Keep or drop your home registration when you move to Australia? OT, speech and physio rules by regulator

Written by Callum Trevorrow. Last checked 28 October 2026 against official sources.

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Keeping your home registration costs money every year (HCPC renewal is £246.68 for two years; CORU’s is €100 a year), but letting it lapse the wrong way can make going home much harder. The rule that matters most differs by regulator: some let you pause, some let you restore cheaply within a window, and some treat a lapse as a mark on your record.

So the question isn’t only “keep or drop?” It’s “how do I leave, and what would I need to come back?” I’m a physio, and I run a multi-site paediatric allied health practice in South East Queensland where several of our clinicians came to us from overseas. This page sets out what each regulator says.

First: don’t drop it before your Australian step is done

Some Australian routes rely on your home registration or membership at the time you apply.

NZ OTs on Trans-Tasman: you need current OTBNZ registration and a current NZ practising certificate to apply for general registration this way. Without the practising certificate, Trans-Tasman isn’t available.
Speech pathologists on the SPA MRA: you need current full membership of your home association (RCSLT, IASLT, NZSTA except pre-1993 graduates, or ASHA with the CCC-SLP) and a letter of good standing at the time you apply. Keep them until SPA has assessed you. Canadian S-LPs can’t currently use the MRA.
- Irish SLTs: IASLT full membership requires CORU registration, and IASLT’s letter of good standing needs a full calendar year as a full member plus renewal for a second year, with no break. Dropping CORU registration or IASLT membership before SPA’s assessment may close the MRA route.
- UK SLTs: RCSLT’s MRA rule is one year’s registration with RCSLT and a completed NQP competency framework.
Physios on Express FLYR: you need a physiotherapy qualification from that country and registration without restriction held within the past 5 years. UK physios must also be currently eligible to practise in the UK without restriction, so dropping HCPC registration before the Australian Physiotherapy Council has assessed you could cost you Express FLYR.
UK and Irish OTs: the OT Board’s comparable regulator pathway is based on your HCPC- or CORU-approved qualification, and the page doesn’t state a requirement to hold current registration. Check the Board’s page for your own case.

Regulator by regulator

Regulator	Who it covers	Cost to keep	What happens if you leave or lapse	Coming back
HCPC (UK)	Occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists (among 15 professions)	£246.68 renewal for two years (£123.34 a year). HCPC says you shouldn’t be registered if you’re not practising; renewal needs a practice declaration	Readmission if you left more than a month ago (short readmission under a month). Usually reviewed within 10 working days; you pay a readmission fee if successful	Return-to-practice updating: none under 2 years out; 30 days for 2–5 years; 60 days for 5+ years. Not required if you’ve practised your profession outside the UK within the last two years
CORU (Ireland)	Occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists (among 13 professions)	€100 renewal each year	Removal on request keeps restoration open: under 6 months, €100; 6 months to 2 years, €30 plus €100 renewal; over 2 years, the same plus a statutory declaration. Removal for non-payment: restoration only within 6 months of the renewal date (€50 plus €100); after that, a new section 38 application (€100)	Return-to-practice requirements may apply if it’s more than 2 years since you last practised. Police clearance needed if you lived abroad more than a year after removal
OT Board of NZ	OT	Non-practising status (“register maintenance”) exists; the fee isn’t stated in the document we checked	You can stay on the register without a practising certificate	Restoration fee NZ$322. Not practised in NZ for more than 3 years: demonstrate competence before a practising certificate. More than 5 years: return-to-practice plan. All returners do the Induction and Orientation programme. Practice in Australia may not count towards the 3-year rule; ask OTBNZ
Physiotherapy Board of NZ	Physio	Non-practising status exists; fee not confirmed	On non-practising status you stay on the Register but can’t legally practise. Apply for a practising certificate before you start work again	Legally practised within the last 3 years: normal practising certificate process. More than 3 years: a Return to Practice programme in NZ. Ask the Board whether your Australian practice counts
HPCSA (South Africa): OT board	OT	Not confirmed	Restoration rules depend on time off the register	3 years or less: administrative (Form 18 plus outstanding fees). More than 3 years and practising outside South Africa: restored on documents, including a CPD summary, employment evidence and an original certificate of good standing issued within 3 months
HPCSA (South Africa): physio board	Physio	Not confirmed	Restoration rules depend on time off the register	Under 2 years: standard restoration with compliant CPD. 2–5 years: 60 CEUs (10 in ethics) in the prior 24 months, at least 800 hours’ supervised practice, and a portfolio or board exams. Over 5 years: more, including a skills course and theory exams. If you’ve been registered abroad, an original certificate of good standing not older than 3 months
NBCOT (USA)	OT certification (not a state licence)	Renewal every 3 years, at least 36 units, US$65 online	Status shows as “Expired” and you can’t use the OTR or COTA credential until reinstated (US$125 for one missed cycle, US$175 for more)	From 1 November 2027, lapses of 3 or more cycles need a reinstatement exam application (US$515), a background check and a pass in the current entry-level exam
COTO (Ontario)	OT	Renew by 31 May each year and meet current-practice hours	You can keep registration or resign; partial refunds if you resign June to February	After resigning you reapply, with evidence of 600 OT practice hours in the past three years, liability insurance evidence, a vulnerable sector check and fees
CASLPO (Ontario)	Speech-language pathology, audiology	Not confirmed	Resign in writing (or online 1 August to 1 October). Letting renewal lapse without resigning leads to suspension and then revocation, which stays on your record	Reapply under current standards (professional master’s degree; the CETP exam if you’re not registered with another Canadian regulator)
College of Physiotherapists of Ontario	Physio	You don’t have to be working to stay registered. A fee credit applies if you leave practice for more than 3 months (expires after 12 months, 18 for parental leave)	You can resign instead. Keep liability coverage for at least 10 years after you stop providing care	Reapply under the rules then in place; longer absences may go to the Registration Committee

