Work as a dentist in Ireland: Dental Council exam, €1,500

• A dental qualification from an acceptable course: equivalent to at least a five-year full-time university course of theoretical and practical instruction, as the Dental Council describes.
• A transcript of your training assessed by the Council before you are allowed to sit the exam.
• English competence: a degree, or a postgraduate dental qualification of three years or more, taught in English, qualifying practice in an English-speaking country, or IELTS Academic 7.0 or OET (Dentistry) grade B in each module.
• Passes in Part 1 and Part 2 of the Dental Council Examination, within two attempts at Part 1 and three at Part 2.
• Letters of good standing or certificates of current professional status from your regulators, and certified translations of any documents not in English.
• Alternative routes: Canadian (after 5 December 2012) or New Zealand (after 19 October 2022) accredited graduates under mutual recognition, or EU recognition plus three years' practice there in the last five.
• For temporary registration: a supervised post under an approved consultant in an approved institution, postgraduate programme or Irish dental hospital research post.
• For an employment permit: a job offer that meets DETE's General Employment Permit criteria, or over €68,911 a year for a Critical Skills permit.

Check your route with the route finder

• Dental CouncilDental Council of Ireland

  Dentists

  Read the registration guide

1. 1

   1. Check your route and permit position first

   Confirm whether mutual recognition, the EU assessment route or the exam applies to you. Before paying for the exam, check with DETE that you could get an employment permit for dentistry, as the Dental Council advises. Dentists are not on the Critical Skills list, so the permit depends on the job and salary.
2. 2

   2. Prepare your English evidence

   If your BDS or a three-year postgraduate dental programme was taught entirely in English, get it confirmed on your transcript or in an original university letter. Otherwise sit IELTS Academic (7.0 in each module) or OET for Dentistry (grade B in each) at a test centre; IELTS Online and OET@Home are not accepted. Certificates must be under two years old when you apply for registration.
3. 3

   3. Apply when the exam window opens

   The Council announces the application date, usually between November and December, for the next year's exam. For 2026, applications were taken in the week of 12 January by post, courier or in person, and places were allocated at random. Pay the €1,500 fee online with your application and transcript.
4. 4

   4. Accept your place quickly

   If you are offered a place, you must accept within three working days or it may go to someone on the reserve list. The Council does not arrange visas but can provide a letter confirming the exam dates. Routine deferrals are not available, and not turning up counts as an attempt.
5. 5

   5. Pass Part 1 in Dublin

   Part 1 has written papers on Health, Disease and Society, usually short answer questions, and a bench test of operative dentistry on manikin heads. All three written papers must be passed in one sitting, and the bench test separately. In 2026 Part 1 ran from 25 to 28 March.
6. 6

   6. Pass Part 2 in Cork

   Part 2 has written papers in restorative dentistry, oral surgery and oral medicine, and child dental health, an OSCE and clinical vivas. Each component must be passed, with no compensation, and a repeat means sitting all components again. In 2026 Part 2 ran from 15 to 18 June.
7. 7

   7. Register with the Dental Council

   Send your application form, passport copy, qualification, English evidence, letters of good standing and the €400 application fee. The Council recommends allowing three months and advises not booking patients until you are registered. You then pay the annual retention fee, €450 for 2026.
8. 8

   8. Find work and get your permit

   Apply to private practices, dental groups or the HSE public dental service. Your employer or you then apply for a General Employment Permit (labour market needs test usually required) or, if pay is over €68,911, a Critical Skills Employment Permit. Visa-required nationals then apply for a D visa and register with immigration within 90 days of arrival.

• Dental Council Examination, Part 1 (Dublin)

  Three written papers, typically short answer: Health (anatomy, dental and oral anatomy, histology, physiology), Disease (immunology, medicine, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, surgery) and Society (law and ethics, regulation in Ireland, dental public health, critical evaluation of evidence). Plus a bench test in operative dentistry on manikin heads. Maximum two attempts.

• Dental Council Examination, Part 2 (Cork)

  Written papers in restorative dentistry, oral surgery and oral medicine, and child dental health; an OSCE with clinical and rest stations; and clinical vivas with pairs of examiners. Each component must be passed individually. Maximum three attempts.

• Fees and results

  The exam fee is €1,500 and a repeat costs €750. Results are issued electronically as soon as they are available, and unsuccessful candidates are routinely sent their scripts.

• IELTS Academic or OET (Dentistry)

  Needed unless you are exempt: IELTS Academic 7.0 in each of the four modules, or OET for Dentistry grade B in each sub-test. Paper and computer-based tests at a centre are accepted.

