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DHA Licensing Guide

Dubai Health Authority

Back to United Arab Emirates

Region

Dubai

Exam Platform

Prometric

Dataflow

Required

Avg Timeline

8-16 wks

About the authority

Dubai's healthcare regulator — one portal, one exam, one path to practice in the emirate.

The Dubai Health Authority licenses every doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist and allied health professional who works inside the emirate of Dubai. Whether you plan to join a JAFZA free-zone clinic, a Dubai Healthcare City hospital or a mainland facility, your practice permit will come through DHA.

The regulator runs everything through Sheryan — a unified online portal where you build your professional file, upload documents, track Dataflow status, receive your eligibility ID and manage your active licence. There is no parallel offline route; even employer sponsors submit through the same system.

DHA is distinct from Abu Dhabi's DOH, Sharjah's SHA and the federal MOHAP. A DHA licence lets you practise in Dubai only — the other emirates require their own authority's licence, though most of the Dataflow report can be reused when you cross over.

Established: 2007

Official website

Title tiers

DHA classifies clinicians by seniority. Your tier drives eligibility, exam blueprint and salary bands.

General Practitioner

2 years post-internship

For candidates who completed medical school and internship without pursuing a formal specialty. Full clinical practice under supervision of a specialist.

Specialist

3 years in specialty after board qualification

Requires a recognised specialty board certification (Arab Board, MRCP, FRCS, American Board, etc.) plus documented specialty experience.

Consultant

5+ years post-specialty

Senior clinicians with sub-specialty training and a track record of teaching, research or complex case management.

Eligibility

Recognised medical/dental/nursing qualification (WHO / MOE listed)
Minimum 2 years post-graduation clinical experience (GP tier)
Valid Good Standing Certificate from home council
Clean disciplinary record and medically fit

Document checklist

Get these ready before you open your DHA file — missing or mis-formatted documents are the #1 reason applications stall.

Identity

•Passport (bio page + valid Dubai/UAE visa or entry stamp if in-country)
•Emirates ID (if already resident)
•Recent passport-size photograph (white background)

Qualifications

•Primary medical/dental/nursing degree certificate
•Full transcripts covering every academic year
•Internship completion certificate
•Specialty / sub-specialty board certificate (Specialist & Consultant tiers)

Experience

•Experience letters covering every year since qualification
•Letters should state role, dates (DD/MM/YYYY), full-time / part-time, contact details of the HR office
•Consultant tier: additional evidence of leadership, teaching or research

Professional standing

•Good Standing Certificate from your current or most recent licensing council (no older than 6 months at DHA submission)
•Home-country practice licence (current, not expired)
•BLS + ACLS / PALS as applicable to your specialty

Attestations

•Degree attested by home country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or apostille for Hague Convention countries)
•UAE Embassy attestation of the degree (from your home country)
•MOFA UAE final attestation (after arrival, if required by employer)

Licensing process

1
Create Sheryan account
Register on Sheryan (DHA's unified professional portal) with your Emirates ID or passport.
2
Dataflow verification
Submit degree, transcripts, licence, experience letters and Good Standing for primary source verification. Takes 4-8 weeks.
3
Book Prometric exam
Once Dataflow clears, DHA issues an Eligibility ID. Book your slot on Prometric — Dubai, home country or any international centre.
4
Pass the exam
Score at or above the DHA cut-off for your title level (typically 60%). Result is instant on-screen.
5
Employer sponsorship & activation
A DHA-licensed facility submits your activation request. Licence issued within days.

Detailed timeline

Realistic durations for each milestone. Ranges assume no document issues — add a few weeks if attestation or Dataflow re-verification is needed.

Sheryan file created & documents uploaded

You do this yourself or the employer's HR does it on your behalf.

1 – 3 days

Dataflow package submitted & payment cleared

1 day

Dataflow primary source verification

Longest single step. Some universities respond in 2 weeks, others take 10.

4 – 8 weeks

DHA reviews file & issues Eligibility ID

3 – 7 working days

Prometric slot booking & prep

Dubai centres open ~4 weeks out; overseas centres often sooner.

