Eligibility and requirements

Who can apply for the Intern Year

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a graduate/final year student (of whatever nationality) of a Medical School in one of the following EEA countries: Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Iceland.
  • Be a graduate/final year student (of whatever nationality) of a Medical School in one of the following Medical Schools: RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus.
  • Be a graduate/final year student of a Medical School in the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland).
  • The centile, based on overall degree or overall exams, must be available and provided to the National Recruitment Services by the Dean of your Medical School (usually mid-May).
  • Applicants must have graduated* on or after 1st April 2023 and be eligible to apply for registration with the Irish Medical Council on or before 23rd June 2025 (dates will be updated every year).

*Graduated: Date by which you will have received your basic (primary) medical qualification, which clearly displays the full date of conferral.

Who cannot apply

  • Graduates from Medical Schools in EEA countries which are not listed above
  • Applicants whose centile is not based on their final or overall exams or whose centile is not provided to the National Recruitment Services on the date stipulated
  • Applicants who graduated beyond the agreed dates
  • Applicants who have commenced Intern training (or equivalent formal practical training) in Ireland or any other country
  • Applicants who have already completed Intern training (or equivalent formal practical training) in Ireland or any other country
  • Applicants who are registered or entitled to registration on the General Division, Trainee Specialist Division (other than as an Intern), Supervised Division, Visiting EEA Practitioners
  • Division or Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council of Ireland
  • Applicants who have previously been appointed to an intern post and intern training network in Ireland and who have failed to satisfactorily progress through their intern training pathway and have been formally removed from an intern post and/or an intern training network on foot of same. 

Registration with the Medical Council of Ireland

All interns must be registered with MCI prior to commencing their internships.

EEA/Non-EEA Status and Right to Work in Ireland

EEA nationals who do not require work permits/visas/authorisations are nationals of the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,  Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland,  and Liechtenstein.

The appointment of applicants to Intern posts must be in line with Employment Permit Legislation. In practice, this means that all applicants who will not require a permit to work in Ireland will be allocated to posts ahead of applicants who will require a permit to work in Ireland.

Applicants who are Non-EEA nationals with Stamp 4/Stamp 4EUFam/Stamp 4S/Stamp 5 do not require a work permit.

Applicants, who are Non-EEA nationals and do not hold a Stamp 4 or Stamp 4EUfam/Stamp 4 S or Stamp 5 GNIB card at the time of their stage 1 application, will be recorded as requiring a work permit to work in Ireland.

Garda and Police Vetting

All Interns must undergo to a process of vetting by An Garda Síochána. The Garda vetting process covers residents in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland only. For those residing in countries outside of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for a period of 6 months or more consecutively, it will be mandatory to submit a Police Clearance Certificate from those countries stating that there were no convictions recorded.

Language Requirements

Academic International English Language Testing System and Occupational English Test. (IELTS and OET)

Any applicant who did not complete the entirety of their undergraduate medical degree in a country where English is the primary language spoken by the vast majority of the people of that country regardless of the applicant’s nationality, will be required to provide evidence of competency in the English language.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate with an overall band score of 7.0 and a minimum score of 6.5 in each of the four domains – reading, writing, listening and speaking is required. Occupational English Test (OET) certificate with an overall Grade B and a minimum score of Grade B in each of the four domains – reading, writing, listening and speaking is accepted.