Get a Repeat Specialist Referral Online
Medically reviewed by Dr Aifric Boylan — FRACGP · AHPRA-registered · 7 Aug 2026
- AHPRA-registered Australian doctors
- Same-day service available — speak to a GP within minutes
- Repeat specialist referrals from $29.99 — download immediately and send to your specialist
Get a Specialist Referral Online Without Visiting a GP
Requesting a specialist referral online can be a convenient option when returning to see a specialist, if your previous referral has expired. This often happens when:
- your specialist appointment is coming up soon
- your previous referral is more than 12 months old
- your GP is fully booked or unavailable
- you forgot to renew your referral before the appointment
Qoctor provides a fast, convenient online specialist referral service where a doctor can review your request and, if appropriate, issue a referral for your specialist appointment immediately. This can help patients avoid delays or the need to reschedule specialist appointments.
However, if you need to see a specialist for the first time, book an online GP appointment instead HERE.
What is a Repeat Specialist Referral?
A repeat specialist referral is a referral from a GP to a specialist you have seen before. In many cases, specialist referrals expire after 12 months, so patients need a new referral before their next appointment. Getting a specialist referral online can be a convenient option when you are due to see your specialist again and can’t easily get in to see your usual GP. It can also reduce the cost of your specialist appointment, as it allows access to Medicare rebates.
Patients commonly need a repeat referral when they are continuing care with a specialist such as:
- dermatologists
- psychiatrists
- endocrinologists
- gastroenterologists
- cardiologists
- neurologists
- orthopaedic surgeons
- rheumatologists and many more…
What is an indefinite referral?
Most GP referrals to a specialist last 12 months. An indefinite referral is one a GP can make open-ended, so it doesn’t need renewing each year.
They aren’t the default, and they aren’t always available on request: a GP will only consider one where a patient has a chronic, stable condition that clearly requires ongoing specialist care for the foreseeable future, such as a long-term condition managed by the same specialist year after year. Even then, it’s the GP’s clinical judgement, and many prefer to keep referrals to 12 months so that a patient’s overall care is reviewed regularly rather than continuing on autopilot. That yearly check-in is a genuine safeguard: it’s a chance to make sure the specialist input is still needed, that nothing else has changed, and that your GP stays across your care as a whole.
It’s also worth knowing that even with an indefinite referral, your specialist may still ask for a new one periodically. This is partly because a fresh referral can affect how your specialist appointment is billed under Medicare. If you’re unsure whether an indefinite referral applies to your situation, it’s best discussed with your regular GP, who knows your full history.
Forgot Your Referral Before Your Specialist Appointment?
This situation happens frequently. Patients often arrive at their specialist appointment and realise their referral has expired. In many cases, a specialist may request a valid referral for Medicare billing. Qoctor can provide patients with a specialist referral online quickly. If appropriate, the referral can then be downloaded or sent to the specialist.
How to Get a Specialist Referral Online
Getting a specialist referral online with Qoctor is simple.
- Complete a short online assessment.
- An Australian registered doctor discusses your request via phone or video call.
- If appropriate, your specialist referral is issued and can be instantly downloaded.
FAQs
A specialist referral letter:
- makes you eligibility for certain Medicare rebates (if you have a valid Medicare card), so a specialist visit will usually cost you less out of pocket.
- provides key information about your health to the specialist
- gives the specialist details of your regular GP, which makes sure your important health information is stored in one place.
Most specialists in Australia require their patients to provide a new referral letter from a GP every 12 months, when their previous one expires. This makes the patient eligible for certain Medicare rebates. If you do not have an up-to-date referral letter when you see your specialist, the specialist appointment may cost you more.
To request a specialist referral letter, choose that booking option from the menu. The cost of the consultation is $29.99. You will need to answer a few online questions relating to your health. The doctor will go through this information, and will discuss it with you over the phone or video call at your chosen time slot. Subject to assessment, they can then complete the referral letter which you can download immediately and share with your specialist.
Same day appointments are available with Qoctor from 8AM to 12AM AEST. If if you are in a hurry you can join our priority queue for $19.99, and get seen within 15 minutes.
A repeat specialist referral is $29.99. As Qoctor is a private telehealth service, there’s no Medicare rebate on this consultation fee, but the referral letter itself allows you to claim a Medicare rebate when you see the specialist.
A repeat specialist referral is a letter from a GP to a specialist you’ve seen before. It states the medical reason for the appointment along with relevant health information, and referral letters usually expire after 12 months. In Australia, Medicare card holders can claim a rebate when they see a specialist, provided they have a valid GP referral.
Other referral types are priced separately: a change of specialist is also $29.99, a new referral for many common conditions is $29.99, a new referral to a plastic (cosmetic) surgeon is $39.99 as that assessment takes longer, and a new referral for anything outside the common list is handled in a full GP consultation for $49.99.
You can get a repeat referral 8am to midnight, 365 days a year. If you are in a hurry, you can join the priority queue (for $19.99) and you can be seen within 15 minutes.
This can be a very handy option if you have already arrived at your specialist’s rooms and realise you have forgotten your GP referral letter.
Following a brief phone or video consultation with one of our doctors, you can download the letter instantly, and share with your specialist directly.
Yes, in Australia, Medicare card-holders can generally claim a Medicare rebate when they see a specialist doctor, once they produce a valid referral letter. A valid specialist referral is less than 12 months old, and states the name of the specialist you wish to attend, as well as sharing relevant health information including the medical reason you need to see the specialist.
As Qoctor is a private telehealth service, there is no Medicare rebate for our online doctor service. The fee for a phone or video consultation to arrange your referral is $29.99 (this is less than the gap fee charged by many bricks and mortar GP clinics, and avoids the need for travelling in person to a GP surgery).
- If the details you provide on your referral questionnaire or patient profile are incorrect and you later wish to change them, please get in touch via info@qoctor.com.au or use the live chat on our home page www.qoctor.com.au
- In some cases, the issue may be rectified without having to book another telehealth consultation.
- However, sometimes, if there is a significant difference in the information required on the letter, you may be asked to book another appointment with a Qoctor doctor.
Specialist referral information and guides
Learn more about repeat referrals, referral expiry and seeing a specialist in Australia.
Medically reviewed by Dr Aifric Boylan
Co-founder, CEO & Medical Director of Qoctor — doctor-owned telehealth since 2016.
Every repeat specialist referral request is considered only after a real-time video or phone consultation with an AHPRA-registered Australian doctor — never from an automated online form. Referrals are issued only where clinically appropriate and in line with the Medical Board of Australia’s telehealth guidelines.
Telehealth is not suitable in all medical situations — patients will be advised if an in-person assessment is needed. In an emergency, call 000.