Qualification Obtained in the EU

As the applicant, you must create an account and a profile on the PSI online registration portal that meets our requirements.  

1. Please ensure you choose the ‘Pharmacist’ option when you first set up your account. If you choose ‘Other’ option, you will not have the correct access to create an application. 
2. You must upload a photograph to your profile that is compliant with our photo guidelines (this photo will be on your registration certificate). 
3. Relevant information that must be uploaded to your profile includes: 

• Full name 
• Date of birth 
• Mobile number including the prefix 
• Email address 
• Current residential address 
• Place of birth 
• Date of commencement of pharmacy programme. This will be the date that you commenced your studies in pharmacy (this date must be correct or you might not be able to proceed with your application). 

This route of qualification recognition includes automatic recognition, acquired rights and general system applications. 

You can apply for qualification recognition (automatic recognition/acquired rights) following the instructions below, if you have: 

• Commenced your pharmacy programme (studies) after the reference date in the European Union Free Movement Directive (see section 5.6.2 Evidence of formal qualifications of pharmacists) or, 
• If you Commenced your pharmacy programme (studies) before the reference date in the European Union Free Movement Directive (see section 5.6.2 Evidence of formal qualifications of pharmacists) but of the previous five years, you have 3 years of consecutive professional experience (this must be confirmed by the competent authority in your certificate of compliance/good standing) 

If you did commence your pharmacy programme before the reference date but do not have 3 consecutive years, of the previous five years professional experience, you must contact us before you submit your application for further guidance (general system). Please email us at registration@psi.ie. 

Furthermore, you can apply for qualification recognition (general system) if you completed your studies in a Non-EU country and subsequently had your qualification recognised in an EU Country and have 3 consecutive years of the previous five years of professional experience (this must be confirmed by the competent authority in your certificate of compliance/good standing). However, the application form for qualification recognition must be completed off-line. Please email us at registration@psi.ie for further information. 

Creating your application 

Please ensure that the information required for your application is correct: 

1. Date of award of your qualification. This is the date on which you completed your pharmacy studies, as reflected on your MPharm certificate. 
2. If you hold a Master of Pharmacy, you must select the “MPharm” option. 
3. You must add the date you requested the competent authority in the country where you qualified as a pharmacist to issue a certificate on your behalf that confirms how your qualification is compliant with Article 10, 21 or 23 of Directive 2005/36/EC.  
4. You must provide information on all countries where you have been registered as a pharmacist the last five years, including date of registration and discontinuation and the date(s) a certificate of good standing has been requested. 
5. Please read all the declarations carefully. If you need to select ‘No’ to any of the declarations, you must contact us and provide further information. 
6. Please ensure you review these details before you submit your application. Once an application has been submitted, you will no longer be able to edit it. If we must contact you to confirm or correct any information, it will delay the application process for you. 

Uploading your documents to your application 

You will need to upload copies of these documents to the portal as part of your application. We recommend you gather these documents before starting your online application: 

• A scan of your current, valid passport or id card, including original and certified English translation where appropriate. 
• Evidence of having been awarded a qualification appropriate for practice (for example, the certificate/diploma/parchment awarded to you by your university). You must also provide a certified English translation of this document if the original is not in English. 
• A completed Health Declaration form (signed by your medical practitioner). 
• This document is valid for three months only. If it expires before your application is approved, you will be asked to provide an up-to-date copy. This document can be signed and stamped by any registered medical practitioner. It does not have to be completed in Ireland. 

We also require information from the competent authority in the state where you qualified as a pharmacist. You must contact the authority and request that they send the information directly to the PSI, we will not accept to receive this directly from the applicant. The competent authority must certify if your qualification complies with the requirements of the European Directive 2005/36/EC and provide a certificate of professional status on your behalf (also known as a certificate of good standing). Please request that these documents are emailed to registration@psi.ie  Once received we will email you a copy to arrange a certified English translation. 

Next steps 

When you have submitted your application, we will contact you if any further information is needed. The Qualification Recognition approval process is a three-step process.  The application must be approved by the RQR Executive, the Head of Education and Registration and finally, the Registrar and Chief Officer of the PSI.  

Only when all stages are completed will you receive your certificate of Qualification Recognition. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not provide a timeline for when an application will be fully approved. Rest assured, if you have provided all the relevant documents and they are in date, your application will be processed as quickly as possible. 

When your qualification recognition application is approved, you will receive your certificate of qualification recognition by email and you will need to upload this document when you complete your application for first time recognition on the PSI online registration portal. Also, the option to complete your registration application will now appear on the PSI’s online registration portal. 

• The European Professional Card (EPC) is an electronic procedure that EU residents can use to have their professional qualifications recognised in another EU country.  
• When an EU resident is applying for registration in another EU state, their home state facilitates the verification of the applicant’s Internal Market Information or IMI file and the prospective host state (in Ireland, this is the PSI) makes the decision on whether to recognise the qualification held by the applicant.  
• It is very important to note that the recognition of a qualification does not give an automatic entitlement to practise in Ireland.  
• All pharmacists must be registered with the PSI before being entitled to practise in Ireland.  
• You will need to apply for registration with the PSI once qualification recognition is obtained through this route.  
• You can find more information on the EPC system and how to apply on the Europa website. 

Next steps 

When your qualification recognition application is approved, you will receive your certificate of qualification recognition by email. On your account on the PSI’s online registration portal, you must then go to ‘Your Profile’ and scroll down to ‘Other’, where you can confirm that you hold a European Professional Card. Then the option for first time registration will appear on your account. 

