Yes, Irish doctors can work in Australia. If your medical degree is accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland and you finished your intern year in Ireland, you skip the AMC exams and use the Medical Board of Australia’s Competent Authority pathway: get a job with an approved supervisor, then do 12 months of supervised practice before general registration. Irish GPs, anaesthetists, obstetricians and paediatricians with the right qualifications can apply straight for specialist registration on the Expedited Specialist pathway.
Everything below is as of November 2026, so check the official pages we link before you pay for anything. Planning the wider move too? Start with our complete guide to moving to Australia from Ireland.
Short version
- Trained in Ireland: the Medical Council of Ireland is a recognised competent authority, so an Irish accredited degree plus an Irish internship gets you onto the Competent Authority pathway with no AMC exams.
- Job first: the Medical Board must approve your position and supervisor before it registers you, then you do 12 months of supervised practice.
- Irish specialists: MICGP, FCAI, and MRCPI in obstetrics and gynaecology or paediatrics (each with a CSCST) are on the Expedited Specialist list, with usually six months of supervised practice.
- Visas: hospital work is exempt from the working holiday visa’s 6 month employer limit, and GP, Resident Medical Officer and the specialist codes are on the list for the 482 Core Skills stream.
- Costs: budget AUD 642 for your AMC portfolio, USD 255 or more for ECFMG verification, and AUD 1,316 for the Medical Board’s provisional application and registration fees.
Can Irish doctors work in Australia?
Yes, once you’re registered with the Medical Board of Australia through Ahpra, the agency that runs registration for health professionals. Which route you take depends on where you trained and what stage you’re at:
| Your situation | Usual pathway |
|---|---|
| Irish accredited medical degree and intern year done in Ireland | Competent Authority pathway (Category F), leading to general registration |
| GP, anaesthetist, obstetrician or general paediatrician with an Irish qualification on the Board’s list | Expedited Specialist pathway, leading to specialist registration |
| Any other specialist qualification | Specialist pathway, with an assessment by the Australian college |
| Specialist or trainee coming for a training post, usually up to 24 months | Short term training in a medical specialty pathway |
| Degree not accredited by any competent authority, and no other category fits | Standard pathway, with the AMC exams |
The Board’s international medical graduates page covers all five. One heads-up: in June and July 2026 the Board ran public consultations on formalising the Competent Authority pathway and reviewing the Standard and Specialist pathways. As of November 2026 its consultations page only says submissions will be published soon, so what follows is what its pathway pages say now.
The Competent Authority pathway: the usual route if you trained in Ireland
The Medical Council of Ireland is one of the Board’s approved competent authorities, alongside bodies in the UK, the US, Canada and New Zealand. Irish graduates come under Category F, which needs both of these:
- A degree from a programme of basic medical education accredited and approved by the Medical Council of Ireland. Courses run wholly or partly outside Ireland only count if they’re on the Board’s list of eligible offshore courses.
- Successful completion of an internship in Ireland, shown by your Certificate of Experience.
Meet both and you don’t sit the AMC exams. The full criteria are on the Board’s Competent Authority pathway page.
Did you do your intern year outside Ireland? The Board accepts the experience part from a different competent authority category, so an Irish degree plus a UK Foundation Year 1 can still qualify. The experience has to be exactly as that other category defines it, and approved by that country’s regulator.
Registered in Ireland through PRES? Category F is built on a degree accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland, so PRES on its own doesn’t get you in. Check the other categories (the UK’s PLAB route is Category A), or plan for the Standard pathway.
What happens once you’re eligible
- Job first. The Board has to approve your position and your supervision before it registers you, so your application includes a nominated supervisor and a supervised practice plan.
- Provisional registration. You start on provisional registration and complete 12 months of supervised practice, which the Board defines as at least 47 weeks full time equivalent.
- First three months. You complete an orientation to the Australian health system, and orientation and work performance reports are due at three months.
- General registration. As you near the end of your 12 months, you apply for general registration through the Ahpra portal.
- Heading into general practice? Competent Authority and Standard pathway doctors applying for provisional or limited registration to work in general practice need a pre-employment structured clinical interview (PESCI). The Board says to arrange it before you apply.
