ECFMG partners with the Medical Council of Ireland to primary-source verify medical education credentials of internationally educated physicians applying for registration in the Republic of Ireland. If you are a graduate of a medical school located outside of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland (also known as a Category 4 applicant), you must have certain required medical education credentials verified through EPIC prior to submitting your application to the Medical Council.
To have your credentials verified in support of an application to the Medical Council, complete the following steps:
Credentials required in support of your application to the Medical Council vary based upon your training history and whether you are applying for an exemption to the Medical Council’s Pre-Registration Examination System (PRES). For complete details on the Medical Council’s application process and required documents, visit https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/. Credentials that EPIC verifies for Medical Council applicants include:
Please note that although EPIC will primary-source verify Medical Registrations/Licenses to Practice Medicine, the Medical Council requires that a Certificate of Current Professional Status/Good Standing, dated within the last three months, be sent directly to the Medical Council from all overseas registration authorities with whom you are or have been registered within the past five years. Verification through EPIC of a Medical Registration/License to Practice Medicine will not substitute for this purpose.
For more information on the credentials verified through EPIC, see Using EPIC.
If you have any questions regarding EPIC and the EPIC verification process, please contact EPIC at info@ecfmgepic.org or +1 (215) 966-3900. Telephone assistance is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States.
Please also read the general Frequently Asked Questions in the For Physicians section of the website.
The Medical Council requires only Category 4 applicants for entry in the General and Trainee Specialist Divisions—applicants who qualified outside of the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland—to create an EPIC Account and have their credentials primary-source verified through EPIC.
Verification should be completed before an application for registration is submitted to the Medical Council.
Credentials required in support of your application to the Medical Council vary based upon your training history and whether you are applying for an exemption to the Medical Council’s Pre-Registration Examination System (PRES). For complete details on the Medical Council’s application process and required documents, visit https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/Information-for-Doctors/Manage-your-registration-/Notice-for-applicants-for-registration-who-qualified-outside-of-the-EU-EEA-and-Switzerland-.html.
Please note in particular that the Medical Council requires that a Basic Medical Qualification (Final Medical Diploma) be submitted for all applications. The Final Medical Diploma is the document awarded to you upon graduation from medical school. The following documents will not be accepted in place of your Final Medical Diploma:
We recommend that you create an EPIC Account and upload your credentials to EPIC as soon as possible after you have decided to apply to the Medical Council for registration. Through EPIC, your credentials are verified directly with the issuing institution. The time required to complete the verification of credentials varies and depends on a number of factors, including the time it takes for the issuing institution to respond to our verification requests.
Yes. The credentials that you upload to EPIC remain available to you as part of your EPIC Portfolio. You can use EPIC to send copies of these credentials along with reports verifying their authenticity to organizations worldwide at any time throughout your career.
No. The Medical Council will not have direct access to your EPIC Portfolio. The Medical Council will have access only to the credentials and verification reports that you make available to them through EPIC when you choose the Medical Council as a report recipient for those credentials.
Yes. If your credentials have already been primary-source verified by ECFMG for ECFMG Certification or through ECFMG’s International Credentials Services (EICS) for a medical regulatory authority other than the Medical Council, you will still need to create an EPIC Account and use EPIC to provide your credentials and verification reports to the Medical Council. However, you will not need to upload the credentials that were previously verified by ECFMG; they will be added to your EPIC Portfolio at no cost. Simply provide your ECFMG/USMLE ID and/or EICS ID when you establish your EPIC Account. ECFMG will review your file typically within 10 business days; if your file is acceptable, ECFMG will add your previously verified credentials to your EPIC Portfolio. You can then log in to EPIC and request that EPIC Reports for those credentials be provided to the Medical Council.
Internship Certificates, Certificates of Experience, Attestations of Postgraduate Training, and equivalent documents should be uploaded to EPIC as Postgraduate Medical Education Credentials.
If you have questions regarding EPIC’s services—such as creating an EPIC Account, uploading your credentials, managing your portfolio, the verification process, sending verification reports, or fees—please contact EPIC at info@ecfmgepic.org or +1 (215) 966-3900. Telephone assistance is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States (2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Irish Time).
If you have questions regarding applying for registration to the Medical Council—such as necessary documentation, required qualifications, or registration division—please visit the Medical Council website at https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/Information-for-Doctors/Manage-your-registration-/Notice-for-applicants-for-registration-who-qualified-outside-of-the-EU-EEA-and-Switzerland-.html.