doctorpay New Zealand doctor pay, from the agreements — not the agencies

Moving to New Zealand as a doctor

Three questions decide it: can you register, can you get a visa, and what will you be paid. All three have plain answers from the primary sources — no form to fill in first.

29comparable health systemsrecent practice in one = no exam
Tier 1every doctor role on the Green ListStraight to Residence Visa
$134,830registrar, year 1category C run, on arrival
$198,386specialist, step 1while your Fellowship is assessed

Which pathway is yours

A guide to which Medical Council pathway to read first — not a registration decision. The Council's own pages, linked from each card, are the authority.

Medical Council

Registration pathways

Every general-scope and vocational route the Medical Council offers, with its criteria and the date the Council last changed it.

Open →

Immigration NZ

Visa and residence

The Green List: every doctor role is Tier 1. What Immigration NZ requires, verbatim.

Open →

Pay

What you'll earn on arrival

Provisional general on the RMO grid; specialists on the ASMS scale while assessed; what's on top.

Open →
No moratorium. New Zealand has no equivalent of Australia's 10-year moratorium on where overseas-trained doctors may practise. Registration and the job offer decide where you work, not a Medicare-style geographic restriction.
You would be joining 21,097 practising doctors. The Medical Council's 2026 workforce survey counts 21,097 doctors holding a current practising certificate — up 2.8% on the year and 15.6% since 2021. 43.7% of the register qualified overseas, and 12,278 are vocationally registered. Medical Council of New Zealand — 2026 New Zealand Medical Workforce Survey, 28 August 2026
Physician associates are now regulated too. From 1 October 2026 physician associates are registered by the Medical Council as a separate profession from doctors, with their own two scopes of practice. What that means →