Irish GPs and specialists: the Expedited Specialist pathway
If you hold a specialist qualification on the Board’s accepted list, you can apply directly to the Board for specialist registration without going through a college assessment first. These are the Irish qualifications on the list as at 1 July 2026:
| Specialty | Irish qualification accepted |
|---|---|
| General practice | MICGP plus CSCST, awarded under any ICGP curriculum from 2009 |
| Anaesthesia | FCAI plus CSCST, under any CAI curriculum from July 2012 |
| Obstetrics and gynaecology | MRCPI plus CSCST in obstetrics and gynaecology, MRCPI from July 2010 |
| General paediatrics | MRCPI (Paediatrics) plus CSCST in paediatrics, from July 2010 |
Some come with extras. Irish GPs need a letter from the ICGP confirming the 4-year training programme (or the Recognition of Prior Learning scheme). Anaesthetists must complete the Effective Management of Anaesthetic Crisis (EMAC) course, obstetricians may need colposcopy training, and paediatricians need an Australian child protection course and a paediatric advanced life support course. Check the accepted qualifications list for the exact evidence.
Psychiatry and general medicine are on the pathway too, but the list only accepts UK qualifications for those, and diagnostic radiology only has a Canadian one. The Board says dermatology, emergency medicine, general surgery and otolaryngology are the next priority specialties it will consider.
What you sign up for:
- A period of supervised practice, usually six months, plus orientation, cultural safety education and workplace-based assessments, including a multi-source feedback assessment.
- Meeting the English, recency of practice and criminal history standards when you apply.
- No start date until your specialist registration is granted and your supervised position and plan are approved.
- After six months of supervised practice, you can apply to have your conditions removed.
The Board recommends applying at least three months before you want to start. Full details are on its Expedited Specialist pathway page.
Other specialists: the Specialist pathway
If your qualification isn’t on the list, the relevant Australian specialist college compares your training and experience with Australian standards. You’ll be rated substantially comparable, partially comparable or not comparable. Not comparable means you aren’t eligible for this pathway. For the other two outcomes you need a Board-approved position and supervision, and the college sets your supervised practice, which runs from 3 to 24 months. Once the college confirms you’ve met its requirements, you apply for specialist registration. Colleges charge their own assessment fees.
Coming for a fellowship or training post
The short term training in a medical specialty pathway is for specialists and specialists in training who want up to 24 months of training in Australia. You need an offer of a training post, the college assesses whether you suit it, and you get limited registration. It doesn’t lead to specialist registration, and the Board expects you to return home when the training ends.
The Standard pathway: when you need the AMC exams
This is for doctors who don’t qualify for the Competent Authority or Specialist pathways. You pass the AMC’s computer adaptive multiple choice exam (the CAT MCQ), then either the AMC clinical exam or a workplace-based assessment (WBA) of 6 to 12 months in an accredited program. Once you’ve passed the CAT MCQ you can apply for limited registration, and you can only do a WBA after you’re registered. General registration again needs 12 months of supervised practice. Details are on the AMC’s Standard pathway page.
How to register: step by step
- Confirm your pathway. Use the table above and the Board’s pathway pages. Getting this wrong wastes fees.
- Get your degree verified. Primary source verification through ECFMG is required for every international medical graduate. You create an AMC account and initial portfolio, then a MyIntealth account and EPIC portfolio with ECFMG, which checks your degree directly with your medical school.
- Order your certificates of good standing. The Board wants one from every registration authority you’ve been registered with in the past 10 years, sent directly to it. The Medical Council of Ireland charges EUR 55 per certificate. Worked in the UK? You’ll need one from the GMC too.
- Find a job. On the Competent Authority pathway you can’t be registered without a Board-approved position and supervisor, so the job offer comes before registration. More on how hospital jobs work below.
- Apply through the Ahpra portal. Apply at least three months before your start date. The Board accepts applications up to six months ahead. You’ll need a CV in the Board’s format, proof of identity and a criminal history check, and if you need an international check you pay for it.
- Sort your visa. See the visa section below. The Board warns that leaving out your Ahpra registration number can delay a visa application.
- Start work and complete your supervision. Orientation, three month reports, then general registration or removal of conditions at the end.
What it costs
| Item | Cost (November 2026) |
|---|---|
| AMC initial portfolio (includes one qualification) | AUD 642, plus AUD 107 for each extra qualification |
| ECFMG verification | USD 110 for your MyIntealth account, USD 35 for the EPIC portfolio, USD 110 per credential verified |
| Medical Council of Ireland certificate of good standing | EUR 55 each |
| Provisional registration (Competent Authority pathway) | AUD 773 application fee plus AUD 543 registration fee (AUD 477 in NSW) |
| Moving from provisional to general registration | AUD 543 application fee plus AUD 1,102 registration fee (AUD 925 in NSW) |
| Specialist registration (Expedited Specialist or Specialist pathway) | AUD 1,661 application fee plus AUD 1,102 registration fee (AUD 925 in NSW) |
| Standard pathway exams | CAT MCQ AUD 2,920. Clinical exam AUD 3,000 in person or AUD 3,400 online. WBA AUD 1,070 |
The Medical Board figures are from its schedule of fees effective 1 August 2026, and you pay the application and registration fee together when you apply. The AMC figures are from its fees page. On top of these, specialist colleges charge for their assessments, and the Board’s pathway pages list CPD home joining fees as another cost.
