You are hereThe Ireland nurse route. 12 steps. NMBI's averages: 13 months to register, 18 with a compensation measure.
- 1Check you fitYou are hereStart this route
- 2Open MyNMBI and send your recognition applicationYou can start this now
- 3Get your NMCN papers to NMBICannot start yet: opens when NMBI says which NMCN paper it takes and the NMCN says how to send it
- 4Pass your English testYou can start this now
- 5Get NMBI's decision on your qualificationCannot start yet: opens when you have sent your recognition application
- 6Win a job offerCannot start yet: opens when NMBI registers you (Step 8), if it recognised your qualification; if its decision asks for a compensation measure, once you have your English result (Step 4)
- 7Pass your compensation measure, if NMBI asks for oneOnly if NMBI's decision asks for a compensation measure
- 8Register with NMBICannot start yet: opens when NMBI recognises your qualification, on its decision or once you pass your compensation measure, and you have your English result (Step 4)
- 9Apply for the Critical Skills permitCannot start yet: opens when you have a two-year job offer
- 10Get your employment visaCannot start yet: opens when your permit is granted
- 11Travel, arrive and registerCannot start yet: opens when your visa is granted, or, if you are already in Ireland on the Atypical Working Scheme, when the Immigration Service tells you what you do once your permit is granted
- 12Your first payslip, your family and Stamp 4Cannot start yet: opens when you start with your employer
I am stuck
I am stuck
The desk explains what a step means and where the official answer lives.
Become a nurse in Ireland
For nurses on the NMCN register. Twelve steps to your first payslip in Ireland.
Why this order?
The steps run in the order NMBI, Ireland's nursing regulator, and the Immigration Service need them. NMBI recognises your qualification first, then registers you, and it advises you not to apply for posts until you have a registration decision. If its decision asks for a compensation measure, RCSI's aptitude test in Dublin needs an Atypical Working Scheme letter linked to your prospective employer, so the job comes before it. Your MyNMBI account and your English test can start now. Ask NMBI which NMCN paper it takes, and the NMCN how to send it, before you pay.
NMBI's applicant guide gives G3 about 3 months to a recognition decision and 20 working days to a registration decision once it has all your documents, and an average of 13 months from sending your documents to registration; its FAQ gives 18 months on average with a compensation measure. These are averages, not a promise; your job search and your test dates set the real length. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Free. About two minutes.
- 1Start here
Check you fit
Seven questions, about two minutes, no account.
See what this step needs
Ireland registers a nurse trained outside the EU in two steps: NMBI, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, first recognises your qualification, then registers you. NMBI sorts applicants into three groups. G3 applicants, trained outside the EU Directive, have an administrative and a qualification assessment; MyNMBI's questions confirm your group, free. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Your English: IELTS Academic (or IELTS Academic for UKVI) 7.0 overall, with 7.0 in three parts and 6.5 in one; or OET (Nursing) with B in three parts and C+ in one. One result, less than two years old. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Your qualification: for a nurse, the Critical Skills permit asks for "a third level degree or diploma accepted by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland as a sufficient qualification for registration". Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 8 October 2026.
NMBI advises you not to move to Ireland or leave your job expecting your registration, and not to apply for nursing posts until you have a registration decision. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Source: NMBI, qualified outside the EU, read 8 October 2026.
Open NMBI's page for nurses qualified outside the EU
NMBI's English language requirements
The Critical Skills permit's page
Free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Ireland checks your nursing training first, then registers you. You need IELTS 7.0 (6.5 in one part) or OET B (C+ in one part), and a nursing degree or diploma NMBI accepts.
Where the official answer lives: NMBI's page for nurses qualified outside the EU holds the two steps. NMBI's overseas registration team answers on G3reg@nmbi.ie and +353 1 639 8500, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm; its customer care line, 0818 200 116, is for calls from Ireland.
- 2You can start this now
Open MyNMBI and send your recognition application
Make your MyNMBI account, confirm your group, upload your own documents and pay the €350 recognition fee.
