Manage your Registration

The first step to renew your registration is to log in to the Online Doctors Portal. To log in to your Portal, please ensure to use the email address currently registered with the Medical Council. If you need to update your registered email address, please contact support@mcirl.ie.

The Annual Retention Application Form is available on the top of your Online Doctors Portal account homepage, and in your “Outstanding Tasks”.

Doctors can find information about the Annual Retention Form in our Frequently Asked Questions section and watch helpful videos on accessing the Online Doctors Portal.

If you are practising privately in Ireland, you are required to upload your Professional Indemnity Certificate. You can upload your certificate while completing the Annual Retention Form or via “Outstanding Tasks” within 14 days. If you have any questions in relation to Professional Indemnity, please visit our webpage: Professional Indemnity Requirements.

You should bear in mind that the Clinical Indemnity Scheme does not cover complaints made to the Medical Council and you should consider taking out a policy of indemnity to cover complaints before the Medical Council.

All applications should be submitted on or before the 30th of June. You can pay your annual registration fee online with a Credit or Debit Card. If you are having difficulties paying your fees online, please visit our webpage: Fees.

The Medical Council is introducing a phased increase to annual retention fees for registered doctors, effective from the 2026 annual retention process. A 10% increase will apply in 2026, followed by a further 10% increase in 2027. This is the first change to annual retention fees since 2015. These adjustments follow a careful review and detailed consideration by the Medical Council.

The new fees are outlined, per registration category, in the Fees section of our website here. You will also find more information on the fee changes in our Fee Changes FAQ's section.

The Medical Council has introduced a number of reductions in annual registration fees in order to support doctors and their families. For more information on applying for a refund on your fees, please visit our webpage: Reduction in Annual Retention Fees.

In order to maintain active registration, doctors must complete the Annual Retention Application Form and pay the applicable retention fee on or before 30 June 2026.

As the Annual Retention process is a statutory requirement, the Medical Council cannot accommodate requests to defer, extend, freeze, pause, or place registration on hold, nor can it approve fee reductions outside the categories outlined on our website here.

To support doctors and their families, the Medical Council offers a 50% reduction in the annual retention fee for doctors who are certain types of leave, as outlined on our website here.

Direct debit and split payment options are not currently available for Annual Retention fees.

PAYE employees may be eligible to claim tax relief on Medical Council registration fees through the Revenue Commissioners. Further information is available at Revenue.ie.

If you wish to request voluntary withdrawal from the Medical Council Register or restore your name to the Register, please visit our webpage: Request voluntary withdrawal/restoral.

Certificates other than your registration certificate, may be required for other jurisdictions outside of Ireland. You can request a Certificate of Good Standing, Certificate of Experience (Proof of a completed internship in Ireland) and others through your online portal. These certificates are Non-Refundable.

Please visit our Certificates page for more information.

If you have recently completed training or your registration status has changed, you may need to apply for one of the division transfers. For more information on requesting a division transfer, please visit our webpage: Request division transfer.

There are some additional qualifications currently recognised by the Medical Council. For more information on registering an additional qualification, please visit our webpage: Additional qualifications.

For more information on Garda Vetting Requirements, please visit our webpage: Garda Vetting Requirements.

This guidance solely relates to applications for registration with the Medical Council and provides supporting information for Q8 on the Annual Retention Application Form. You can find more information on our webpage Guidance on Spent Convictions.

Please ensure to check your personal details are up to date when renewing your registration each year. You can change your postal address and phone numbers on the Online Doctors Portal however all email address changes must be requested by email to support@mcirl.ie and doctors should include their full name and registration number in the request.

You can view or pay outstanding fees through the Online Doctors Portal.

Telemedicine is the use of technology such as telephones, websites, apps, and software platforms to provide and support healthcare for patients, where the doctor and patient (or other healthcare professional) are not in the same location. 

The Medical Council is the regulatory body for doctors in Ireland and has a key public protection role in setting and promoting high standards and expectations of doctors.
As with in-person consultations, the principles of care remain the same for telemedicine and we have prepared some FAQ's to help guide doctors in this area.

You can find this detailed information and guidance over in our Telemedicine: A Guide for Doctors registered with the Medical Council section.

The Doctor Wellbeing Guide provides valuable information for doctors on the importance of self-care and provides practical tips and advice to help doctors focus on their own personal wellbeing while meeting the needs of patients.

We understand that doctors, medical students, and members of the public who interact with doctors can sometimes encounter unique challenges. To support doctors, medical students, and individuals who are engaging with the Medical Council, we offer CAREhub - an independent, confidential, wellbeing support service provided by Lyra Health International.

The Medical Council has published a principle-based statement articulating its position on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in clinical settings and clinical decision-making.

The Medical Council’s position is that in clinical practice, doctors must remain grounded in the core values of medicine and good professional practice principles.

While the Medical Council recognises the great potential that AI holds for the medical field, and it supports the integration of AI into clinical settings, this integration must be underpinned by a doctor’s commitment to patient safety, professional integrity, and public trust. 

By adhering to good professional practice principles, doctors can ensure that AI contributes to safer, more effective medical treatment, rather than allow it to replace their clinical decision making.

The Medical Council’s position statement serves as a foundation for the responsible use of AI in clinical practice. It should be read in conjunction with the Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners (9th Edition, 2024) and considered in conjunction with governmental guidelines and frameworks on AI use.

Read the full position statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in clinical settings here.

The Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners (9th Edition) seeks to support doctors by providing principles–based guidance on matters related to professional conduct, ethics and aspects of practice.

The Safe Prescribing and Dispensing of Controlled Drugs Guide provides a useful resource to facilitate safer prescribing and dispensing of controlled drugs and serves to encourage best practice and raise and promote high levels of professional standards in the treatment of patients.

The Unregistered Practice Policy outlines the Medical Council’s commitment to ensuring that only registered medical practitioners engage in the practice of medicine. It sets out the Council’s approach to managing instances of unregistered medical practice and clarifies doctors’ responsibilities to maintain their registration, including compliance with annual retention and professional indemnity requirements. The policy also explains the steps that may be taken where unregistered practice is identified. You can read the Medical Council's Unregistered Practice Policy here.