Two points sit outside the table:

NBCOT is separate from a US state licence. All 50 states, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico require initial NBCOT certification for state regulation, but your state licence has its own renewal rules. NBCOT isn’t part of the Australian OT route, so keep it only if you might go back to the US.
Ireland: removal on request versus removal for non-payment is the biggest difference on this page. Letting CORU lapse for non-payment closes the cheap restoration route after 6 months.

Check with the regulator (not verified for this page)

We couldn’t confirm these on an official page, so we haven’t published figures or rules:

HPCSA Speech, Language and Hearing board restoration rules (South African speech therapists)
US state licences for OT, physio and speech-language pathology, and ASHA certification renewal
Canadian colleges outside Ontario, for all three professions
OTBNZ and Physiotherapy Board of NZ non-practising fees

How to decide

Do you need it for your Australian application? If yes, keep it until that step is complete. For UK physios on Express FLYR and Irish SLTs on the SPA MRA, the answer is yes.
Would you realistically go back within 2–3 years? Most return rules on this page change at the 2-, 3- or 5-year mark.
If you leave, leave properly. Removal on request (CORU) or a written resignation (CASLPO, COTO) usually beats letting it lapse.
Keep your records. Several regulators ask for CPD summaries, employment evidence or a certificate of good standing when you come back. Keep dated records of your Australian CPD and practice hours from day one. See CPD and registration standards in Australia.

Your next step

OTs: check which OT Board route your qualification is on (see Ahpra registration for overseas OTs) and whether it needs your home registration at the time you apply.
Speech pathologists: check you’re on the MRA or the OSQCA, and keep your home association membership until SPA’s assessment is done (see the SPA MRA explained).
Physios: check which Australian Physiotherapy Council route applies to you (see Express FLYR, FLYR and APEP) and when your unrestricted registration was last held.

The pathway check below asks those questions in a few minutes and shows which route applies, so you know whether your home registration still matters before you decide what to do with it.

Related guides

Ahpra registration for overseas occupational therapists: the 3 pathways, fees and EnglishOverseas OTs register through one of 3 OT Board pathways, from A$388 in fees (A$250 + A$138). Which one is yours, by country, plus CORS and English.
CPD, recency of practice and insurance in Australia: OT Board and Physiotherapy Board side by side, plus SPA for speech pathologistsOTs, physios and speech pathologists all need 20 hours of CPD a year in Australia, but recency, insurance and records rules differ. Side by side, with sources.
Express FLYR, FLYR or APEP: the Australian Physiotherapy Council pathways for overseas physiotherapistsOverseas physios go through the Physiotherapy Council: Express FLYR A$1,742, FLYR A$3,490 or APEP A$8,321. Stages, times and who qualifies, by country.
Registration, job or visa first? The order that works for OTs, speech pathologists and physiosRegistration (or SPA assessment) comes first. SPA's MRA takes up to 7 weeks, physio Express FLYR about 3. The order and published times by profession.
The Speech Pathology Australia Mutual Recognition Agreement, explained: the rules for each countrySPA's MRA costs A$825 and takes up to 7 weeks, but each country's association sets a different bar, and Canada's is paused. Side-by-side rules and MRA vs OSQCA.

Sources

Written by Callum Trevorrow, Physiotherapist and founder
Callum Trevorrow is a physiotherapist with experience across public, private and community settings, across the lifespan. He has led a hospital, and now leads a multi-site allied health company that employs overseas staff.
Last checked 28 October 2026. Sources are listed below. How we check.

General information only, not migration or legal advice. Visa advice should come from a registered migration agent (we work alongside them). Registration decisions are made by Ahpra and the professional bodies, not by us. Fees and rules change: check the linked official source before you rely on a figure.