See what this step needs
Make your account on MyNMBI and answer its questions: they confirm your group and cost nothing. By the end of the tool's second step you know which documents you need. Upload your documents yourself, never through a third party, and pay yourself: NMBI takes the fee only from the nurse, never from an agent. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
€350, about ₦523,950, the recognition fee, paid on MyNMBI when you submit; then €145, about ₦217,065, to register (Step 8): €495, about ₦741,015, together. If you apply and do not meet the English requirement, the assessment fee is not refunded. A second recognition application sent within seven days of the first pays no second fee. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
What you send: a certified copy of your passport, a certified copy of your qualification parchment, any other relevant training, your certificate of current professional status from every country you are or were registered in (Step 3), and official translations of anything not in English. Your employers fill in NMBI's employment form, and your college fills in its General Nursing qualification form and gives you your transcript. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
A certified copy is a photocopy of the original, never a copy of a copy or a fax, stamped, signed and dated by a solicitor or lawyer, a notary public, a commissioner for oaths, a justice of the peace or a peace commissioner, with their full name and profession. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
If a document is missing, you have six months from the day you submit to send it, or NMBI closes the application and you apply again. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Source: NMBI, registration fees, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the last day to send a missing document, six months after you submit, worked out from the day you submitted your recognition application, which you enter in your plan: you have six months to send any missing document. Enter it in your plan
How NMBI wants documents certified
Rekoja charges nothing here. You upload and pay NMBI yourself: NMBI takes neither from an agent.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Make an account on MyNMBI, upload your certified documents yourself and pay €350 (about ₦523,950). Your employer and your college each fill in one NMBI form for you.
Where the official answer lives: NMBI's applicant guide walks through MyNMBI screen by screen; it is a large PDF (18.8 MB), so open it on Wi-Fi. NMBI's overseas registration team answers on G3reg@nmbi.ie and +353 1 639 8500, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm; its customer care line, 0818 200 116, is for calls from Ireland.
- 3Cannot start yet: opens when NMBI says which NMCN paper it takes and the NMCN says how to send it
Get your NMCN papers to NMBI
Get the NMCN paper NMBI asks for from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, issued within six months of your NMBI application.
See what this step needs
NMBI asks for a Certificate of Current Professional Status (CCPS), also called a certificate of good standing, from every country where you are or were registered, issued within the 6 months before you submit. In MyNMBI you upload it with its issue date, or tick the box that says your nursing council is sending it to NMBI directly. NMBI carries out source verification on certain documents. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Which NMCN paper NMBI takes as your CCPS: we do not know yet. Ask NMBI on G3reg@nmbi.ie before you pay. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
The NMCN's own fees: ₦8,750 for a letter of good standing on its own, and ₦66,875 for a general verification of certificates of registration, each paid to the NMCN through REMITA. Read on nmcn.gov.ng, 7 October 2026.
Where the NMCN's verification form comes from, and how you send the papers: we do not know yet. Ask the NMCN before you pay: (234) 702-923-4588 or info@nmcn.gov.ng, 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Read on nmcn.gov.ng, 7 October 2026.
How long the NMCN takes: we do not know yet. Ask the NMCN on the same line.
Source: NMBI, applicant guide, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the last day to submit with this certificate, 6 months after it was issued, worked out from the issue date on your certificate of good standing, which you enter in your plan: NMBI takes one issued within the 6 months before you submit. Enter it in your plan
Open the NMCN's verification page
Open the NMCN's verification page
Blocked until NMBI tells you which NMCN paper it takes and the NMCN tells you where its form comes from and how to send it: ask both first. Then it is free to do yourself; the NMCN's fee is passed on at cost, with its receipt.
The desk can do this step for you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Email NMBI to ask which NMCN letter it wants, and call or email the NMCN to ask how to get it sent. The letter must be less than six months old when you apply.
Where the official answer lives: NMBI answers on G3reg@nmbi.ie about which paper it takes. The NMCN answers on (234) 702-923-4588 and info@nmcn.gov.ng, 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday; its Abuja office is Plot 713, Cadastral Zone Life Camp, Gwarinpa, and its Lagos zone office is No. 8 Harvey Road, behind the Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba (08064703003, lagoszo@nmcn.gov.ng).
- 4You can start this now
Pass your English test
Sit IELTS Academic or OET and reach the scores NMBI asks for, in one sitting.
See what this step needs
IELTS Academic7Listening7Reading7Speaking6.5WritingOETBListeningBReadingBSpeakingC+WritingRead on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026, and on ielts.idp.com and oet.com, 7 October 2026
See the details
NMBI takes IELTS Academic, IELTS Academic for UKVI or OET (Nursing): IELTS 7.0 overall with 7.0 in three parts and 6.5 in one, or OET B in three parts and C+ in one. It takes one result only, never two sittings combined, and the result must be less than two years old. It does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake, IELTS online or OET at home, and it checks your scores itself. You show the result when you apply to register (Step 8), and it must still be valid then. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026. IDP Nigeria charges ₦299,000 for IELTS Academic on computer at a test centre (₦315,500 for IELTS for UKVI). Read on ielts.idp.com, 7 October 2026. OET bookings close 24 days before a paper test and 7 days before a computer test. Read on oet.com, 7 October 2026. The British Council's fee, and where OET is sat in Nigeria and what it costs: we do not know this yet. Here are the official booking pages, IELTS's and OET's, linked on this step.
