About the authority
Dubai's social-care regulator - the licence for counselling, behavioural and psychosocial practitioners the DHA does not cover.
The Community Development Authority was established by the Government of Dubai in 2013 to oversee social services and the professionals who deliver them. Where the DHA regulates clinical healthcare, the CDA regulates the psychosocial workforce: counselling, behavioural support, family therapy, social case management and special education.
Dubai runs a dual-authority system for mental health, and picking the wrong regulator costs months. If you diagnose and treat psychiatric conditions in a hospital or medical clinic, that is DHA. If you counsel, assess behaviour, support families or work in community centres, schools, NGOs and private counselling practice, that is CDA. Practitioners who do both can hold both licences.
CDA licences run for two years and renew against 40 hours of continuing professional development. The licensing exam is delivered through Prometric at the British University in Dubai in quarterly windows, which is why the calendar - not the paperwork - usually decides how fast you finish. With the documents ready and the steps overlapped properly, most files run 16 to 20 weeks.
Established: 2013
Official websiteTitle tiers
CDA classifies clinicians by seniority. Your tier drives eligibility, exam blueprint and salary bands.
Psychology
Master's + 1 yearGeneral, Child, Educational, Counselling, Marriage and Family, and Occupational Psychologist.
Psychotherapy & Counselling
Master's + 1 yearSocial Therapist / Psychotherapist and Social Counsellor - talking therapy and psychosocial case support.
Behavioural Therapy
Master's (technician roles lower) + 1 yearApplied Behaviour Analyst, Assistant Behaviour Analyst and Behaviour Therapy Technician - largely autism and special-needs settings.
Social Work
Degree + 1 yearSocial Worker and Assistant Social Worker.
Psychology Support
Bachelor's + BUID trainingAssistant Psychologist and Psychometrist - supervised assessment and testing roles.
Special Education
Degree + 1 yearSpecial Education Teacher and Learning Support Assistant.
Eligibility
- Master's degree in psychology, counselling, behavioural science or a closely related field (Bachelor's accepted for Assistant Psychologist with BUID training)
- UAE Ministry of Education degree equivalency - mandatory for every foreign qualification
- Minimum 1 year of relevant post-qualification experience
- Dataflow primary source verification of degree, experience and good standing
Document checklist
Get these ready before you open your CDA file - missing or mis-formatted documents are the #1 reason applications stall.
Identity
- •Passport (bio page + UAE visa/entry stamp)
- •Emirates ID (if resident)
- •Passport-size photograph
Qualifications
- •Master's (or Bachelor's for Assistant Psychologist) degree certificate
- •Academic transcripts
- •UAE Ministry of Education equivalency certificate
- •Home-country attestation of the degree
Experience
- •Employment letters with exact dates and role description
- •Supervisor references or documented case logs
- •Supervised internship evidence where it counts toward the year
Professional standing
- •Good standing certificate from your current regulator or professional body
- •CPD records where already registered elsewhere
Licensing process
- 1
Check CDA vs DHA scope
Clinical roles (Clinical Psychologist, Neuropsychologist, Psychiatrist) are DHA. Counselling, behavioural, social-care and special-education roles are CDA. Some practitioners need both.
- 2
MoE degree equivalency
The UAE Ministry of Education equivalency runs before the CDA file and is the single longest step - budget 6 to 8 weeks.
- 3
Dataflow verification
Primary source verification of your degree, experience letters and good standing. Can run alongside the MoE equivalency.
- 4
CDA application review
The CDA classifies you into a professional category and title, then clears you to sit the exam.
- 5
Licensing exam at BUID
100 MCQs delivered via Prometric at the British University in Dubai. Quarterly windows only.
- 6
Licence issuance
Issued for two years once the exam is passed, renewable with 40 CPD hours per cycle.
Detailed timeline
Realistic durations for each milestone. Ranges assume no document issues - add a few weeks if attestation or Dataflow re-verification is needed.
Exam at a glance
Fee breakdown
Indicative out-of-pocket costs in USD. Actual charges vary slightly by title tier, currency exchange, and any employer reimbursement policy.
| Item | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
MoE degree equivalency | $80 - $270 |
Document attestation (home country) Varies widely by country | $135 - $545 |
Dataflow primary source verification | $205 - $325 |
CDA application fee Depends on category and application type | $135 - $410 |
Prometric exam (first attempt) | $270 |
BUID training (Assistant Psychologist only) Not required for other categories | $1,300 - $2,180 |
Licence issuance | $135 - $270 |
Total out-of-pocket (indicative, excl. BUID training) | $815 - $1,900 |
Let us handle it for you
Prefer to skip the paperwork? Hand your CDA file to our licensing team - one flat fee, one point of contact, one clear timeline.
First Medical Consultancy - CDA licensing service
All-in-oneWe handle Dataflow prep, document review, application submission and follow-up until your licence is issued. Flat fee - no per-document surprises.
Renewal & CME
Renew before expiry with CPD evidence and a valid employment or practice record. Lapsed licences can require re-application rather than renewal.
Common rejection reasons (and how to avoid them)
Patterns we see repeatedly across candidate files. Fixing these before submission saves weeks of back-and-forth.
Pro tips from our team
- Exams run quarterly. Missing a window can add three months, so line the application review up with the next sitting.
- The UAE-specific material - family law, child protection, cultural competency - is what candidates from overseas most often underestimate.
- Start the MoE equivalency the day you decide to apply; nothing else can finish before it does.
CDA guides
In-depth articles from our licensing team on the CDA route, from eligibility to the exam.
- 10 Reasons GCC Licence Applications Get RejectedThe same ten mistakes cause most rejections and month long delays. Check your file against this list before you submit anything to a GCC authority.
- DataFlow Verification 2026: Documents, Cost and TimelineWhat DataFlow checks, the documents each GCC authority needs, what it costs, how long it really takes, and the six flags that stall a file for months.
- Prometric Passing Score 2026: Every GCC AuthorityThe score you need for DHA, SCFHS, DOH, QCHP, NHRA and OMSB, with question counts and exam durations for every GCC regulator in one table.
Practice question banks for the CDA exam
CDA accepts the same Prometric paper as the other Prometric-based GCC regulators, so preparation carries between them. Each bank below follows the published blueprint chapter by chapter.
- PAC6092 Acupuncture Practitioner
- ARN5061 Assistant Nurse
- PHO5481 Pharmacist
- PER5131 Specialist Periodontics
- URO5931 Specialist Urology
- EMREE120 Emirates Medical Residency Entrance Exam (EMREE)
- PA Ayurveda Practitioner
- MID5104 Registered Midwife
- OPT5581 Optometrist
- RES5221 Specialist Restorative Dentistry
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CDA licence or a DHA licence?+
Is there an exam?+
How long does the whole process take?+
Does the CDA licence social workers?+
How long is the licence valid?+
Ready to start your CDA journey?
Take the eligibility check, about 30 seconds. We'll map your documents, flag any gaps, and give you a realistic timeline.