Do Irish doctors need IELTS or OET?
Usually not. Ireland is one of the recognised countries for English, so if you went to school and college here you’ll usually meet the standard through the school education pathway. It needs:
- At least 10 years of primary and secondary school education taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country.
- Your medical qualification taught and assessed solely in English.
There are also combined and advanced education pathways, and a test pathway. The Medical Board also accepts a pass in the UK’s PLAB test or New Zealand’s NZREX. The English language skills standard has the full wording and the test scores.
Went to a Gaelscoil or Gaelcholáiste? The school pathway says “solely in English”, so check how your Irish-medium years count. The advanced education pathway can count your degree years, but your last period of education must have finished no more than two years before you apply. Ask Ahpra before you book a test.
Which visa can you use?
Registration and your visa are separate applications. For the 482, Home Affairs says a medical practitioner must have their qualifications recognised by the Australian registration authority, so get your registration moving first.
Working holiday visa (subclass 417)
If you’re 18 to 35, this gets you in without an employer sponsor. It costs AUD 840, you stay 12 months, and you must be outside Australia when you apply and when it’s decided. Home Affairs says processing averages around three months, so don’t book flights until it’s granted. Our working holiday visa guide walks you through it. Two things matter for doctors:
- The 6 month limit doesn’t apply in hospitals. Health is a critical sector, covering “all work carried out in hospitals” and naming doctors, so you can stay with the same employer past 6 months without asking permission.
- Medicine won’t get you a second visa. Health isn’t on the list of specified work for your 88 days, apart from critical COVID-19 work, which needs evidence that it supported the pandemic response.
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
General Practitioner, Resident Medical Officer and the specialist codes, such as Anaesthetist, Psychiatrist, Paediatrician and Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, are on the Core Skills Occupation List. An employer sponsors you for up to 4 years, you need at least 1 year of relevant experience, and you can apply for permanent residence later if eligible.
- Core Skills stream: you must be paid the market rate and no less than AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
- Specialist Skills stream: for higher earners in eligible occupations, with a threshold of AUD 146,576 for the same period.
- Cost: from AUD 4,015 for the main applicant.
- Health insurance: keeping adequate health insurance for your whole stay is a condition of the visa.
Browse jobs with visa sponsorship on our board, and ask any employer early who pays for what.
Permanent visas (186, 189, 190 and 491)
- 186 Employer Nomination Scheme: permanent, from AUD 6,140. The Temporary Residence Transition stream usually needs 2 years of full time sponsored work on a 482 in the past 3 years, and you usually must be under 45. Doctors nominated as medical practitioners who’ve worked at least 2 years in a designated regional area on a 482 in the past 3 years, in a regional position, are exempt from the age limit.
- 189, 190 and 491: General Practitioner is on the list for all three. Resident Medical Officer is on for the 190 and 491 but not the 189. The assessing authority for medical occupations is the Medical Board of Australia.
Our partner Migration Unity are registered migration agents who can check your options, and our guide to visa options to stay longer covers the wider picture.
Going into general practice? Know the 10 year Medicare rule
Under section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act, overseas trained doctors who want to bill Medicare generally have to work in a Distribution Priority Area (for GPs) or a District of Workforce Shortage (for other specialists) for 10 years from their first medical registration in Australia. These are locations the government classes as short of doctors. Exemptions exist but are limited. Before you sign with a practice, check its location’s status with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s section 19AB page.
How hospital jobs work
NSW and Queensland recruit junior doctors through annual campaigns, and NSW Health says the clinical year starts on the first Monday in February. Here’s what each state says about overseas doctors:
- NSW: overseas trained doctors can apply in the annual Junior Medical Officer campaign, competing on merit against local applicants. International medical graduates can’t apply for intern posts through the state’s intern allocation. As of November 2026, second round applications are open until 15 January 2027. See NSW Health’s international JMO page.
- Queensland: Queensland Health runs one central campaign every year for interns, resident medical officers and registrars, and its hospital and health services advertise senior doctor jobs on Smartjobs. Its IMG page has the links.