Source: NMBI, English language requirements, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: how long your test result stays valid, worked out from your test date, which you enter in your plan: NMBI takes a result less than two years old when you apply to register. Enter it in your plan
Open NMBI's English language requirements
Book IELTS Academic at a test centre
IDP Nigeria's IELTS fees and test dates
Free. Rekoja does not sell a course; the test owners' own materials are on their pages.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Take IELTS Academic or OET at a test centre and get NMBI's scores in one sitting. The result must be under two years old when you register.
Where the official answer lives: NMBI's English language page holds the scores and rules; IELTS's and OET's own booking pages find a test date and centre.
- 5Cannot start yet: opens when you have sent your recognition application
Get NMBI's decision on your qualification
NMBI checks your documents, then an education assessor compares your training with Ireland's; the decision is one of four.
See what this step needs
First an administrative assessment that every document is valid and authentic; then an education assessor checks whether the clinical and theory content of your training meets the EU Directive and NMBI's requirements. Other courses and your work experience can be considered. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
The four outcomes: your qualification is recognised; NMBI needs more information; you must complete a compensation measure (Step 7); or a provisional refusal, where your training falls well short in theory or clinical content. NMBI's appeals fee is €150, about ₦224,550. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
How long, as NMBI's applicant guide gives it once NMBI has all your documents: for G3, about 3 months to a recognition decision and 20 working days to a registration decision, about 4 months in all. It says successful applicants take on average 13 months from sending their documents to registration. NMBI's older FAQ gives an average of 18 months with a compensation measure. These are NMBI's averages, not a promise. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
NMBI does not speed up an application because of a job offer. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Source: NMBI, outcomes of assessment, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: NMBI's average for a recognition decision, about 3 months after it has all your documents, worked out from the day NMBI had all your documents, which you enter in your plan: its guide gives about 3 months from then to a recognition decision. Enter it in your plan
Open NMBI's outcomes of assessment
NMBI's applicant guide, with its timelines
NMBI's FAQ for applicants from outside the EU
Free. NMBI decides; Rekoja never contacts NMBI for you.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
NMBI compares your nursing training with Ireland's. It may recognise it, ask for more papers, ask you to pass a test or a placement first, or refuse it.
Where the official answer lives: NMBI's outcomes page explains each decision; your decision letter says what comes next. NMBI's overseas registration team answers on G3reg@nmbi.ie and +353 1 639 8500, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm; its customer care line, 0818 200 116, is for calls from Ireland.
- 6Cannot start yet: opens when NMBI registers you (Step 8), if it recognised your qualification; if its decision asks for a compensation measure, once you have your English result (Step 4)
Win a job offer
Find a hospital in Ireland that may hire you from abroad, through the HSE or a private employer, and apply to its own advert yourself.
Rekoja checks, signposts, prepares and practises with you, and introduces you to no one. No worker ever pays for a job.
- 1Start from the HSE's own pages
Read the HSE's international recruitment pages, and register on its CareerHub for weekly job alerts.
See what this needs
The HSE says many international nurses are recruited through a small number of employment agencies that manage the whole recruitment on its behalf, and that you can also apply to it directly. Read on careerhub.hse.ie, 8 October 2026. In Ireland an employment agency must hold a licence, renewed every year, and may charge no fee above the scale the Minister approves, and no fee only for agreeing to look for work for you (section 7, Employment Agency Act 1971). Read on irishstatutebook.ie and workplacerelations.ie, 8 October 2026.
Free.
- 2Find the advert on the employer's own pages
Apply only to an advert the employer itself placed.
See what this needs
An advert that exists only in a WhatsApp forward or an agent's message is not the employer's.
Free.
- 3Apply yourself
You search, you apply, you interview and you accept, yourself.
