What Is the AMC Fee Structure for Indian Doctors?

Moving to Australia as a doctor sounds exciting, right up until you open a spreadsheet. Verification fees, exam fees, registration, flights, bank charges. It adds up quickly, and a lot of Indian doctors only see the full number when they’re already halfway through the process.

That’s exactly why it helps to understand the AMC fee structure before you commit to anything. Once you know what each stage costs and when the money is due, you can save in chunks, pick a realistic timeline and skip the panic later. This guide covers the AMC exam fees in Australian dollars and rupees, and then the smaller costs around them that people tend to forget. The numbers here reflect what’s published for 2026. Fees do get revised though, so check amc.org.au before you actually pay.

AMC pathway

Most Indian doctors heading to Australia take the standard pathway. It has a few clear steps. Your medical degree is verified through ECFMG’s EPIC service. You create an AMC portfolio. You pass the computer adaptive MCQ exam. Then you finish with either the AMC clinical exam or a workplace-based assessment.

Each step has a price tag, and the payments are spread over months, sometimes more than a year. So when someone asks about the AMC fee structure, the honest answer is that it isn’t one fee. It’s a series of payments in two currencies: US dollars for verification and Australian dollars for the AMC itself.

There are other routes too, such as the competent authority and specialist pathways. They work differently and carry their own costs, so this article explains the AMC fee structure for the standard route that most graduates from India follow.

The AMC fee structure at a glance

Here are the main AMC exam fees and related charges for the standard pathway. The rupee amounts are rough. They’re based on about ₹55 per Australian dollar and will move with the exchange rate.

Step	What it covers	Fee (AUD)	Approx. in INR
AMC portfolio	Setup, includes one qualification	642	₹35,000
CAT MCQ exam	Authorisation for one attempt	2,920	₹1.6 lakh
Clinical exam (in-person)	Held at the national test centre in Melbourne	3,000	₹1.65 lakh
Clinical exam (online)	Remote option, includes an AUD 400 levy	3,400	₹1.87 lakh
Workplace-based assessment	Alternative to the clinical exam	1,070	₹59,000

The workplace-based assessment fee is AUD 1,070. This route also needs an approved placement in Australia, which many doctors can’t arrange while they’re still in India. That’s why many applicants from India go for the clinical exam instead.

Breaking down each part of the AMC fee structure

ECFMG and EPIC verification

The AMC fee structure actually starts outside the AMC. Before anything gets assessed, your degree is checked at the source through ECFMG’s EPIC, and this part is billed in US dollars. Recent figures show a verification fee of about USD 110 and a credentials upload fee of about USD 110, plus a smaller EPIC registration charge. Together that’s roughly USD 255, or around ₹22,000.

Some documents may also need notarising, and what you pay depends on where you get it done. The time matters as much as the money here. Verification depends on how quickly your university replies, and that can take a few weeks or a few months. Start early.

AMC portfolio fee

Setting up your portfolio costs AUD 642 and includes one qualification. If you hold another one, like a postgraduate degree, adding it costs a bit extra, AUD 107 per qualification. This is the first payment you make directly to the AMC, and it’s the first item of the AMC fee structure that you pay in Australian dollars.

CAT MCQ exam fee

Within the AMC fee structure, the MCQ authorisation is AUD 2,920, which comes to about ₹1.6 lakh. This is where the AMC exam fees start to feel real. The amount was AUD 3,124 until January 2024, when the AMC reduced it. You pay only after your eligibility is confirmed. The authorisation lasts twelve months and covers one attempt, and it includes access to the free AMC practice app.

Clinical exam fee

After passing the MCQ, you move to the clinical stage, which is the other big line among the AMC exam fees. The AMC fee structure for this exam changed from 1 July 2025, when the in-person fee dropped from AUD 3,991 to AUD 3,000. That’s about ₹1.65 lakh. The online version is AUD 3,400, which is the AUD 3,000 fee plus an AUD 400 levy. That’s about ₹1.87 lakh, down from AUD 4,391. The in-person exam takes place in Melbourne, so flights and accommodation come on top.

When you pay each part of the AMC fee structure

Within the AMC fee structure, the timing matters almost as much as the amounts. None of the AMC exam fees are due all at once, which is the good news. Here’s the usual order.

ECFMG and EPIC fees come first, in US dollars, while your documents are being verified.
The AMC portfolio fee of AUD 642 follows once you’re ready to open your portfolio.
The MCQ authorisation of AUD 2,920 is paid after your eligibility is confirmed.
The clinical exam fee is paid only after you pass the MCQ, which could be many months later.
Registration charges with the Medical Board of Australia come at the end, once you’re cleared to practise.

Because the payments are spread out like this, you can save month by month instead of finding the entire amount on day one. Many doctors set up a separate savings account just for this and move a fixed amount into it every month.

Extra charges that catch people off guard

The headline fees get most of the attention, but the smaller charges are where budgets quietly go off track. Even a careful reading of the AMC fee structure can miss a few of these, so keep them in mind.

Reissue of results: AUD 107, for both the MCQ and the clinical exam.
Cancelling your MCQ authorisation: with supporting evidence, you get 75% back within a month of paying and 50% after that, until the authorisation ends. If you simply don’t turn up, the authorisation is used up and there’s no refund.
Appeals: AUD 910 for the first station, plus AUD 235 for each extra station.
Refund rules: each part of the AMC fee structure has its own refund rules, and timing decides how much you get back. Read them before paying the AMC exam fees.
Forex costs: banks add their own exchange margin, and some add tax collected at source depending on how you pay. Ask your bank before sending money abroad.
English test: you’ll need to show English proficiency for registration, and test fees in India are separate. OET usually costs more than IELTS.
Registration in Australia: the Medical Board of Australia charges its own application and registration fees, and the first round can run past AUD 1,000.
Preparation: question banks, courses and books are optional, but most people spend something here.

