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External Examiners

Welcome to the External Examiner Submission Guidelines

Examination Fees (as per QA226)

Examination Type	Fee	Maximum Payment Allowable
Doctorate Degree (PhD/MD) – Visiting or Virtual	€216 per PhD/MD	One day
Virtual Fee – External Examiner (Visiting/Virtual)	€250 per day	Two days per review session
Minor Thesis Reading Fee	€52 per thesis	–
Research Master Thesis Reading Fee	€102 per thesis	–

Further details can be found on the External Examiners website (here).

Submission Requirements & Payment Setup for External Examiners

After completing your examination duties or incurring expenses during your visit to Galway, please submit the Quality Report (if applicable) and the External Examiners Form to externalexaminers@universityofgalway.ie within three months of the examination to ensure timely processing within the academic cycle.

The current version of the External Examiner Form is V7, dated 07/08/2025.

To ensure timely payment, all external examiners must be set up on the University’s HR/Payroll system. Please review the relevant information based on your tax residency status before submitting your claim (here).

For further guidance, please refer to the External Examiners website (here).

Payroll Submission Deadlines & Payment Dates (For External Examiners processed via Payroll / Timesheets Bureau Team)

To be included in the upcoming payroll, the External Examiners Approver must email the timesheet and, when applicable, expenses with legible receipts to the Timesheets Bureau by 5:00 p.m. on the 5th of each month (or by 5:00 p.m. on the previous Friday if the 5th falls on a weekend). For the December payroll, the deadline is Thursday, November 28th, 2025.

Payments processed by the Payroll Office (Timesheets Bureau Team) follow the University’s monthly staff payroll schedule. Please refer here for details.

Payroll vs. Accounts Payable Processing for External Examiners

	Payroll Office (Timesheets Bureau)	Accounts Payable
Who it applies to	- Travel to Ireland for duties - OR Irish tax residents with PPS No.	- Did not travel to Ireland - AND are not Irish tax residents
Tax Status	Payments taxed in Ireland	Payments are tax-free in Ireland
Expenses	Expenses can be claimed (see QA302, QA303, QA304, QA226)	Expenses not applicable
Home Country Tax	Tax may be offset; responsibility lies with the individual	Responsibility lies with the individual

Traveling Expenses Policy Overview for External Examiners

(In accordance with QA304 and QA302 Policies)

Scope of Reimbursement: Only expenses essential to fulfilling External Examiner duties at the University of Galway will be reimbursed.

Expense Documentation:

All expenses must be initially paid by the External Examiner and supported by original vouched receipts.
Credit card slips alone are not accepted as valid proof of payment.
Submit all receipts to externalexaminers@universityofgalway.ie.
Approvers must retain receipts for auditing and email them to the Timesheets Bureau.

Reimbursement Process:

External Examiners can arrange their own accommodation and flights and submit claims using the External Examiner Form with supporting documents.
Alternatively, College or School staff may arrange travel on the examiner’s behalf. More details are available here.
The University does not make direct payments to hotels, travel agencies, or third parties.

Currency Conversion: Convert all expenses to Euro using the Xe Currency Converter, applying the exchange rate from the receipt date.

Transportation: Use the most economical transport available - standard or economy class for flights, and public transport for ground travel.

Motor Travel: Reimbursement is €0.418 per kilometer traveled within Ireland. Mileage outside Ireland requires justification and will be considered case-by-case.

Prohibited Expenses: Alcoholic beverages are not eligible for reimbursement.