See what this needs
You pay no one for a job. An agency that uses JobsIreland must hold a licence under the Employment Agency Act, 1971. Read on jobsireland.ie, 7 October 2026. Your employer can never take back from you, or out of your pay, any charge, fee or expense for your recruitment, for the permit application or its renewal, or for travel costs it has already paid you (section 23, Employment Permits Act 2006; section 55, Employment Permits Act 2024). Read on irishstatutebook.ie, 7 October 2026.
Free.
- 4Write it the way they read it
A CV in your own words, for the job's own advert.
See what this needs
The visa later asks for evidence of your qualifications and experience, so keep a copy of every certificate and work letter your CV names. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026.
The structure is free. On a paid file, the desk can finish your CV with you, and "I will do it myself" stays equal.
- 5Check the employer and the vacancy
Before you trust an offer, check the employer is registered and meets the 50:50 rule.
See what this needs
The employer must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners and, where it applies, the Companies Registration Office, and at least half its staff must be EEA nationals when it applies. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Free, always.
- 6Practise the interview
Practise saying your answers out loud.
See what this needs
This predicts nothing; it helps you speak calmly.
On a paid file, the desk practises with you, once.
- 7Is this a real offer?
When an offer comes, check it before you sign or pay anything.
See what this needs
The offer must be for at least 2 years, at the salary floor for your occupation. A job cannot be sold. If your employer applies for the permit, it can never take the fee back from you. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Free, always.
See what this step needs
The HSE, Ireland's health service, recruits international nurses through a small number of employment agencies working on its behalf, or directly. Read on careerhub.hse.ie, 8 October 2026.
Its relocation package is open to every candidate outside Ireland, for a permanent or temporary role of at least 2 years: up to €4,710 from outside the EU, about ₦7.1m, paid for up to 3 months against receipts. It can also cover your registration fees, visa fees, the RCSI aptitude test fee, language tests, the recognition fee and the Atypical Working Scheme fee. You apply to the HR department of the service that hires you. Read on about.hse.ie, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Nigeria is on the World Health Organization's health workforce support and safeguards list of 2023, published 8 March 2023; WHO says the 2026 update will be published later in 2026. Read on who.int, 7 October 2026.
The HSE's international recruitment pages name neither that list nor Nigeria. Read on careerhub.hse.ie and about.hse.ie, 8 October 2026.
NMBI advises you not to apply for nursing posts until you have a registration decision: if it recognised your qualification, register first (Step 8), then apply. If NMBI asks for a compensation measure, RCSI's aptitude test needs a letter linked to your prospective employer, and if you need a contract of employment, RCSI highly recommends you have it before you apply for the test (Step 7). Read on nmbi.ie and rcsi.com, 8 October 2026.
An employment agency may charge no fee above the scale the Minister approves, and no fee only for agreeing to look for work for you (section 7, Employment Agency Act 1971). If your employer applies for your permit, it can never take the cost of recruiting you back from you (section 55, Employment Permits Act 2024). Read on irishstatutebook.ie, 7 and 8 October 2026. Rekoja never sells a job.
Source: HSE CareerHub, international recruitment, read 21 October 2026.
Open the HSE's international recruitment pages
The HSE's list of partner agencies
The Employment Agency Act 1971, section 7
WHO's health workforce support and safeguards list
Free. Rekoja never sells a job and introduces you to no employer or agency.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Look for a nursing job with the HSE or a private hospital in Ireland, check the employer is real, and apply to it yourself. Never pay anyone for a job.
Where the official answer lives: The HSE's CareerHub holds its recruitment roadmap and job alerts; the hiring service's HR department answers on the relocation package.
- 1
- 7Cannot start yet: opens when NMBI's decision asks for a compensation measure and you have a job offer
Pass your compensation measure, if NMBI asks for one
Choose the aptitude test in Dublin or a period of adaptation in an Irish hospital, and get your Atypical Working Scheme letter to be there.
See what this step needs
Only if NMBI's decision asks for a compensation measure. If it recognised your qualification, go on to Step 8. Otherwise you choose one of two: the aptitude test or a period of adaptation. You have 12 months from the date on NMBI's letter to secure an adaptation placement, and 12 months from NMBI's email to complete the aptitude test, or your application is closed. Under normal circumstances NMBI's decision letter is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Read on nmbi.ie, 19 October 2026.
