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Are online doctors in Australia real GPs?

They can be, and the credential to check is GP fellowship. Every NewDoc telehealth doctor is an AHPRA-registered GP holding fellowship (FRACGP or FACRRM), the same specialist GP qualification held by your local clinic GP.

Are online doctors in Australia real GPs?

They can be, but the credential is worth checking. In Australia the specialist GP qualification is GP fellowship, awarded as FRACGP by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners or as FACRRM by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine; the two are equivalent. Every doctor consulting at NewDoc is an AHPRA-registered GP holding one of these fellowships, the same qualification your regular clinic GP holds, and you can verify any doctor's registration yourself on AHPRA's public register. Online services are not all structured this way, so it is a fair question to ask whichever provider you use.

The qualification behind the video call

A medical degree alone does not make a doctor a GP. In Australia, general practice is a specialty: doctors complete years of accredited training after medical school and pass fellowship examinations to earn FRACGP or its equivalent, FACRRM. NewDoc only rosters GPs who hold one of those fellowships, so the doctor on your screen has the same specialist qualification as the GP at your local clinic.

How to verify it yourself

Australia makes this easy: AHPRA's Register of Practitioners is public. Search any doctor's name and you can see their registration status and specialty before your appointment. It is a habit worth keeping for any online health service you use.

Reviewed by Dr. Jason Yu FRACGP

Last reviewed 31 July 2026. Editorial policy

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Frequently asked questions

What does FRACGP actually mean?

FRACGP is the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners: a specialist qualification a doctor earns after completing accredited GP training and fellowship exams on top of their medical degree. Australia recognises one other GP fellowship, FACRRM, awarded by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. The two are equivalent: both make a doctor a fellowship-qualified specialist GP, and both appear on the AHPRA register as specialist registration in general practice.

How do I check a doctor's registration?

Search the practitioner's name on AHPRA's public Register of Practitioners at ahpra.gov.au. The register shows their registration type, specialty and any conditions. Every NewDoc doctor appears there as a registered medical practitioner.

Is a telehealth consult held to the same standards as a clinic visit?

Yes. The same AHPRA registration, clinical standards and privacy obligations apply whether the GP sees you by video, by phone or in a clinic room. Where a physical examination is genuinely needed, the GP will say so and direct you to in-person care.

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