Ireland has a public healthcare system. People who are ordinarily resident in Ireland are entitled to access a range of public health services either free of charge or at a reduced cost. If a person qualifies for a medical card, the card covers GP visits, most prescribed medicines, public outpatient and inpatient services, eye and ear tests, and dental checks, although prescription charges and some other charges may apply. The Government allocates a budget to the Department of Health and the HSE each year to fund health and social care services.
Nursing and midwifery are internationally recognized professions that offer rewarding career options. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) is the independent statutory organization that regulates these professions in Ireland. In its 2025 State of the Register report, NMBI stated that, as of June 1, 2025, 92,385 nurses and midwives were on the register and 86,948 reported that they were practicing.
For more information about the nursing profession and the steps to becoming a nurse in Ireland, read our guide below.
How to Become a Nurse in Ireland
Step 1. Choose an Irish University That Offers Nursing Courses/Programs
Several Irish colleges and universities offer NMBI-approved nursing degree programs. NMBI identifies four undergraduate nursing disciplines: General Nursing, Children’s and General Nursing, Intellectual Disability Nursing, and Mental Health Nursing. Students should choose the discipline that best matches their career goals and check the approved program options on the relevant education body’s website.
Step 2. Prepare All the University Requirements
Applicants should prepare the documents required by their chosen education body. For standard CAO school-leaver applications, NMBI lists minimum Irish Leaving Certificate requirements: H5 in two papers and O6/H7 in four papers, including Irish or English, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject, and three other subjects.
Equivalent qualifications and alternative entry routes may apply, and individual education bodies may have additional requirements. International applicants should check the selected program’s website and the institution’s admissions guidance before applying.
Step 3. Get a Language Proficiency Certificate
Applicants should check the English-language requirements of their chosen education body because accepted evidence, tests, and scores may vary. Nurses and midwives who qualified outside Ireland and apply for NMBI registration must also demonstrate English competence during Stage 2 of NMBI’s current process. For NMBI’s standard test pathway, the accepted tests are IELTS Academic and OET; TOEFL is not listed as a standard NMBI test option.
Step 4. Finish the Nursing Degree
This is an essential step to becoming a nurse in Ireland. Most pre-registration undergraduate nursing degree programs take four years to complete. The combined Children’s and General Nursing degree takes four and a half years. After qualifying and registering, nurses may pursue postgraduate study or approved post-registration programs to develop additional knowledge and skills.
Step 5. Apply for NMBI Registration
NMBI maintains the Register of Nurses and Midwives in Ireland. It is illegal to practice as a nurse or midwife if you are not on the register. Undergraduate nursing and midwifery students in Ireland must join the Candidate Register before coming into contact with patients, and graduates who complete an approved program can apply to join the Register of Nurses and Midwives.
For more information, visit the Register of Nurses and Midwives section. Students and graduates who qualified in Ireland should also review the Qualified in Ireland section on the NMBI website.
Step 6. For Foreign Nurses, Accomplish the Overseas Registration or Application Request Form
The paper request-form process described in this heading is no longer the current route. Nurses and midwives who qualified outside Ireland should use MyNMBI. NMBI’s current online process has two stages: qualification recognition and registration. In MyNMBI, applicants select Registration Services and then Overseas Recognition, answer the classification questions, and follow the document prompts for their route.
Applicants should also review the relevant NMBI guidance for qualifications obtained outside the EU or in the EU.
Step 7. Pay the Overseas Registration Fee
Payments are processed as part of the application submission in MyNMBI. NMBI’s current fee schedule lists an Overseas Qualification Recognition Fee of €350 and an Overseas Registration Fee of €145. Applicants should confirm the current fees before submitting an application.
For the current fee schedule, visit the NMBI services fees page.
Step 8. Wait for the Overseas Registration Application Pack
The paper application pack described in this heading belongs to the previous process. Under the current online process, applicants upload their own documents and review the progress of their applications in MyNMBI. NMBI states that applicants should not share their credentials or allow a third party to upload documents on their behalf.
Step 9. Prepare to Submit All Necessary Documents
MyNMBI identifies the documents required for an applicant’s route. Depending on the applicant’s category, the required documents may include a certified copy of a current passport or national identity card, evidence of any name change, a qualification parchment, a qualification transcript, evidence of professional registration or licensing, a Certificate of Current Professional Status or Certificate of Good Standing from relevant jurisdictions, and completed qualification or employment forms.
NMBI requires certified English translations of documents that are not written in English. Applicants must upload their own documents and complete a declaration confirming that the information provided in connection with the application is complete, accurate, and true to the best of their knowledge.
Step 10. Wait for the Outcome of the Application
After assessing an application for qualification recognition, NMBI may state that the qualifications have been recognized, request further information, require a compensation measure for an applicable G2 or G3 applicant, or provisionally refuse to recognize the qualifications. A compensation measure is a period of adaptation or an aptitude test that must be completed successfully before NMBI can recognize the qualifications.
Qualifications must be recognized before an applicant can proceed to the registration stage. Applicants can log in to MyNMBI to check the status of their applications and see whether any documents are outstanding.
Step 11. Find Employment
Once an applicant’s NMBI registration has been approved, the applicant can seek employment and practice nursing in the Republic of Ireland.
The HSE is the largest employer in Ireland and hires people for a wide range of roles across the country. In its 2024 annual report, the HSE reported a workforce of 148,268 whole-time equivalents. Nurses seeking work can review current opportunities on the HSE jobs page.
We hope that you found this article on the steps to becoming a nurse in Ireland informative and helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs for International Students in Europe!
