Not well and need time off work, school, uni, or your usual commitments? Request a medical certificate online without leaving home.
With Medmate, you can complete a short online request, have it reviewed by an Australian-registered doctor, and if approved, receive your certificate by email.
Both personal and carer’s certificates are available.
Get a medical certificate online from an Australian doctor. Fast, private and secure support for work, study or carer’s leave.
Start by selecting whether you need a single-day certificate, a multi-day certificate, or a carer’s certificate.
Complete the online form with the information the doctor needs to assess your request. Your details are handled securely and in line with Medmate’s privacy processes.
An Australian-registered doctor will review your request. They may approve it, contact you for more information, or recommend in-person care if your symptoms need further assessment.
If your request is approved, your certificate will be sent to your email. Not every request can be approved, and online certificates are not suitable for every health concern.
An online medical certificate, also known as a doctor’s certificate or a sick note, is an official document issued by a licensed online medical practitioner that confirms a patient’s medical illness. It will certify your illness and provide details about the expected duration of recovery. Medical certificates are used to support requests for sick leave, disability benefits, or insurance claims. They can also be required by employers, schools, or other organizations as proof of a legitimate absence due to illness.
If you work for an Australian employer, you may be required to produce a valid medical certificate if you are unfit for work due to medical reasons. An employee has to let their employer know that they are unfit to work and need sick or carer’s leave. This has to be done as soon as possible, and can be after the leave has started. Employees need to specify how long they expect to be unable to work.
An employee who doesn’t give their employer evidence when asked may not be entitled to be paid for their sick or carer’s leave
An employer may request evidence from an employee to confirm that their leave was taken due to:
Inability to work as a result of illness or injury, or the need to care for or support an immediate family or household member affected by illness, injury, or an unforeseen emergency.
Employers can request evidence even for a single day or less of absence.
If an employee fails to provide the requested evidence, they may not be eligible for paid sick or carer’s leave.
Awards or registered agreements can outline when an employee must submit evidence and the type of evidence required. The requested evidence should always be reasonable given the situation.
The completion of a medical certificate is subject to the doctor’s assessment of the presented issue and its clinical reasonability. This evaluation relies on the information provided in the online clinical declaration and the subsequent telephone or video consultation with the doctor.
Please note that not all medical certificate requests will be approved. If deemed necessary, you might receive advice to visit a local General Practitioner for an in-person clinical assessment.
Online medical certificates are legally valid in Australia and can be used as acceptable evidence for sick or carer’s leave. Employers, insurance companies, and other organisations often accept online certificates as proof of illness or injury.
To issue a certificate, the doctor must assess your condition and decide if it’s clinically appropriate. Not all requests will be approved — if a face-to-face examination is necessary, you may be advised to visit a local GP.
Yes. An online medical certificate is valid if it has been issued by an Australian registered doctor. This serves as a valid proof for your employer.
Start by filling in a simple questionnaire to help the doctor understand your current illness. They will give you a quick call to ask a few more questions and offer helpful advice.
Please note this is a clinical request — doctors may decline to issue a certificate if it’s not considered safe or appropriate.
If approved, your certificate will be sent quickly and securely to your email.
With Medmate you can get an online medical certificate for:
This may vary depending on your symptoms, situation, and the doctor’s assessment.
Medmate online medical certificates are $19.90 single day or $34.90 multi-day.
This can sometimes be confusing. The important point is this: the issue date on a certificate can never be changed. It must always reflect the day the doctor actually wrote the certificate.
What doctors can do, after a proper consultation, is certify that your illness began before today. This isn’t “backdating” in the legal sense — it’s a retrospective statement of your illness period. For most Australians, this is exactly what they need when they’ve been unwell for a couple of days before finally seeing a doctor.
Medmate abides by strict privacy principles.
Your medical details are completely confidential between you and the doctor.
It is not reasonable, and not supported by the Fair Work Act, for employers to ask details about your illness.
Medmate will reasonably confirm the validity of medical certificates as required. No details about your medical issues will ever be provided to an employer.
Only medical practitioners registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) can legally issue medical certificates. At Medmate, your certificate is reviewed and signed by an Australian‑registered doctor or nurse practitioner, ensuring it meets the evidence requirements set out in Australian workplace laws. Pharmacists can provide absence‑from‑work certificates for minor ailments but cannot issue a formal medical certificate for extended sick leave.
Online medical certificates may be suitable for common illnesses or minor injuries where a doctor can safely assess your request online.
Examples may include:
Online certificates are not suitable for every situation. You should seek urgent or in-person care for severe symptoms such as chest pain, severe shortness of breath, major bleeding, sudden weakness, loss of vision, or any condition that feels unsafe to manage at home.
Yes. When you fill out the request form you can select the purpose of your certificate, personal sick leave, carers leave, study/university or travel. We issue certificates that state you are unfit for the selected activity for the period assessed by our doctor.
Online certificates are generally available only to patients aged 16 years or older. Younger patients require an in‑person assessment by their GP or paediatrician to ensure an appropriate examination.
If you are an Australian resident and can participate in a telehealth consultation, you may request a certificate even when you’re travelling. Certain jurisdictions have restrictions; we’ll advise you if local regulations prevent us from issuing a certificate.
Yes. Online certificates are intended for occasional illnesses. We limit the number of days covered within a rolling 30‑day period to encourage people with recurring or prolonged illness to seek care from their regular doctor.
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