The aptitude test is in Dublin only: both parts at the Smurfit Building, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9. First a theory test of 150 questions over three hours, and then a practical test of 14 stations, 10 minutes at each. Two attempts at each part, and no third. Results come to you and NMBI within three days (read on nmbi.ie, 19 October 2026). To apply you need an in-date NMBI decision letter, and the theory test's pass mark is 50%. Test dates open 3.5 to 4.5 months ahead; RCSI's overview reads "Next test open 20/03/2027"; 35 tests are planned for 2026, with no theory test and no first practical test in July or December. Read on rcsi.com, 19 October 2026.
€2,800, about ₦4.2m, with two attempts at each part included, or €2,500, about ₦3.7m, where a prospective employer pays RCSI directly. You pay through TransferMate only, by bank transfer or a personal debit or credit card (never a company card), with a €10 charge (about ₦14,970) if you pay in euro, within 14 days at Stage 2 of applying. Withdrawing costs part of the fee, more as the test nears, and each change of date €50 (about ₦74,850). Read on rcsi.com, 19 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Your papers to be in Ireland for it. RCSI asks a non-EEA applicant for an Atypical Working Scheme letter of approval linked to your prospective employer, and you may also need a D visa endorsed for atypical work (the visa fee is on Step 10). Upload your immigration papers no later than 13 days before the test; RCSI sends your booking confirmation no later than 17 days before. You sit both attempts at both parts within 12 weeks of your first theory attempt. RCSI also asks for sufficient means to live in Ireland before you earn a salary. Read on rcsi.com, 19 October 2026. How much: we do not know yet. Ask RCSI through its apply page. For more than 90 days, the Immigration Service says to apply for a D long stay visa: on AVATS, with your papers handed in at VFS, as Step 10 sets out. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 19 October 2026.
The Atypical Working Scheme for a nurse seeking NMBI registration gives 6 months. You apply from outside Ireland, with a contract of at least two years and a letter from NMBI. €250 by credit card, about ₦374,250, not refunded. Allow at least 20 working days once all your papers are in; the letter of approval is valid for 90 days. Your family cannot come with you on this scheme, and the time does not count towards Stamp 4. You must get your employment permit (Step 9) before this permission ends. Anyone given permission for more than 90 days must also register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) after arriving in Ireland: register your permission when you land for the test or placement, on the Immigration Service's registration page (Step 11). Read on irishimmigration.ie, 19 October 2026.
Or a period of adaptation: at least 6 weeks of clinical learning, which can run to 12 weeks and beyond, at an approved hospital in Ireland, listed by county on NMBI's page. You or your prospective employer secure the placement: NMBI does not organise them. NMBI puts your name on its Candidate Register while you do it. Read on nmbi.ie, 19 October 2026.
The HSE's scale for a staff nurse on an adaptation placement (grade 2861) from 1 June 2026: €33,370 a year, about ₦50.0m, one point. This is the scale the grade is paid, not an offer. Read in the HSE's 1 June 2026 pay scales on healthservice.hse.ie, 19 October 2026. Its relocation package can cover the RCSI test fee and the Atypical Working Scheme fee. Read on about.hse.ie, 19 October 2026.
If you do not pass at the second attempt, NMBI provisionally refuses recognition; you can appeal to its Registration Committee, then to the High Court within three months. Read on nmbi.ie, 19 October 2026.
Source: NMBI, compensation measures, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the last day to secure an adaptation placement, 12 months after NMBI's letter, worked out from the date on NMBI's decision letter, which you enter in your plan: 12 months to secure a placement. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day to complete the aptitude test, 12 months after NMBI's email, worked out from the date on NMBI's email, which you enter in your plan: 12 months to complete the test. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day your Atypical Working Scheme letter is valid, 90 days after it was issued, worked out from the date on your Atypical Working Scheme letter of approval, which you enter in your plan: it stays valid for 90 days. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day to upload your immigration papers to RCSI, 13 days before your test, worked out from your aptitude test date, which you enter in your plan: upload them no later than 13 days before it. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the end of the 12 weeks for both attempts at both parts, worked out from the date of your first theory attempt, which you enter in your plan: both attempts at both parts within 12 weeks of it. Enter it in your plan
Apply for the aptitude test with RCSI
Register your permission when you land
NMBI's approved adaptation hospitals
The HSE's pay scales from 1 June 2026
Free. You book the test with RCSI and apply for the Atypical Working Scheme yourself; the fees go to RCSI and the Immigration Service.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
If NMBI asks, pass a test in Dublin or work a placement of at least 6 weeks in an Irish hospital. You need a letter from Ireland's immigration service, linked to your employer, to go there for it.