• IELTS Academic: at least 7.0 in listening, reading, writing and speaking.
• OET (Dentistry): at least grade B in listening, reading, writing and speaking. Authorise OET to share your results with the Council.
• OET@Home and IELTS Online are not accepted.
• Certificates must be obtained no more than two years before you apply for registration.
• Exempt if your primary qualification, or a postgraduate dental qualification of at least three years, was taught in English, confirmed on your transcript or by an original university letter.
• Three of the last five years as a fully registered dental professional in a country with English as an official language may be accepted; the Council decides case by case.

Estimate your total cost

• Exam applications are usually announced between November and December for the following year.
• Part 1 is typically held in March or April in Dublin, and Part 2 in June or July in Cork.
• With one sitting a year and limited places, plan for at least a year from application to a pass, and longer if you are in the 20% group outside Ireland or need a repeat.
• The Council recommends allowing three months for a registration application.
• Letters of good standing are valid for three months; English certificates for two years.

Basic annual salaries in the HSE public dental service from the HSE consolidated salary scales effective 1 June 2026, first to last scale point. Most dentists in Ireland work in private practice, where income is set by the practice and there is no national scale.

• Clinical dental surgeon (grade I)

  €59,411 to €69,941

• General dental surgeon

  €75,569 to €109,548

  Nine-point scale plus long service increments.

• Senior dental surgeon

  €93,325 to €119,157

• Principal dental surgeon

  €112,323 to €136,369

  Including regional duties allowance.

• Private general practice: Set by employer or practice

• Private general dental practices employ most dentists in Ireland, from single-handed practices to larger groups. Pay and contract terms vary by practice, so ask for them in writing before you accept.
• The HSE public dental service treats children and eligible adults and employs dentists on national pay scales. Vacancies appear on the HSE job search.
• Dental schools and hospitals in Dublin and Cork employ dentists in teaching, specialist and research roles. Temporary registration covers supervised clinical posts in approved institutions and full-time research posts in an Irish dental hospital.
• Specialist practice in Ireland covers oral surgery and orthodontics only, with entry to the Register of Dental Specialists through the STAR Committee for non-EU specialists.

• Dentists are not on the Critical Skills Occupations List and are not on the ineligible list, so the usual permit is a General Employment Permit. It needs a minimum salary of €36,605 and usually a labour market needs test, which is waived if annual pay is €68,911 or more.
• A General Employment Permit is issued for an initial two years and can be renewed for up to three more. The fee is €1,000 for six months up to 24 months.
• If the job pays more than €68,911 a year, you may qualify for a Critical Skills Employment Permit instead, which allows immediate family reunification and a later move to Stamp 4.
• DETE's permit criteria include a rule that at least 50% of the employer's staff must be EEA nationals, which can rule out very small practices.
• Visa-required nationals apply for a D visa after the permit is granted and register with immigration within 90 days of arrival. If you need a visa just to sit the exam, you arrange it yourself; the Council can only provide a letter confirming the dates.

1. 1

   Exam places: if you live in the Gulf you apply in Group B, competing for 20% of places, while dentists with a PPS number or Irish immigration permission are in Group A. Factor this into your timing.

2. 2

   English exemption: many BDS programmes in India, Pakistan, Egypt and the Gulf are taught in English. If yours was, an original letter from your university confirming the whole programme and exams were in English can replace IELTS or OET.

3. 3

   Good standing: request letters of good standing from each regulator you have been licensed with, such as DHA, DOH Abu Dhabi, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP or the regulators in Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. They are generally valid for three months, so request them close to your registration application.

4. 4

   Course length: the Council looks for training equivalent to at least a five-year full-time course. If your BDS was four years plus an internship year, ask the Council before applying whether your training is acceptable.

5. 5

   Gulf specialist titles do not transfer automatically. Orthodontists and oral surgeons with a programme of at least three years can apply to the STAR Committee once they are on the Register of Dentists.

• Application plan with every step, fee and deadline

• Document checklist tailored to you, and a review of each document before upload

• Timeline built around the regulator's closure windows and document validity periods

• Help completing the application forms accurately and consistently

• Support with profession-specific evidence, such as the HCPC standards of proficiency mapping

• Guidance on certificates of good standing, references and certified translations

• Preparation for identity checks and declarations on health and character

• Tracking your application and help responding to regulator requests

• Next steps after the decision: exams, adaptation, PIN or licence and your first job

Regulators make all registration decisions and set all fees. Our fee is separate from the regulator's fees, exam fees and translation costs.

What our registration and licensing support includesPackages and fees