NMBI has prepared for the Withdrawal Agreement and has also put contingency plans in place for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. These policies and procedures will ensure that UK qualified nurses and midwives can continue to register with NMBI with minimum disruption.
Currently, there is EU legislation that allows EU citizens to have professional qualifications recognised (‘the Directive’ 2005/36/EC). If you have already had your qualifications recognised by the NMBI, there will be no change; that qualification remains recognised and you can continue to practise in Ireland once you are on the NMBI Register of Nurses and Midwives.
There are three options regarding what may happen once a decision is made regarding how and if the UK leaves the EU:
- Withdrawal Agreement: EU legislation, including Directive 2005/36/EC applies for the duration of the Withdrawal agreement.
- If the UK decides to remain an EU member state, all current provisions in the Directive will continue and NMBI will continue to process UK qualifications in accordance with our current policies and procedures. There will be no change.
- No-deal Brexit: In the event of a no-deal Brexit, NMBI will accept for recognition UK qualifications in general nursing and midwifery which:
- were obtained on or after 29 June 1979 (23 January 1983 for midwifery) and were then compliant with Annex V of the Directive;
- were obtained after the withdrawal date and meet NMC accreditation standards and would have been compliant with Annex V of the Directive had there not been a no-deal Brexit.
For all other UK nursing qualifications, NMBI will assess the qualifications against national Irish standards.
The effective date of the proposed policy will be the day after the withdrawal date and it will be reviewed within two years. Applications in train as at the withdrawal date will be processed under the revised no-deal Brexit option set out above.
However, it should be noted that applicants with UK qualifications should not experience any difference in the process; it is only the legal basis for the recognition of their nursing/midwifery qualification that is changing.
See our Brexit webpage for examples and further information.
