Most people told me it would take a year — maybe longer. I applied on 21st December, had my first IMC assessment in early March, my second assessment with payment in early May, and received my IMC General Registration on 8th May. That is 4.5 months, start to finish. This guide covers everything I did, in the exact order I did it, so you can do it faster and with fewer mistakes than I made along the way.
Before You Begin — Know Your Registration Type
The Irish Medical Council has several registration pathways. Before doing anything else, you need to know which one applies to you. For the vast majority of Pakistani MBBS doctors, this will be General Registration. When the application asks you to choose a category, select Category 4.
Are You Eligible? — Pakistani MBBS Recognition
Pakistan is among the countries whose MBBS degree is recognised by the IMC. This means most Pakistani doctors can qualify for registration without sitting any qualifying examination, provided they meet the internship requirements. The key eligibility criteria are straightforward:
The Complete Step-by-Step Process Of IMC Registration
Follow these steps in sequence.
Sort Your Passport First
Passport is first thing you will need to start the process. Your passport name must exactly match your MBBS degree.
Create Your MyIntHealth Verification Account
EPIC (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates International Credentials Services) is the verification body the IMC uses to authenticate your credentials. You must create your account before any other steps — your EPIC ID is required when you set up your IMC portal account later. Go to: MyIntealth Portal
- Visit the official EPIC verification website and create your account
- Your passport is the only document needed at this stage
- Enter your name exactly as it appears on your passport.
- Pay the account creation fee: approximately $35 USD
- Account activation takes 7–10 business days. With account opening, they will get your passport notarized in an online session
- You must verify identity before uploading documents. Usually this is done through live verification through NotaryCam. For that You will need: Valid passport Webcam/phone camera Good internet And During the session, they will ask you to show passport in a video call.
- You don’t need to notarize it from any place or person, This online verification is sufficient.
Upload Your MBBS Degree on EPIC
Once your EPIC account is active, get your primary medical qualification verified. EPIC contacts your university directly .
- Log into EPIC and upload your MBBS degree certificate
- Pay the degree verification fee: approximately $110 USD
- EPIC sends verification request to your university — this can take a few weeks, Youb can speed up this by visiting your University and asking to reply to EPIC.
Get Your PMDC Practical Experience Certificate
After your house job, your instinct is to collect a certificate from the hospital and send that to the IMC. The IMC does not accept hospital-issued house job certificates directly. They require the PMDC Practical Experience Certificate — which PMDC issues after verifying your internship with the hospital on your behalf.
- Visit the official PMDC website and go to “Get Practical Experience”
- Upload your hospital-issued house job completion certificate
- Pay the PMDC fee: approximately PKR 7,000
- PMDC verifies directly with your hospital and issues the official certificate. You might want to visit your university and pmdc to speed up the process.
I didn’t know that you have to upload the PMDC-issued House Job certificate, so I uploaded the hospital-issued certificate to EPIC and paid the fee. Later, I received an email from EPIC informing me that they had refunded my fee and asked me to upload the PMDC-issued certificate instead. I then had to repeat the entire process, and one month was wasted because PMDC could not verify it through my hospital.
Upload PMDC Certificate on EPIC — Then Register PMDC for Verification
This is a two-part step that many people only half-complete, and it causes applications to sit in limbo for months. Uploading to EPIC is not enough on its own, You have to pay fee to PMDC so they can to respond to EPIC’s verification requests on their end.
- Go to the PMDC website and select the EPIC Verification option
- Pay the PMDC verification fee on their portal
- This registers PMDC to respond when EPIC sends verification requests for your documents
- You have to pay fee only once for degree and internship/housejob Certificate.
Create Your IMC Doctor Portal Account
Now you are ready to engage directly with the Irish Medical Council. Every detail here must match your EPIC and PMDC records exactly.
- Go to the Irish Medical Council Doctor Portal and create your account
- Add your EPIC ID in the relevant field.
- Fill all personal, educational, and professional details completely and carefully
- Select Category 4 when prompted for your registration category
Account for Every Gap in Your Experience
The IMC has a firm rule: no unexplained gaps of more than 14 days anywhere in your professional history. If your house job ended six months before you applied, you must account for all six months. Were you studying for FCPS? Preparing for PLAB? Taking a break? Write it clearly.Any study break is acceptable as long as you name it.
