return to an application that you've started but not finished:
· Click Save for later in the bottom left-hand side of the form.
Either click Copy the link and save it somewhere safe or click Email me the link.
Use this link to later return to your incomplete application.
Note: If your application is awaiting payment, you can access this through the my applications section in your portal.
You will receive an email from the Council when you make your payment. The official receipt is part of this email. We don’t send a separate receipt. If you or your employer require a PDF version you will need to save this yourself.
If you no longer have access to the email that you used for your account (eg, you no longer work there) you will need to contact us to update your email address.