The cost of registering as a nurse in Ireland, if you trained outside the EU, is mostly five official fees: the NMBI, RCSI, the Atypical Working Scheme, immigration registration and the employment permit. For a visa-required nurse on the aptitude test route who pays every one of them, they add up to €4,915 before the English test, flights and rent. Here is each fee, from the official page, as it read on 24 September 2026.
Every official fee, in order
| Step | Paid to | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Overseas Qualification Recognition Fee | NMBI | €350 |
| Aptitude test, two attempts at each part | RCSI | €2,800 (€2,500 if an eligible employer pays directly), plus €10 TransferMate charge in euro |
| Atypical Working Scheme application | Irish Immigration | €250, non-refundable |
| Entry visa, if you are visa-required | Irish Immigration | €60 single entry, €100 multiple entry |
| Overseas Registration Fee | NMBI | €145 |
| Registering your immigration permission (IRP) | Irish Immigration | €300, if applicable |
| Critical Skills Employment Permit | Department of Enterprise | €1,000, 90% refunded if refused |
| Annual Retention Fee, every year after | NMBI | €100 |
One route, one person paying everything: €350 + €2,810 + €250 + €60 + €145 + €300 + €1,000 = €4,915. Then €100 a year to stay on the Register. The English test fee is set by IELTS or OET, not by an Irish body, so it is not in the table. The NMBI English guide has the scores you need.
What employers often pay
RCSI’s application asks who pays its fee: you, the agent, the prospective employer or someone else. It gives employers who pay directly a €300 discount, and only at the point of application, not afterwards. For the permit, whoever applies can pay, but when the employer applies it cannot take the fee or related costs back from your wages (section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024). Read your contract for anything else the employer covers. The permit rules are in the Critical Skills Employment Permit guide.
Fees that appear when something goes wrong
- RCSI withdrawal. The administration charge is 10% of the fee 30 or more days before the test, 15% at 14 to 29 days, and 20% at 13 days or less or for a no-show. Withdrawing before you have a test date costs €100.
- RCSI date changes. If you later ask for a refund, €50 is charged for each test date change since you applied.
- Paying RCSI the wrong way. €200 if not through TransferMate, €100 if paid into the wrong account.
- Second theory fail. RCSI refunds the part of the fee meant for the OSCE, since you can no longer sit it. No other automatic refund.
- NMBI appeal. €150.
- AWS letter not used within 90 days. A new application and a new €250 fee.
- English below the minimum. The NMBI keeps the assessment fee if you apply without meeting it.
RCSI’s own advice on cost is worth taking literally: keep receipts for everything, and budget enough to live in Ireland before your first salary, including the chance of a repeat date. The fee and dates guide covers what the €2,800 includes in detail.
The cheapest line in the budget
The expensive outcome is a second fail: most of the RCSI fee is spent, the NMBI provisionally refuses the application, and the AWS clock keeps running. Our pass is €59 for both parts: every reading-list topic with sourced answers, timed mock exams, and the OSCE paperwork trainers. Start with the free questions and see where you stand.
Sources: NMBI Registration Fees; RCSI Fees and Application process; Irish Immigration Atypical Working Scheme, visa fees and registration FAQ (updated 12 May 2026); Department of Enterprise Critical Skills Employment Permit. Checked 24 September 2026.