When working abroad for doctors, in particular, many pathways are open. All options are excellent in terms of standard, pay, and lifestyle.

Whether USMLE, PLAB, AMC, HAAD, MoH, or IMC, all these licences are world-renowned and acceptable. This blog is all about how to register with Irish Medical Council. Guidelines to register are explained extensively.

The difference comes in their method of application for registration. For Example, USMLE has multiple steps like STEP 1, 2, and 3. PLAB has PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. Furthermore, except for IMC, that needs an application to be filled in to acquire the licence to practice, thus making it a lot easier for candidates to apply for it.

Since exams have their own cost, IMC has the edge over finances since no licensing exam is required for registration in the Medical Council of Ireland or the Irish Medical Council. It saves a lot of time and money, so answering your question about how to get Irish Medical Council registration.

We will discuss the application process step by step for a clearer idea of IMC registration requirements.

What do you need for IMC registration? What documents are required for the Medical Council of Ireland registration? 

Documents required for the Irish Medical Council Registration are: 

1. House job/ Internship certificate
2. Experience certificate from Medical Council
3. Good standing certificate from Medical Council
4. English Language certificate (IELTS or OET)
5. ECFMG account for EPIC Verification
6. Passport
7. IMC Account

What are the application process requirements for registration in Irish Medical Council?

How to fill application for the Medical Council of Ireland?

What is the application process for GMC Ireland?

The application process for IMC is straightforward. For understanding purposes, we will break it down to make it simpler.

• House job/ Internship certificate:

Medical Council Ireland recognizes internships in some countries as an equivalent of an Irish internship. The list of countries with acceptable internships is:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• South Africa (Internships starting after 1st July 2006)
• Pakistan (Internships starting after 1st January 2009)
• Sudan
• Malaysia
• UK
• Malta

Experience certificate from Medical Council / Good Standing certificate:

An experience certificate is issued in place of your services up to the time of application, it is also called a Work Certificate or Certificate of Conformity in some parts worldwide. Usually, this requires the letters from your employer that need to be sent to the Medical Council of your country. It is usually very time-consuming, so it should be done as soon as possible.

The experience certificate needs to be uploaded to the ECFMG portal for verification.

A good standing certificate must be mailed via courier/post to IMC through the Medical Council of your country. Courier/post charges to be borne by the applicant vary from country to county. For Pakistan, it’s 7000PKR by the Pakistan Medical commission.

For Pakistan, it will be issued from Pakistan Medical Commission; apply via https://online.pmc.gov.pk/Account/Login

• English Language Proficiency certificate:

English language proficiency is the main prerequisite to entering the western world. For Doctors, we use IELTS and OET as evidence of English proficiency. It now depends on applicants which one suits them, in terms of finances and ability. Recently many doctors are opting for OET due to its relevancy and easiness.

IELTS Requirements: 

For IELTS minimum of 6.5 Bands in all subtests and 7 Bands should be average.

OET Requirements: 

For OET, Grade B is required in all subtests.

• ECFMG/EPIC account for EPIC Verification:

Another time-consuming process. It is slightly complicated because it should be done in a single sitting as the application needs all data at once, and failure to do so will start the application process from the beginning.

No need to worry; GRIDxMATRIX has covered you all and sorted out all the necessary documents needed for the EPIC account.

The required list of documents are:

• Scanned, full-color copy of Passport
• Full-colour photograph of yourself
• Information about the medical school starting and ending dates as per degree
• Medical licence details

How much is the ECFMG fee?

How much does ECFMG Charge?

What is the fee for EPIC verification?

After submitting the form, you will be asked to pay the account opening fee of US $130.

EPIC verification for a single document/credential is done at the cost of US $100.

For account opening visit:

https://epic.ecfmgepic.org/Registration.aspx

Medical Degree and Certificate of Experience need to be verified.

After setting up the account, you will need to book EPIC Identification Form (EIF) appointment at your preferred date and time, where you will have to sign electronically on a form given to you via the ECFMG portal before you can apply for a degree and experience verification.

• IMC Account

The last step for registration is setting up the IMC account. Follow this link for making an account and enter all necessary details

https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/registration-applications/

How much does IMC charge for registration? What is the fee for an IMC license? Irish Medical Council fees? How much is the annual retention fee?

IMC application fee is €410

IMC registration fee is €560

3 Yearly retention fee is €605 (after getting the licence to practice)

At this point, you need to request EPIC to send your documents to IMC online.

Send IELTS or OET results to IMC via post/courier and request your Medical Council to send Good Standing Certificate directly to the Irish Medical Council.

After receiving the documents, IMC will send you a form that you will resend via post/courier after filling it.

Usually, it takes around 2 to 3 months to acquire a full licence to practice in Ireland.

Doctors in Pakistan who have completed FCPS or have master’s degrees will also go through this process.

After all this, you are good to go on a job hunt in Ireland!

Check out below for some important FAQs to aid your registration.