Good-standing letters: what they answer for a regulator

Every regulator asks three questions of an overseas applicant. Does your training meet our standard? Can you practise in our language? And the one this post is about: does a body at home vouch for you?

Your degree cannot answer that last question. Neither can your CV. Only the body that registers or licenses you at home can say you are on its books and that it has no concern about your practice. The letter that says so goes by different names, but it does the same job everywhere.

The question it answers

A good-standing letter, certificate of good standing or verification of registration tells a regulator three things: that you are, or were, registered; from when to when; and that nothing on your record stops you practising. Some add whether any complaint or restriction is open.

Your registration certificate shows the first two. Only a letter from the body, recent and addressed to the purpose, shows the third. That is why many checklists ask for both.

Which regulators ask for it

New Zealand’s boards are the most explicit. The Physiotherapy Board asks for certificates of good standing from all regulatory authorities you have been or are registered with as a physiotherapist. The Occupational Therapy Board asks for good standing from any current or previous regulatory body. The Dietitians Board wants its certificates sent to it directly by the third party, and NZSTA asks for a letter of good standing sent directly from the home association. The Medical Radiation Technologists Board lists a certified letter of good standing.

Source: physioboard.org.nz · otboard.org.nz · dietitiansboard.org.nz · speechtherapy.org.nz · mrtboard.org.nz · each board's overseas-qualified registration checklist, as recorded in our guidance notes · 2026-10-04

Elsewhere the wording changes:

• CORU asks for certified evidence of eligibility to practise and a verification form completed by your competent authority. Where your profession is not regulated where you qualified, it asks for proof of professional practice instead.
• The Australian Physiotherapy Council asks for evidence to practise: your most recent registration certificate, or evidence of practice without restriction where there is no regulator.
• In Canada, CAMLPR lists a letter of regulatory standing, and CASLPO a verification of registration.
• The HCPC has a section on professional registration and membership in its online application. The GOC looks for registration with the regulator where you practise.

Source: coru.ie · physiocouncil.com.au · camlpr.org · caslpo.com · hcpc-uk.org · optical.org · each regulator's international applicant pages, as recorded in our guidance notes · 2026-10-04

“All” means all

The word that catches people is “all”. If you registered with a state or regional council when you qualified, moved and registered with a second, and worked abroad for a while with a third, a checklist that says “all regulatory authorities” means three letters. Leaving out the one you no longer use looks, to a regulator, like leaving out the one with something to hide, even when there is nothing.

For some of our professions there is a council at home; for others there is none, or it differs by state. Where there is none, read your regulator’s line for that case. CORU and the Australian Physiotherapy Council both describe what to send instead, as above.

Why good-standing letters come back

• Sent by you, when the regulator wanted it from the issuer. A letter that must travel direct cannot be forwarded, however genuine.
• Too old. A letter dated well before you apply says little about today. Check what your regulator accepts and ask for a fresh one close to filing.
• Silent on the record. A letter that confirms registration but says nothing about conduct answers only half the question.
• One authority missing from a set that was meant to cover every one.
• Name or number mismatch between the letter and your registration certificate or passport.
• Unreadable seal or signature on a scanned copy.

Preparing it right the first time

1. List every body you have ever been registered with, at home and abroad, with your registration number and dates for each.
2. Read how each regulator wants it delivered: uploaded by you, certified, on its own form, or sent direct by the issuer.
3. Ask the issuer for what the regulator needs: your full name as on your passport, registration number, dates, current status and a line on your record. Where the regulator has a form, as CORU does, send the issuer that form.
4. Time the request so the letter is current when the regulator reads it.
5. Keep a copy of anything sent direct, and a note of when and how it went.

How it works in our portal

Your registration documents have their own folder: a slot for each registration certificate and each good-standing letter. Where a letter must go direct from the issuer, the slot holds the request and your note of when it was sent, so we both know it is on its way, and we can match it to the regulator’s acknowledgement. Everything you upload is reviewed page by page, so a letter whose seal is lost on the second page comes back to you before your regulator sees it.

Your next steps

• List every registration you have held, with numbers and dates
• Check whether each regulator wants the letter from you or from the issuer
• Request letters close to filing, using the regulator’s form where it has one
• Match the name on each letter to your passport before it is sent

Sources

The requirements above were read on each regulator’s own pages on 4 October 2026; the dated list is on our sources page. See the New Zealand boards and Canada colleges pages for who decides there.

Your regulator’s checklist comes with your route. Choose your profession and country in the Route Finder below.