Free medical certificate online — same day, if Medicare eligible

How to get a medical certificate online

If you are unwell and need a medical certificate for your employer, school, or university, you can get one through a NewDoc telehealth consultation without leaving home. Book an appointment, speak with an Australian-trained GP via video or phone, and if the doctor determines a certificate is clinically appropriate, it is emailed to you directly after the call.

NewDoc medical certificates are issued and signed by AHPRA-registered General Practitioners with full FRACGP fellowship. They include the doctor's AHPRA registration number and are accepted by employers, educational institutions, and government agencies across Australia.

The Fair Work Ombudsman notes: Employees may have to give notice or evidence to get paid for sick and carer's leave. A medical certificate from an AHPRA-registered GP is the most common form of that evidence.

Step by step: what to expect

1. Book your appointment. Choose a same-day or next-available telehealth slot at NewDoc bulk billed telehealth and enter your Medicare card details. Booking takes under two minutes.
2. Complete the pre-consult questionnaire. Short questions about your symptoms, when they started, and any relevant medical history, so the GP is ready when the call begins.
3. Join the call. You receive an SMS with a video link or a phone call at your appointment time. The consultation typically takes 10 to 15 minutes.
4. The GP assesses your situation. Your doctor asks about your symptoms, takes a brief history, and confirms whether a medical certificate is clinically appropriate.
5. Receive your certificate. The certificate is emailed to you as a PDF, usually within minutes of the call ending. Forward it to your employer or upload it to your workplace system.

If the GP issues any eScript, specialist referral, or pathology referral during the same consult, they are also sent to your phone at no extra charge for eligible Medicare patients.

Bulk billed medical certificate, no extra fees

NewDoc provides genuinely bulk billed medical certificates online for eligible Medicare cardholders. No out-of-pocket cost, no hidden fees, no separate certificate surcharge. The consultation, the medical certificate, any prescriptions, and any referrals issued during the same appointment are included in a single bulk billed consult.

Many telehealth providers in Australia charge an additional $12.90 to $19.95 for a medical certificate on top of the consultation cost. NewDoc does not. If you are eligible for bulk billing, the entire process, from GP consultation to a signed certificate in your inbox, costs you nothing.

Types of medical certificates available

NewDoc GPs can issue a range of medical certificates online depending on your situation:

• Work certificates: the most common type, confirming you are unfit for work due to illness or injury. Used for personal leave entitlements under the Fair Work Act.
• School and university certificates: for missed classes, exams, or assignment deadlines. Most Australian universities accept telehealth certificates for special consideration applications.
• Carer's leave certificates: when you need time off work to care for an immediate family or household member.
• Fitness for duty certificates: confirming you are medically fit to return to work after illness, injury, or an extended absence.
• Stress leave certificates: for time off when stress, burnout, or anxiety symptoms make work unsafe. The certificate confirms unfitness without disclosing the reason to your employer.
• Mental health day certificates: a single-day or short-period personal leave certificate when symptoms need a brief recovery rather than ongoing treatment.

During the consultation your GP will confirm which certificate type fits your situation and issue it directly.

What is on a NewDoc medical certificate

• Doctor's full name and AHPRA registration number
• Practice name and contact details
• Date of consultation (the certificate is always dated the day of the visit)
• The dates you are unfit for work or study (as assessed by the GP)
• The doctor's signature

Diagnosis information is not included by default. The certificate confirms that you have been medically assessed and are unfit for a specified period, without disclosing clinical detail to your employer or educational institution. Your medical information is protected under the Australian Privacy Principles.

Mental health medical certificates

Mental health conditions are a recognised medical reason to be unfit for work. If anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, or another mental health concern is affecting your ability to attend work or study, a telehealth GP can assess your situation and, where clinically appropriate, issue a medical certificate.

The certificate does not need to specify a mental health reason to your employer; it only states that you were assessed by a GP and found to be unfit during the relevant dates. Your GP can also discuss longer-term support options during the same consultation, such as a Mental Health Treatment Plan for access to Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions, or a referral to a psychologist.

What a telehealth GP cannot certify

Most short-term illnesses and mental health reasons are suitable for a telehealth certificate. Some situations need an in-person assessment:

• Fitness-for-duty assessments that require specific physical measurements (for example certain workplace drug and alcohol screens, or specific workplace fitness tests)
• Workers' compensation claims that require a formal in-person examination or specific specialist forms
• Long-term certification for ongoing injury or complex chronic illness, which usually needs in-person review and physical assessment
• Certificates requiring a physical examination, for example assessing gait or strength after a significant injury

During the consultation your GP will tell you if your situation is better suited to an in-person visit and help arrange the right next step.

Your rights and employer obligations

Under the Fair Work Act 2009, employees are entitled to paid personal/carer's leave and an employer may request evidence such as a doctor's certificate to support the absence. A certificate issued by an AHPRA-registered GP via bulk billed telehealth is legally equivalent to one issued in a clinic and is accepted as evidence of illness.

Your medical information is protected under Australian privacy law. Your employer is not entitled to contact your doctor for further detail, and a certificate should not include more clinical information than is necessary to confirm the absence. The certificate simply states that you have been assessed and were unfit to attend during the specified period.

If your employer disputes a telehealth certificate, the Fair Work Ombudsman provides free advice on employee entitlements and evidence requirements. In most cases a valid AHPRA-registered certificate resolves any question.

Backdating rules

The certificate is always dated the day of your consultation; it cannot be issued with a past date. However, the GP's clinical assessment can cover symptoms that began before the consultation, and the certificate can state the period you have been unfit for work or study, including days before the consultation. Book as soon as you are able and explain when your symptoms started so the GP has the full picture.

Same-day certificates, seven days a week

NewDoc offers same-day and next-available telehealth appointments seven days a week, including weekday evenings, weekends, and public holidays. If you are unwell on a Sunday morning and need a certificate for Monday, or you wake up on Monday with symptoms and need one before starting work, you can book a telehealth appointment with no extra charge for after-hours or weekend consults. For eligible Medicare cardholders, the consultation and the certificate are bulk billed at no out-of-pocket cost.