Troubleshooting tips for the Ahpra portal

Your username is either a 10-digit number or an email address.

It may be the email we use to send reminders and emails. If you don’t know your username:

• Check your renewal reminder notice we send you when it’s time to renew your registration
• Try using an email where you have received correspondence from us before. This may be a work email.

If you share your email account with someone else, such as your partner, or use a group email such as ‘[email protected]’ then you will need to change it to an email that is unique to you when you first log in.

If you want to update or change your username to a unique email:

• You can change your username once you log in to the new Ahpra portal and set up multifactor authentication.
• To change it, log in, then go to ‘Update my details’ and change your email.
• Your contact email is both your username and the email we’ll use to contact you.

If you’re not sure what to do, please call us.  

The first time you log in to the Ahpra portal, you’ll need to switch to an email address for your username. We are no longer using 10-digit usernames.

Make sure the email is:

• Unique to you
• Not shared (e.g. not a shared or group ‘admin’ account)

After updating your email and linking your authenticator app, check everything works:

1. Log out
2. Log back in using:
   • Your new email username
   • Your password
   • The 6-digit code from your authenticator app

If you use a password manager, remember to update it with your new username and password.

If you need help, please call us or send a web enquiry.

As part of the logging in for the first time, you will receive a verification email with a link. If you can’t see the email in your inbox:

• Wait up to 10 minutes
• Make sure you’re looking at the inbox for the email registered with us
• Check your junk or spam folder

If you don’t remember your password, click ‘forgot my password’ on the login screen to get a password reset email. If can’t see the password reset email in your inbox:

• Wait up to 10 minutes
• Make sure you’re looking at the inbox for the email registered with us
• Check your junk or spam folder

The Ahpra portal works best on a laptop or desktop device. If you’re having issues, try the following:

• Clear your browser cache and cookies.
• Make sure the device you are using meets the system requirements.
• Try using another browser – we recommend Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
• Try using another laptop or desktop computer.

Multifactor authentication is an extra layer of security to protect your Ahpra portal. You might also know it as two-step verification.

Using an authenticator app provides greater security for your personal data than sending a code by SMS.

You need to link an authenticator app to your portal. This app generates a one-time 6-digit code. Each time you log in, you’ll enter:

• Your username (an email address used only by you)
• Your password
• The 6-digit code from the app

You do not need to pay for an authenticator app to use with your Ahpra portal. 

You may see sponsored results for authenticator apps that charge to download or offer ‘In App purchases’. To avoid unnecessary charges, only download the official Google Authenticator app published by Google LLC.  

Download the Google Authenticator app to your phone for free from the App Store or the Google Play

The Google Authenticator app is one of the leading multifactor apps on the market. We recommend it as it is free and compatible with your Ahpra portal.

The Google Authenticator app is also available for both iPhones and android smartphones. 

No, Ahpra does not share any of your personal information with Google or other third parties for the purpose of multifactor authentication or accessing your Ahpra portal.

The Google Authenticator app is only used when you need to log into your Ahpra portal to generate a one-time 6-digit code.

We publish information on how we collect, use, share and protect your personal information - Privacy, Freedom of information and Information publication scheme.

When you download the Google Authenticator you can sign in or choose to use the authenticator without an account. If you choose to sign into your Google Account from the app, the link used to generate the 6-digit code will be backed up. This makes it easy to move to a new phone if you lose or replace the phone you originally use to link MFA.

You can use any authenticator app that scans a QR code or accepts a setup code to link to your portal, and then generates a 6-digit code when you need to log in.

But we strongly recommend Google Authenticator — it’s free, works well with our system, and is the one we can support.

Other apps might work, but we may not be able to help if you have issues with them.

You need internet access to set up multifactor authentication and any time you log in to your Ahpra portal.

The authenticator app will generate the 6-digit code without a network connection.

If you can connect your mobile to Wi-Fi, you don’t need to use a phone network to download Google Authenticator.

For the easiest setup, use a computer (laptop or desktop) and your mobile phone. The portal works best on a computer.

If you only have a mobile phone, you can link the Google Authenticator — but you’ll need to enter a 30-digit code manually instead of scanning a QR code.

On the Ahpra portal screen, click 'I can’t scan the QR code' shown below the QR code. 

1. Open the Ahpra log in on your phone.
2. When you get to the screen with a QR code, click 'I can’t scan the QR code' shown below the QR code
   
3. Tap the 30-digit, alpha-numeric code that appears, and select ‘Copy’
   
4. Switch to the Google Authenticator app.
5. Press ‘Add a code'.
6. Press ‘Enter a setup key'
   
7. Enter Ahpra as your account name and paste the 30-digit code in the ‘your key’ box.
   
8. Press ‘Add’ to link the Google Authenticator app to your Ahpra portal.
9. This will automatically add an Ahpra account to the app. A 6-digit code will appear.
   
10. Enter the 6-digit one time code to log in to the Ahpra portal.
    

You need to link an authenticator app to your Ahpra portal to set up multifactor authentication. The easiest way to do this is to scan the QR code on the log in screen. You do this from the app and not your phone camera.

If you’re having trouble scanning:

• Make sure you’re using the Google Authenticator app, not your camera.
• Check that the app has camera permissions
• Align the QR code within the green box in the app.

If you can’t scan the QR code:

1. On the login page, click ‘I can’t scan the QR code’.
2. A 30-character code will appear.
3. In the Google Authenticator app, choose to enter a setup key manually and type in that code.

