Irish Medical Council (IMC) Registration Guide for GPs & Hospital Doctors

Every doctor practising medicine in Ireland must hold active registration with the Irish Medical Council (IMC) via the IMC Online Portal:

• Specialist Division (General Practice): Required to hold a GMS contract and preferred by most Primary Care practices and Out-of-Hours co-ops. Doctors holding MICGP, MRCGP (UK), or an EU/EEA Annex V Specialist Certificate in General Practice—as well as recognized vocational GP training from Australia (FRACGP), New Zealand (FRNZCGP), Canada (CCFP), or South Africa—frequently qualify for direct or assessed entry onto the Specialist Register.
• General Registration: Enables doctors to work in supervised hospital posts (SHO / Registrar) and certain Primary Care sessional/locum settings where GMS sign-off is not required.

For doctors who qualified outside the EU/EEA, the IMC requires Primary Source Verification (PSV) of your basic medical degree and postgraduate qualifications through ECFMG’s EPIC portal before your IMC application is finalised.

You will also need a Certificate of Good Standing (CCPS) sent directly to the Irish Medical Council from every medical regulatory authority with which you have held registration over the past 5 years.

If you previously practised in Ireland and voluntarily withdrew from the register, you can apply for restoration via the IMC Voluntary Withdrawal and Restoration process. Our compliance team can guide you through the required Certificate of Good Standing and declaration steps.