Recognition of qualification

The HSE cannot hire a regulated health professional without the proper registration.

There is a regulatory body that manages registration and recognises qualifications.

The recognition and registration process can take some time. We recommend you to do it as soon as possible.

Comparability statement

There might be no professional body or regulator for your profession. If that applies to you, you can download a comparability statement from the NARIC foreign qualifications database.

This statement shows how your qualification compares to an Irish qualification of a similar type and level on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).

If your qualification is not listed, you can request advice on having it recognised from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).

NARIC’s foreign qualifications database - qqi.ie.

National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) qqi.ie.

Recognition of a foreign qualification - qqi.ie.

Regulator bodies

The relevant regulator is the authority for registration and recognition of qualifications.

Professional regulators

These are the following:

• doctors - Irish Medical Counccil - medicalcouncil.ie
• nurses and midwives - NMBI register - my.nmbi.ie
• dentists and dental specialists, nurses, hygienists and clinical technicians - Dental Council register - dentalcouncil.ie
• pharmacists - Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland register - registrations.thepsi.ie
• emergency medical technicians, paramedics and advanced paramedics - Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council register - phecit.ie

For certain health and social care professions, the relevant body is CORU.

Professions regulated by CORU include:

• social worker
• dietician
• physiotherapist
• occupational therapist
• dispensing optician
• radiographer
• speech and language therapist
• medical scientist
• podiatrist
• social care worker
• radiation therapist
• optometrist

Department of Health

The Minister for Health is the competent authority for the following professions:

• Audiology - gov.ie
• Clinical Biochemistry - gov.ie
• Environmental Health - gov.ie
• Orthoptics - gov.ie
• Psychology - gov.ie

The validation unit handles the process for these professions. Email: validation_unit@health.gov.ie

Recognition of Qualifications in the Department of Health - gov.ie

The assessment procedures set out in Directive 2005/36/EC on recognising professional qualifications also apply to qualifications that are not covered by the Directive. This includes qualifications from outside the EEA, or qualifications from within the EEA held by people who are not EEA nationals.

What you need to know

It's important to know that:

• comparability statement is not a legal document - it only provides advice
• your qualification must come from a nationally recognised awarding body in your home country
• the individual employer decides whether to accept a qualification for employment purposes
• the relevant Irish authority for your profession decides whether to recognise a professional qualification

It is your responsibility to provide proof of registration with the relevant professional body or regulator, or qualification equivalence.