Can you please share the QR code with me or publish it on the website?

No. The QR code generated by our system is unique to you; you need to scan it using the authenticator app to link the app to your Ahpra portal.  

If you were signed into the Google Authenticator with your Google Account on your old phone

Download the Google Authenticator app to your new phone.

Sign into the app using the same Google Account as your old phone.

The Ahpra account should be shown in the list of accounts in your Google Authenticator.

If it’s not, call us and we can help you set up a new link.

If you were NOT signed into the Google Authenticator with your Google Account on your old phone

You will need to call us to unlink the old version of the app from your account.

You can then set up a new link between the Google Authenticator on your new phone and your Ahpra account.

You need to move the accounts from the Google Authenticator app on your old phone to the app on your new phone. To begin:

• have your old phone with the latest version of the Google Authenticator app
• download the Google Authenticator app to your new phone, and then
• follow these steps.

On your old phone

1. Make sure you have the latest version of Google Authenticator by checking for updates in the Play Store for Android or the App Store for iPhone
2. Tap the three lines in the top left corner. Select ‘Transfer accounts’ 
   
3. Select ‘Export accounts’
   
4. Select your Ahpra account and any other accounts you want to transfer to the Google Authenticator on your new phone.
5. A QR-code will show in the authenticator app on your old phone. If you are moving a lot of accounts, you may see more than one QR-code
   

On your new phone

6. Open the Google Authenticator app on your new phone
7. Tap get started, then ‘Import Existing Accounts?’ Or select the three rows in the top left corner. Select ‘Transfer accounts’ then ‘Import accounts’ 
   
8. Select ‘Scan QR code’. A green square will appear. 
   
9. Centre the QR-code on your old phone in the green square on your new phone. Follow the instructions to scan more than one code
10. After you scan the codes, you will get a confirmation that your Google Authenticator accounts have been transferred to your new phone
11. Check that the transfer has worked by logging into your Ahpra code using the one-off 6-digit code generated by the Google Authenticator on your new phone
12. Once you’ve confirmed that the transfer has worked, go back to your old phone. Select ‘Remove exported accounts’, then ‘Finished’ 
    

You can use an iPad or tablet with your computer, or as a single device to log in or set up your portal. You need to follow the instructions above for How to link the Google Authenticator app when you only have a phone to link the authenticator app.

Your employer’s IT security settings may stop you from accessing the Ahpra portal on your work network.

If blocked, you can ask them to make the address a safe and trusted address. This is the portal address: https://portal.ahpra.gov.au/s 

If this isn’t an option, try:

• using a personal laptop or mobile device
• connecting to a different internet network such as a personal hotspot from your mobile phone or your home internet connection.  

The Google authenticator app generates this code for you. It is not emailed to you. Every time you log in, you need to open the authenticator app to get the 6-digit code. You need to enter it in the log in screen quickly. The app will generate a new code after 30 seconds.

As part of setting up your portal, you will receive a verification email with a link. If you can’t see the email in your inbox: 

• Check your junk or spam folder.
• Check the email you entered was correct.

If you still don’t receive a verification email, contact our customer service team. 

Some devices may not automatically open the verification email link. If you’re having trouble opening the link, try to:

• Manually copy and paste the link in the email into your browser
• Try a different mobile phone
• Try using a laptop or desktop computer.

If the link still doesn’t work, please contact our customer service team.

When it’s time to renew your registration, an orange renewal alert box will appear on your Ahpra portal dashboard.

If you have logged in but you can’t see the orange alert box, or your registration details do not show when you click on the ‘Manage my registration’ button, you may have created a duplicate account instead of linking your existing Ahpra account to your portal. To resolve the issue, please call our customer service team.

Registration for medical practitioners opens on 4 August. You will not see a renewal alert or be able to register before then.

You need to click the submit button on the ‘Payment successful’ screen to submit your application.

If you didn’t press the submit button after you confirmed that the payment was successful, your application may not have been submitted. You will not be able to get back to this screen.

We run a report at the end of every day to see if this has happened to anyone. You don’t need to tell us. We will fix it for you overnight. Please log in to your portal tomorrow to check your application has progressed.

Please contact us online if you can’t see your application.

You can let us know this in two ways.

You can set up your portal. Click on Manage my renewal and then click 'Not renew' on the front of the renewal form.

OR

You can do nothing. If you haven't renewed your registration by the end of the late period (one month after your registration expires) your registration will lapse. Once your registration has lapsed, your name will be removed from the Register of practitioners.

We'll continue to send you reminders until the end of the late period and let you know when your registration has lapsed.

No. To protect your account, only you, the person who owns the Ahpra account — the registered practitioner — can log in and complete the registration renewal. This is when you confirm that you’ve met the Board’s requirements, including CPD, recency of practice and professional indemnity insurance.

Things are different this year, and you may need support to log in for the first time and link an authenticator app.

Follow these steps and how-to videos and call us on 1300 419 495 if you need help.

If you currently hold general and/or specialist registration and want to move to non-practising registration:

• log in to your portal
• click on ‘Manage my renewal’ in the renewal alert on your dashboard, and
• select ‘Move to non-practising registration’ on the form.

If you want to move from non-practising registration to general and/or specialist registration:

• log in to your portal
• renew your non-practising registration so you remain on the Register of practitioners while we assess your new application
• once renewed, go to the ‘Manage my registration’ tab, and
• start a new application.