So what’s the total AMC exam cost?

Let’s add up the standard pathway with the in-person clinical exam. The portfolio at AUD 642, the MCQ at AUD 2,920 and the clinical exam at AUD 3,000 make AUD 6,562. That’s roughly ₹3.6 lakh. Add about ₹22,000 for ECFMG and you’re near ₹3.8 lakh. With the online clinical exam, the AMC part of the AMC fee structure rises to AUD 6,962.

That’s still not the full picture. Think of the core AMC exam cost as the starting point. Once you include an English test, travel to Melbourne, registration fees and some study material, many people end up somewhere around ₹5 to ₹7 lakh as a rough guide. Yours could land above or below that depending on how you travel, where you stay and what you study from.

Also remember that every attempt needs its own fee. If you retake the MCQ, that’s another AUD 2,920. A clinical retake costs roughly AUD 3,000 again. Build a cushion into your plan for that.

Two sample budgets

Numbers on a table can feel abstract, so here are two simple examples of the AMC fee structure in action. Both are rough and use the same ₹55 per AUD rate for the AMC exam fees.

Doctor A clears the MCQ and the in-person clinical exam on the first try. That’s AUD 642 plus AUD 2,920 plus AUD 3,000, which is AUD 6,562, or about ₹3.6 lakh. Add around ₹22,000 for ECFMG and the total is close to ₹3.8 lakh before travel, English tests and registration.

Doctor B needs two attempts at the MCQ and chooses the online clinical exam. That’s AUD 642, plus AUD 5,840 for two MCQ authorisations, plus AUD 3,400 for the clinical exam. The total is AUD 9,882, which is about ₹5.4 lakh. With ECFMG added, you’re at roughly ₹5.7 lakh.

The gap between the two is almost ₹2 lakh, and the only real difference is one extra attempt. That’s why preparing properly before you book makes such a difference to the final bill.

Common budgeting mistakes

A few mistakes come up again and again with doctors trying to work out the AMC fee structure.

The first is counting only the AMC exam fees and forgetting everything else. The second is ignoring exchange rates. The AMC fee structure is in AUD, and a weak rupee can add tens of thousands to your total without you doing anything. The third is booking the MCQ too early, just to feel like you’ve started. Then the preparation falls behind, and you either lose part of the fee by cancelling or let the twelve months run out. The fourth is forgetting the cost of time. If you cut down your working hours to study, that lost income is part of the real cost too.

Smart ways to bring the AMC exam cost down

You can’t negotiate the AMC fee structure, but you can control a lot of what surrounds it.

Use the free AMC practice app first. It has about 210 official MCQ questions and costs nothing.
Don’t book until you’re scoring well in practice. Cancelling gets you back only 75% or 50% of the fee, and a no-show gets you nothing.
Plan around the twelve month window. Pay for the authorisation when you can realistically sit within that period.
Compare forex options. A good forex card or transfer service can save a few thousand rupees over your bank’s default rate.
Study with other IMGs. Sharing notes and mock tests cuts what you spend on resources, and a guided course like the AMC preparation at Academically can keep your study material in one place.
Keep a 10 to 15% buffer for exchange rate swings, since the AMC fee structure is in AUD and your savings are in rupees.

Do the AMC exam fees change?

Yes, and recently they’ve moved in candidates’ favour. The MCQ fee dropped from AUD 3,124 to AUD 2,920 in January 2024. The in-person clinical fee fell from AUD 3,991 to AUD 3,000 in July 2025. That doesn’t mean they’ll keep falling. The AMC reviews its AMC fee structure from time to time, and ECFMG sets its own charges separately. Before you pay anything, check the current schedule at amc.org.au and ecfmg.org, and follow Academically

for AMC updates as they come out. Blogs, including this one, can go out of date.

Conclusion

The AMC fee structure looks heavy when you see it as one big number. Broken into steps, it’s much easier to handle. Verification comes first, then the portfolio, then the MCQ, then the clinical stage, and most of the money goes out in different months. That gives you room to save along the way.

Start with the free practice app, confirm the latest AMC exam fees on the official sites and keep the AMC exam cost in check with a proper buffer. Once you’ve mapped the AMC fee structure properly, the money side becomes a budgeting task you can manage. Good luck with the journey.

Frequently asked questions

Is the AMC fee structure the same for Indian doctors and other international graduates?

As far as the published schedules go, yes. The fees are listed in AUD for every international medical graduate. What’s different for Indian doctors is the currency conversion, since you pay in AUD and USD while earning in rupees.

Can I pay the AMC exam fees in instalments?

Neither ECFMG nor the AMC is known to offer instalment plans, so each fee is due at its own step.

Does the AMC fee structure include study material?

No. The only official practice item that comes with the MCQ authorisation is the free app. Question banks, courses and books are separate, so budget for them if you plan to use any.

Does the MCQ fee include the clinical exam?

No. The AUD 2,920 covers the MCQ only. The clinical exam has its own fee.

Will I get a refund if I cancel?

Partly. For the MCQ, cancelling with supporting evidence returns 75% within a month of payment and 50% after that, and a no-show returns nothing. Clinical exam withdrawals return 50% within a month of payment and nothing after. Check the AMC refund policy before you book.