- Victoria: the Victorian Department of Health warns that more Australian graduates have “intensified competition amongst IMGs for a decreasing number of hospital positions”, and that starting an assessment pathway doesn’t guarantee a job. Read its page for international health professionals and research vacancies before you pay for anything.
- Western Australia: WA Health has a dedicated international medical graduates section with an orientation manual and links to its medical jobs portal.
Not done your intern year yet? Finish it in Ireland if you can. Category F needs an internship completed in Ireland, and NSW doesn’t take international medical graduates through its intern allocation.
What Queensland pays
Queensland Health publishes its rates, so here’s a real benchmark. These are its base wage rates from 1 September 2026.
| Classification | Base pay a year |
|---|---|
| Resident and career medical officers, levels L1 to L13 (76 hour fortnight) | AUD 99,634 to AUD 195,746 |
| Senior medical officers, levels L13 to L29 (80 hour fortnight) | AUD 195,746 to AUD 311,764 |
Queensland Health says the yearly figures are the fortnightly rate times 26.089, for reference only. Where you land on the scale depends on how your Irish experience is counted, so get it in writing before you sign. The full table is on its medical officer wage rates page, and weigh it all against the cost of living in Australia.
You’ll also find healthcare jobs on the Irish Around Oz job board, and you can set up job alerts so new roles land in your inbox. Picking a city? We have guides for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Perth.
Before you leave Ireland
- Certificates of good standing. EUR 55 each from the Medical Council of Ireland, and one from every other regulator you’ve been registered with in the past 10 years.
- Your Irish registration. The 2026/2027 annual fee is EUR 665 if you’ve been on the register more than 3 years. If you let it go, restoring costs EUR 230 plus the annual fee, so decide before the retention deadline.
- Health cover. Ireland’s reciprocal agreement is limited: for visitors it covers medically necessary care as a public patient in public hospitals when you show your Irish passport, but not GP visits. On a 482, health insurance is a visa condition anyway. Read our Medicare guide for Irish people before you sort insurance. On a working holiday visa, True Traveller covers working holiday makers, and our travel insurance guide compares the options.
- Money. Registration and visa fees add up fast. CurrencyFair is our main partner for moving euro to Australian dollars, and our money transfer guide compares the options.
- Everything else. Work through our moving to Australia checklist.
Moving with a partner in another profession? We have the same kind of guide for Irish nurses, Irish teachers, Irish tradespeople, Irish accountants and Irish social workers.
Starting a new hospital job on the other side of the world? Our Facebook groups are full of Irish people in Australia who can tell you which areas suit you and help you find your feet.
FAQ
Can Irish doctors work in Australia?
Yes. You need registration with the Medical Board of Australia through Ahpra and a visa with work rights. With an Irish degree and an Irish intern year, you use the Competent Authority pathway.
Do Irish doctors have to sit the AMC exams?
Not if you have a degree accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland and finished your internship in Ireland. That’s Category F of the Competent Authority pathway, which has no AMC exams.
Is the Medical Council of Ireland a competent authority in Australia?
Yes. The Medical Board lists it as a competent authority, with an accredited medical course as the qualification.
How long does it take to get general registration?
After provisional registration, you complete 12 months of supervised practice (at least 47 weeks full time equivalent) before applying for general registration. The Board recommends applying at least three months before your start date.
Can Irish GPs get specialist registration in Australia?
Yes, if you have the MICGP plus a CSCST awarded under any ICGP curriculum from 2009. That’s on the Expedited Specialist list, with usually six months of supervised practice. Check the 10 year Medicare rule before choosing a practice.
Can Irish psychiatrists or physicians use the fast track?
Not with Irish qualifications as of the 1 July 2026 list, which only accepts UK qualifications for psychiatry and general medicine. You’d use the Specialist pathway, with an assessment by the Australian college.
Do Irish doctors need IELTS or OET?
Usually not. Ireland is a recognised country, so 10 years of school taught and assessed solely in English plus a medical degree taught and assessed solely in English meets the standard.
Can I work as a doctor on a working holiday visa?
Yes, once you’re registered. Hospital work is a critical sector, so you can stay with one employer for more than 6 months, but it won’t count towards your 88 days.
Can I do my intern year in Australia?
Not in NSW, where international medical graduates can’t apply through the intern allocation. Category F also needs an internship completed in Ireland, so finish it at home if you can.
Is general practice on the skilled occupation list?
Yes. General Practitioner is on the list for the 482 Core Skills stream, 186, 189, 190 and 491.