Where the official answer lives: RCSI's aptitude test pages hold the dates, fees and papers; NMBI's compensation measures page holds the choice and the 12 months; the Immigration Service's Atypical Working Scheme page holds the letter. NMBI has no role in visa questions.
- 8Cannot start yet: opens when NMBI recognises your qualification, on its decision or once you pass your compensation measure, and you have your English result (Step 4)
Register with NMBI
Once your qualification is recognised, apply to register on MyNMBI with your English result and pay the €145 registration fee.
See what this step needs
Registration is NMBI's second step, after recognition. You apply on MyNMBI and pay €145, about ₦217,065, the registration fee, with NMBI's Registration Declaration Form. Your English result must be valid when you submit. After that, NMBI's retention fee is €100 a year, about ₦149,700. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
NMBI's applicant guide gives G3 about 20 working days to a registration decision once NMBI has all your documents. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Source: NMBI, registration fees, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: NMBI's average for a registration decision, about 4 weeks (20 working days) after it has all your documents, worked out from the day NMBI had all your registration documents, which you enter in your plan: its guide gives about 20 working days from then. Enter it in your plan
Rekoja charges nothing here. You apply and pay NMBI yourself.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
After NMBI accepts your training, apply to join its register on MyNMBI, show your English result and pay €145 (about ₦217,065).
Where the official answer lives: NMBI's overseas registration team answers on G3reg@nmbi.ie and +353 1 639 8500, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm; its customer care line, 0818 200 116, is for calls from Ireland.
- 9Cannot start yet: opens when you have a two-year job offer
Apply for the Critical Skills permit
You or your employer applies on Employment Permits Online, at least 12 weeks before your start date.
See what this step needs
For a nurse, the permit asks for "a third level degree or diploma accepted by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland as a sufficient qualification for registration". Where the job is in the public sector and covered by a public sector pay agreement, your pay is that agreement's rate. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 8 October 2026. Outside a public sector pay agreement, the permit's floor for an occupation on the Critical Skills list is €40,904 a year, about ₦61.2m. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Either you or your employer applies, on Employment Permits Online, at least 12 weeks before the job's start date, for a job offer of at least 2 years. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
€1,000, about ₦1.5m, for up to 24 months, paid by whoever applies. If the permit is refused, 90% is refunded, to the applicant only. If your employer applies, it can never take the fee, or any cost of recruiting you, back from you or out of your pay (section 55, Employment Permits Act 2024). Read on enterprise.gov.ie and irishstatutebook.ie, 7 October 2026.
How long: the Department works in date order. As of 20 October 2026 it was processing Critical Skills applications received on 12 October 2026. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 21 October 2026.
On the Atypical Working Scheme (Step 7), you must have the permit before that permission ends. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 8 October 2026.
Source: enterprise.gov.ie, Critical Skills Employment Permit, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the last day to apply, 12 weeks before you start, worked out from your job's start date, which you enter in your plan: apply at least 12 weeks before it. Enter it in your plan
Open Employment Permits Online
Rekoja charges nothing here. You or your employer applies and pays the Department directly; no worker ever pays for a job.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
You or your employer fills in the permit form online, at least 12 weeks before you start. It costs €1,000 (about ₦1.5m). If your employer pays, it can never take that money back from you.
Where the official answer lives: Employment Permits Online's support desk answers on epos@enterprise.gov.ie; the Department of Enterprise's permit page holds the rules.
- 10Cannot start yet: opens when your permit is granted
Get your employment visa
Apply for the long stay employment visa on AVATS, then hand in your papers at VFS.
See what this step needs
Once you have the permit, apply on AVATS up to 3 months before you travel. What you send: a passport valid at least 12 months after you plan to arrive, two colour photographs no more than 6 months old, an application letter, any previous visa refusals, the employment permit, your contract, a letter from your employer in Ireland (your job, your salary and any accommodation), evidence of your qualifications and experience, and an up-to-date bank statement covering the last six months, on the bank's headed paper. Show medical or travel insurance when you arrive. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026.
The HSE says it too: "You will also need a visa to enter Ireland". Read on careerhub.hse.ie, 8 October 2026. On the Atypical Working Scheme (Step 7), the Immigration Service says a person given permission for more than 90 days should apply for a D long stay visa. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 8 October 2026.
Visa applications from Nigeria go to the Abuja visa office. You hand in your papers in person at VFS, and give fingerprints. The Embassy does not accept statements from a micro-finance bank, a mortgage bank or a thrift society. Read on irishimmigration.ie and ireland.ie, 7 October 2026.