Pay the IMC Application Fee and Submit Documents
Once your portal account is complete, you are ready to formally submit.
- Pay the IMC application fee: approximately €410 — you receive a confirmation email
- Within one month of payment, upload your MBBS degree, passport, and OET certificate (OET can be added later — see the OET section below)
- IMC confirms document receipt and your application enters the review queue
- Current review time in 2024–2025: 1 to 2 months (previously up to a year — it has improved)
OET Timing
The Occupational English Test (OET) is required, but when you sit it matters enormously. Many Pakistani applicants make the expensive mistake of taking OET before they have even started the process — and then watching their certificate expire before registration completes.
Certificate of Good Standing — Same Rule Applies
The PMDC Certificate of Good Standing is valid for only 6 months. If you apply too early and your processing takes longer than expected, you will need to apply — and pay — again.
- →Go to the PMDC website and apply for Certificate of Good Standing
- →Select Ireland as the destination country.
- →Pay the fee: approximately PKR 7,000
- →PMDC typically issues within one week, they will send email to provided email id and also send hard copy to your address. Mention this email to PMDC cogs@mcirl.ie for sending GS certificate to IMC
The Final Stretch — GEN Form and Activation
After you have submitted OET and Good Standing, the process moves into its final phase.
Complete Fee Breakdown Of IMC registration
Here is the complete cost of IMC registration that you will pay as an img.
| Stage | What It Covers | Approx. Fee |
|---|---|---|
| EPIC Account Creation | Set up EPIC account with passport | ~$35 USD(~PKR 9,750) |
| EPIC Degree Verification | Upload and verify MBBS degree | ~$110 USD(~PKR 30,641) |
| PMDC Practical Experience | Official internship certificate from PMDC | ~PKR 7,000 |
| EPIC PMDC Verification | Upload PMDC cert to EPIC + PMDC portal registration | ~$110 USD(~PKR 30,641) |
| IMC Application Fee | Formal submission to Irish Medical Council | ~€410 (~PKR 134,099) |
| PMDC Good Standing | Certificate of Good Standing for Ireland | ~PKR 7,000 |
| OET Exam | Occupational English Test (Medicine) | ~AUD 587 / ~$380 USD (~PKR 110,853) |
| IMC Activation Fee | Final registration activation (varies by month) | €560 – €890 (~PKR 183,159 – 291,092) |
| Approximate Total (excluding OET) | ~PKR 513,143 – 621,076 | |
One Mistake To Avoid at every Cost
Treating IMC as Your Only Plan
Do not sit idle while waiting. Continue your FCPS, PLAB, USMLE, or clinical job or training as, IMC registration is a parallel pathway and Now getting Jobs are highly competetive. There is no recriuitment for fresh graduates and with those who do not have membership exams.
Is IMC Registration Worth It For You?
I want to be honest about what this pathway offers and what it demands from you.
✓ Advantages
- Direct route into Europe without a qualifying exam
- Access to first-world clinical experience in Ireland’s NHS-equivalent system
- Strong stepping stone to UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, and wider Europe
- Globally recognised registration that adds real weight to your CV
- Processing times have improved significantly in 2024–2025
✕ Challenges
- Documentation-heavy process requiring strict attention to detail
- Jobs are competitive — most employers prefer 1–2 years post-internship experience and royal college progress
- Total cost is substantial when all fees are combined
- Affordable accommodation in Ireland is genuinely difficult to find
- The weather takes some adjusting to — cold, grey, and very different from home
IMC registration is absolutely achievable for Pakistani doctors. It is not easy — the documentation is demanding, the timing is unforgiving, and the costs add up. But it is entirely manageable if you follow the steps in order, avoid the common mistakes around OET and Good Standing timing, and never sit idle while waiting.
Ireland is a beautiful country with excellent clinical training and a strong foundation for launching an international medical career. Treat your IMC registration as one lane in a multi-lane career strategy — not your only bet. Best of luck. You have got this.
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