Limited registration with the Optometry Board of Australia (granted via AHPRA) lets you practise optometry in Australia with conditions, before you hold full general registration. Two categories are relevant to COE candidates:
- • Limited registration for supervised practice
- • Limited registration for postgraduate training
A note on terminology
The current AHPRA / Optometry Board terminology is limited registration. OCANZ issues a single Certificate of Competence on full COE pass. This page describes the official limited registration pathways.
1. Limited registration for supervised practice
Once you have passed the written component of the COE, you may optionally apply through AHPRA for limited registration to practise under the supervision of an optometrist in Australia, prior to completing the required clinical component of the COE. If granted limited registration, you will require a lower level of supervision, as determined by the Board.
2. Limited registration for postgraduate training
If you have passed the COE (written and clinical), you want to practise in Australia, and you have enrolled in an approved program of study in ocular therapeutics, you must apply for limited registration for the purposes of postgraduate training and provide a postgraduate training plan. If granted limited registration, you will not be required to work under supervision, unless determined otherwise by the Board.
How to apply
Limited registration is granted by the Optometry Board of Australia via AHPRA — apply directly through AHPRA's online portal.
Source: Optometry Board of Australia (optometryboard.gov.au) and AHPRA (ahpra.gov.au). Verified April 2026. Always confirm current limited registration categories and conditions directly with AHPRA before applying.