The fee in Nigeria: the naira equal of €60 for a single entry visa (about ₦89,800) or €100 for a multi entry visa (about ₦149,700), paid in cash at the VFS centre at your appointment and not refunded. Which of the two a long stay employment visa takes: we do not know this yet. VFS's own fee, charged on top: we do not know this yet. Here are the Embassy's visa page and VFS's page, checked 7 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
How long the Abuja office takes to decide an employment visa: we do not know yet. Ask the Embassy of Ireland in Abuja through its visa page.
If you are already in Ireland on the Atypical Working Scheme when your permit is granted: whether you come back to Nigeria to apply for this visa, or change your permission in Ireland, we do not know yet. Ask the Immigration Service through its Customer Service Portal before your Scheme permission ends, and your employer's HR department. Here is the Immigration Service's Atypical Working Scheme page, read 8 October 2026.
Source: irishimmigration.ie, Employment visa, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the first day you can apply, 3 months before you travel, worked out from your travel date, which you enter in your plan: apply up to 3 months before it. Enter it in your plan
The Embassy in Abuja: visa fees and VFS
The Embassy in Abuja: visa fees and VFS
VFS Global: the Ireland visa centre in Nigeria
The Immigration Service's Customer Service Portal
Free to do yourself. Nothing here is sold as recruitment, and no worker pays for a job.
The desk can prepare this file with you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
After the permit, apply online for the work visa, then take your papers to VFS. The fee is €60 single entry or €100 multiple entry (about ₦89,800 or ₦149,700), paid in cash in naira at your VFS appointment, plus VFS's own fee.
Where the official answer lives: The Irish Immigration Service's employment visa page holds the papers; the Embassy of Ireland in Abuja's visa page holds the fees; VFS answers on your appointment at visa.vfsglobal.com. Already in Ireland on the Atypical Working Scheme: the Immigration Service answers through its Customer Service Portal (make an account in your own name, then Submit Query), and your employer's HR department.
- 11Cannot start yet: opens when your visa is granted, or, if you are already in Ireland on the Atypical Working Scheme, when the Immigration Service tells you what you do once your permit is granted
Travel, arrive and register
Fly once the visa is granted, register your permission with the Immigration Service, and get your PPS number.
See what this step needs
Carry your passport with the visa, your employment permit, your contract, your employer's letter, and your medical or travel insurance, which you show when you arrive. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026.
Then register your permission. The fee is €300 per person, if it applies, about ₦449,100, by credit or debit card only; booking the appointment is free. Permission on an employment permit is usually valid for 12 months, and it may then be renewed. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Your PPS number: apply online at MyWelfare with a MyGovID account, with evidence of your identity, evidence of your address and the reason you need it. Your employer can apply for you by email or post. Read on gov.ie, 8 October 2026.
Health care: a medical card gives medical services, prescription medicines and hospital care free, and it is means-tested. What you are entitled to in the public health system without a medical card: we do not know this yet. Here is the HSE's medical card page, checked 8 October 2026.
Never sell what you live on, and never borrow against your first payslip.
Source: irishimmigration.ie, registering for the first time, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: a count of your first days in Ireland, worked out from the day you land in Ireland, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Open the Immigration Service's registration page
How much you can earn and still get a medical card
Free. The desk is not offered once you land.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Fly after your visa comes, then book your registration and pay €300 (about ₦449,100) by card. Apply for your PPS number online so your pay is taxed properly.
Where the official answer lives: The Irish Immigration Service's registration pages and its Customer Service Portal; gov.ie's PPS number page; your employer's HR department.
- 12Cannot start yet: opens when you start with your employer
Your first payslip, your family and Stamp 4
Register your job with Revenue, check your first payslip against your scale, stay with your first employer, and bring your family when you are ready.
See what this step needs
The HSE's staff nurse scale (grade 2135) from 1 June 2026: 13 points, from €38,166 to €56,592 a year, about ₦57.1m to ₦84.7m. This is the scale the grade is paid, not an offer: check your first payslip against your point on it. Read in the HSE's 1 June 2026 pay scales on healthservice.hse.ie, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
As soon as you start, register your job on Revenue's myAccount (Add Job or Pension Details, under PAYE Services) with your employer's Tax Registration Number, or you may pay Emergency Tax. Revenue then sends your employer the payroll notification it uses to work out your Income Tax and Universal Social Charge. Read on revenue.ie, 8 October 2026.