As soon as you're ready

Exam result & licence issuance

Instant result; licence in 2 – 5 working days

Employer activation

3 – 7 working days after facility submits request

Exam at a glance

Format

150 MCQs, single best answer

Duration

3 hours

Pass score

60% (title-dependent)

Fee (USD)

$240 – $280

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)
Sheryan account creation	Free
Dataflow PSV report Varies by number of documents & source countries	$220 – $320
DHA Prometric exam Higher for Consultant tier	$240 – $280
DHA eligibility & licence issuance Depends on title tier	$270 – $410
Employer facility linking Facilities cover the practice-permit fee	Employer-paid
Total out-of-pocket (indicative) Not including translation, courier or attestation courier	$730 – $1,010

Let us handle it for you

Prefer to skip the paperwork? Hand your DHA file to our licensing team — one flat fee, one point of contact, one clear timeline.

First Medical Consultancy — DHA licensing service

All-in-one

We handle Dataflow prep, document review, application submission and follow-up until your licence is issued. Flat fee — no per-document surprises.

1 business day response after payment

$272.29

Renewal & CME

Validity

1 year

CME per cycle

40 CME hours per cycle (mix of Category 1 & 2 accepted by DHA)

Renewal is done through Sheryan up to 60 days before expiry. Late renewal incurs a fine and, after 30 days lapsed, requires re-application.

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.

Good Standing Certificate older than 6 months

Fix:Always request Good Standing within 30 days of submitting to Dataflow — it must still be inside the 6-month window at DHA review time.

Qualification from an institution not on DHA's recognised list

Fix:Cross-check your university against DHA's approved schools before starting. If it's not listed, apply for an equivalency evaluation first (adds 4-6 weeks).

Gaps or overlap in experience letters

Fix:Every month since qualification must be covered. If you took a career break, provide a signed declaration explaining the gap — DHA accepts it.

Experience letters missing hospital contact details

Fix:Dataflow will call the HR office; a letter without a switchboard phone and official email gets flagged. Ask HR to include a stamp and named signatory.

Attestation missing at the UAE Embassy step

Fix:Degrees from most countries need attestation by (1) home MOFA, (2) UAE Embassy in that country, then (3) MOFA UAE. Apostille-only is not enough for UAE.

Pro tips from our team

Start Dataflow before you plan the exam — it's the longest step.
Use recent question banks — DHA refreshes its blueprint often.
Keep every document apostilled where the issuing country requires it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be inside Dubai to start the DHA process?

No. Everything up to and including Dataflow can be done remotely. You only need to be in Dubai for the Prometric exam if you choose a Dubai centre — otherwise you can sit the exam in your home country or a nearby Prometric-authorised city.

Can I take the DHA exam in my home country?

Yes. Prometric operates in most countries. Once DHA issues your Eligibility ID, you can book any authorised Prometric centre worldwide.

Is a job offer required before I start?

No — you can process the DHA licence proactively. However, the practice permit is only activated once a DHA-registered facility submits an employment request against your licence. Many candidates get the licence first, then job-hunt.

Can the same Dataflow report be reused for DOH or MOHAP?

Partially. The core verified documents can be transferred, but each UAE authority requires a fresh authority-specific Dataflow package and a nominal re-verification fee. Reusing your data still saves weeks vs. starting from scratch.

What happens if I fail the DHA Prometric exam?

You can retake it, but there's a mandatory waiting period (typically 3 months) and after 3 failed attempts DHA may require additional training or a specialty review before further attempts.

Is there an English-language requirement?

No formal IELTS score, but the Prometric exam is delivered in English, and DHA expects working English proficiency. Some employer sponsors do request IELTS/OET separately.

How does malpractice or disciplinary history affect my application?

Any prior malpractice, suspension or licence cancellation must be disclosed. DHA will investigate; minor resolved issues usually pass, active suspensions do not.

Realistically, how long from starting to first day at work?

Best case: 10-12 weeks if your documents are already attested and your university responds quickly. Typical: 4-6 months. Consultant tier with sub-specialty verification: can go up to 8 months.

Ready to start your DHA journey?

Book a free eligibility check — we'll map your documents, flag any gaps, and give you a realistic timeline.

Check Eligibility Practice Exams