How do nurses trained outside Ireland register with the NMBI?
Checked against the regulator’s own pages, October 2026
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) uses a two-step process: first your qualifications are recognised, then you register. The recognition decision can be full recognition, a request for more information, a compensation measure (an adaptation period in Ireland or an aptitude test), or a provisional refusal.
Who this is for
Nurses and midwives who qualified outside Ireland.
What the official guidance says
- To practise in Ireland you go through two steps: qualifications recognition, then registration.
- Assessment outcomes are: qualifications recognised, further information required, a compensation measure (for G2 and G3 applicants), or a provisional refusal.
- An adaptation period must take place in Ireland, and its clinical part lasts at least 6 weeks. Aptitude tests, run by the RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, are only for general and psychiatric nurses and have an MCQ and an OSCE, with two attempts.
- English: IELTS Academic overall 7.0 with 7.0 in three components and at least 6.5 in one, or OET (Nursing) with B in three components and C+ in one. Results must be less than two years old.
- The NMBI does not accept combined results, the IELTS One Skill Retake, IELTS Online or OET at home.
- You may not need a test if you trained in English, or practised for 3 years in the last five, in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA or the UK.
- The NMBI lists an overseas qualification recognition fee of €350 and an overseas registration fee of €145.
What it does not mean
- Recognition is not registration. You apply to register after your qualification is recognised.
- An aptitude test is not available to every division: the NMBI says only general and psychiatric nurses.
- The NMBI does not publish a single processing time; it says timelines depend on the type of application.
What to do next
- 01Start the overseas recognition application in MyNMBI to get your personal document list.
- 02Order certificates of current professional status close to applying: the issue date must be within six months of submission.
- 03Meet the English requirement with a test the NMBI accepts.
- 04Complete any compensation measure, then apply to register.
Questions
Does the NMBI accept OET at home?
No. The NMBI says it does not accept IELTS Online or OET at home.
Does Migo prepare NMBI registration?
Not yet. Mobility prepares UK (NMC, HCPC) and Australian (Ahpra) registration today.
Is Migo part of the NMBI?
No. Migo is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NMBI, and it does not give legal or immigration advice.
Official sources
- NMBI: Application process (qualified outside the EU)
- NMBI: Outcomes of assessment
- NMBI: Compensation measures
- NMBI: English language requirements
- NMBI: Registration fees
- NMBI: FAQ
Checked October 2026. Regulators change their rules, fees and scores, so confirm them on the official page before you act.
The visa side
Registration and the visa are separate. Migo’s visa guides cover the routes for this country, from the official government pages.
Where Migo can help
Migo AI Mobility does not prepare Irish NMBI registration yet. Today it prepares UK registration (the NMC for nurses and midwives, the HCPC for allied health professionals) and Australian registration through Ahpra for nurses, midwives, radiographers, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. If you are weighing those countries up too, Migo can build a free plan for one of them. For the visa side of this country, see Migo’s visa guides.
Your plan is free. You approve every paid step.
Related guides
Migo is independent: it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the regulator named on this page. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.