Keep your accommodation and flight receipts: the HSE pays its relocation allowances for up to 3 months, only against receipts. Read on about.hse.ie, 8 October 2026.
Stay with your first employer for at least 9 months. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Your family: on the Critical Skills permit, your spouse or partner can apply to join you immediately, and is given Stamp 1G, which lets them work without a permit. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026. Once they live in Ireland, they can also apply for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit, which is currently issued free. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026. Not while you are on the Atypical Working Scheme: family members may not come with you on it. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 8 October 2026.
Stamp 4, when: two official pages give two answers. The Immigration Service's stamps page (updated 5 June 2026) says after 2 years with a valid Critical Skills permit. Its registration page (updated 1 October 2026) says Stamp 4 "upon completion of 21 months from commencement of employment". Both read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026. You do not renew a Critical Skills permit: you apply to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026. Time on the Atypical Working Scheme does not count towards Stamp 4. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 8 October 2026.
Send home what you can spare, not what you need. Never borrow against your next payslip.
Source: HSE, pay scales from 1 June 2026, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the end of your first 9 months with your first employer, worked out from the day you start work, which you enter in your plan: stay at least 9 months. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: Stamp 4 after 21 months, as the registration page says, updated 1 October 2026, worked out from the day you start work, which you enter in your plan: the registration page says "upon completion of 21 months from commencement of employment".
Your clock: Stamp 4 after 2 years, as the stamps page says, updated 5 June 2026, worked out from the day you start work, which you enter in your plan: the stamps page says after 2 years with a valid Critical Skills permit.
Register your job with Revenue
The HSE's pay scales from 1 June 2026
The Immigration Service's stamps page
The registration page that says 21 months
The Immigration Service's Customer Service Portal
Free. Rekoja does not advise on your own case; the Immigration Service answers on it.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Register your job with Revenue so you are not overtaxed, check your pay against the HSE scale, stay with your first employer for 9 months, and apply to bring your family when you are ready.
Where the official answer lives: Your employer's payroll answers on your payslip; Revenue's myAccount holds your tax; the Immigration Service answers on your family and on Stamp 4 through its Customer Service Portal: make an account in your own name, then Submit Query.
The employer board
Each row: employer, job, the salary as written, whether you can apply from abroad, the closing date, the date it was checked and the board it came from.
No vacancy on this board yet, 8 October 2026.
CareerHub is the HSE's own site, and JobsIreland opens on its own site. Rekoja lists, it does not introduce.
See everything about this route
Cost. About ₦741,000 to NMBI (€495: recognition €350, registration €145); about ₦5.3m with the aptitude test (€2,800) and the Atypical Working Scheme (€250), if NMBI asks for a compensation measure. Not the English test, the NMCN's fee, the permit, the visa, the €300 registration of your permission (per person, about ₦449,100) or flights; the HSE's relocation package can cover registration, visa, test and Atypical Working Scheme fees. Read on nmbi.ie, rcsi.com and irishimmigration.ie, 7 and 8 October 2026.
Who pays the permit. Whoever applies, you or your employer: €1,000 (about ₦1.5m), with 90% refunded to the applicant if it is refused. If your employer applies, it can never take the fee back from you (section 55, Employment Permits Act 2024). Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
How long. NMBI's applicant guide gives G3 about 3 months to a recognition decision and 20 working days to a registration decision once it has all your documents, and an average of 13 months from sending your documents to registration; its FAQ gives 18 months on average with a compensation measure. These are averages, not a promise; your job search and your test dates set the real length. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
Who it fits. A registered nurse with IELTS Academic 7.0 (7.0 in three parts, 6.5 in one) or OET B in three parts and C+ in one, one result less than two years old, and a nursing degree or diploma NMBI accepts. Here is the official page, checked 8 October 2026.
Family. On the Critical Skills permit your spouse or partner can join you immediately and work on Stamp 1G (read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026); not while you are on the Atypical Working Scheme (read 8 October 2026).
Your papers.A certified copy of your passport and of your qualification parchment, any other relevant training, your certificate of good standing (which NMCN paper NMBI takes: we do not know yet; ask NMBI on G3reg@nmbi.ie), NMBI's employment form from your employers, and its qualification form and your transcript from your college. Read on nmbi.ie, 8 October 2026.
The official page for this route. Checked 8 October 2026. Naira at the official rate of 20 October 2026.
I am stuck? Message the desk on WhatsApp
Free. About two minutes.