Creating your application 

Please ensure that the information required for your application is correct: 

1. You must provide information on all countries where you have been registered as a pharmacist for the last five years, including date of registration and discontinuation and the date a certificate of good standing has been requested. 
2. You must provide information on your English Language competence 
3. Please read all the declarations carefully. If you need to select ‘No’ to any of the declarations, you must contact us and provide further information. 
4. Please ensure you review these details before you submit your application. Once an application has been submitted, you will no longer be able to edit it. If we have to contact you to confirm or correct any information, it will delay the application process for you. 

Uploading your documents to your application 

You will need to upload copies of these documents to the portal as part of your application. We recommend you gather these documents before starting your online application: 

• Your birth certificate issued by country of birth. If the original is not in English, please provide original and a certified English translation. 
• A scan of your current, valid passport or id card, including original and certified English translation where appropriate. 
• Evidence of Qualification Recognition (PSI Certificate or EPC card). 
• A photograph (please ensure compliance with the photo requirements). 
• A completed Health Declaration form (signed by your medical practitioner). 

This document is valid for three months only. If it expires before your application is approved, you will be asked to provide an up-to-date copy. This document can be signed and stamped by any registered medical practitioner. It does not have to be completed in Ireland. 

• Evidence of language competency please inform the PSI of which language exam you have taken/intend to take and ensure that the PSI has verification access to your results.  If you do not know how to grant verification access, please contact the exam provider. 

In addition, the following items must be sent to us by email and by post:

• Photograph and Statutory Declaration Form
• Two passport-sized photographs (please refer to our photo guidelines)
• The photograph form must be witnessed by a registered legal or healthcare practitioner. This can include a medical practitioner, a nurse, a pharmacist etc. They must also sign and date both of your passport photographs.
• The statutory declaration can only be completed in the Republic of Ireland. It should be completed in the presence of a Peace Commissioner, Solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths. This witness must provide a company stamp or registration number on the form.
• The Statutory Declaration and Photo Form must be sent as a clear, legible, single document scan by email to registration@psi.ie. The original must be sent by post and addressed to Statutory Declarations, Registration Team, PSI House, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, D02 TD72"

Certificates of good standing 

You must contact the competent authority and request that they send the information directly to the PSI. We will not accept to receive these directly from the applicant. The competent authorities must email the documents directly to registration@psi.ie.  Once received we will email you a copy to arrange a certified English translation.     

Next steps 

The first time registration approval process is a three-step process.  The application must be approved by the RQR Executive, the Head of Education and Registration and finally, the Registrar and Chief Officer of the PSI. Only when all stages are completed will you receive confirmation that you are a registered pharmacist. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not provide a timeline for when an application will be fully approved.  Rest assured, if you have provided all the relevant documents and they are in date, your application will be processed as quickly as possible. 

You will receive your certificate of registration by post sent to your address on the PSI online registration portal, usually within 30 business days. You can download a copy from your account on the portal. Please select ‘My Registration’ on the top bar. You will also be listed on the PSI online public register. 

Under EU legislation EEA qualified pharmacists can work in Ireland on a temporary and occasional basis. They do not make a full application for registration as required by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Registration Rules) 2008. Instead, these pharmacists' names are entered in Part B “Visiting Pharmacists from Relevant EEA States”. 

What is temporary and occasional services? 

In Ireland, temporary and occasional service provision is governed by European Union (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2017, which gives effect to Directive 2005/36/EC. 

A number of criteria must be met before a pharmacist, registered and established in another EEA State is eligible to provide services on a temporary and occasional basis. These are: 

1. The applicant must be a national of a member state of the European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland, or hold European Community rights. 
2. The applicant must be currently established and allowed to practise as a pharmacist without restriction in another EEA state. 
3. The applicant must intend only to provide service in a temporary and occasional capacity, and not to be established in Ireland. 

Temporary and occasional service provision is assessed on a case-by-case basis under specific parameters laid down by the Professional Qualifications Directive. These parameters are: 

• Duration 
• Frequency 
• Regularity 
• Continuity 

The description of service is assessed against these parameters to assess on an individual basis if the service is being provided on a case-by-case basis. 

If the host state can positively prove that a person is established on its territory, then an applicant may not be able to avail of the rules for temporary and occasional service provision. A person is established when she/he settles in a Member State in a stable and lasting way. You may be established in more than one Member State at any given time. 

How do I apply to provide temporary and occasional services? 

Route One – declarations to the PSI 

Eligible European qualified pharmacists may apply to provide services on a temporary and occasional basis by completing a declaratory statement, satisfying language requirements and having their name subsequently entered in Part B “ Visiting Pharmacists from Relevant EEA States” of the Register. The form to provide declarations and information regarding the required supporting documentation is available. After completing and submitting the required form, the PSI will assess the application and revert to confirm the individual's entitlement to provide services. 

Route Two – European Professional Certificate 

Eligible European qualified pharmacists may choose to apply via the Internal Market Information (IMI) system to provide services on a temporary and occasional basis. Their documents are verified and authenticated by the home EEA member state competent authority who is also responsible for issuing the European Professional Card (EPC) to the European qualified pharmacist. No checks of the pharmacist’s identity, qualifications or fitness to practise will be carried out by the PSI. If the EEA Member State competent authority issues a ‘valid’ EPC for temporary and occasional services to a European qualified pharmacist, the holder is entitled to provide temporary and occasional services in Ireland and subsequent to complying with language competence requirements, the PSI gives effect to this entitlement by entering the pharmacist’s name in Part B “Visiting Pharmacists from Relevant EEA States”.