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MOHAP Licensing Guide

Ministry of Health & Prevention

Back to United Arab Emirates

Region

Northern Emirates

Exam Platform

Prometric

Dataflow

Required

Avg Timeline

8-16 wks

About the authority

The UAE's federal licence — covers Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah under one MOHAP permit.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention issues the federal UAE health licence covering the five Northern Emirates. If your employer's facility sits outside Dubai (DHA) and Abu Dhabi (DOH) jurisdictions, MOHAP is your regulator.

For candidates, MOHAP's biggest attraction is cost and flexibility: fees run lower than DHA/DOH, and many clinicians licence with MOHAP first to start working in Sharjah or RAK while planning a later move to Dubai.

The process is portal-driven and employer-assisted — the facility raises the request on MOHAP's e-services, your Dataflow report attaches to it, and a MOHAP-blueprint Prometric exam completes the file.

Official website

Title tiers

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

General Practitioner

2 years post-internship

Standard entry tier for non-board-certified physicians practising general medicine.

Specialist

3 years in specialty post-board

Recognised board certification plus documented specialty years. Same board recognition list as the other UAE authorities.

Consultant

5+ years post-specialty

Senior tier; MOHAP may request a portfolio review for niche sub-specialties.

Eligibility

Recognised professional degree
Experience per MOHAP title tier
Good Standing Certificate
Facility sponsorship (federal facilities only)

Document checklist

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

Identity

•Passport (bio page + UAE visa/entry stamp if in-country)
•Emirates ID (if resident)
•Passport-size photograph

Qualifications

•Primary degree + full transcripts
•Internship completion certificate
•Specialty board certificate (Specialist / Consultant)

Experience

•Experience letters with exact dates covering all years since qualification
•Current-employer letter confirming standing

Professional standing

•Good Standing Certificate (within 6 months)
•Valid home-country licence
•BLS / ACLS as applicable

Attestations

•Home MOFA attestation
•UAE Embassy attestation in the issuing country
•MOFA UAE final attestation

Licensing process

1
MOHAP portal file
Employer opens a request on the MOHAP e-service portal on your behalf.
2
Dataflow
Same Dataflow package accepted across UAE authorities usually reused (fresh report if >6 mo old).
3
Prometric exam
MOHAP Prometric slot booked once eligibility is granted.
4
Licence issuance
Digital licence issued after passing; validity 1 year, renewable annually with CME points.

Detailed timeline

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

Employer raises MOHAP e-services request

3 – 7 days

Dataflow verification

Faster if transferring verified documents from DHA/DOH

5 – 8 weeks

Eligibility & Prometric booking

1 – 2 weeks

Exam & result

Instant on-screen result

Licence issuance

1 – 2 weeks

Exam at a glance

Format

100 – 150 MCQs

Duration

2 – 3 hours

Pass score

60%

Fee (USD)

$180 – $240

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)
MOHAP evaluation request Usually employer-paid	$55 – $110
Dataflow PSV report Reusable in part from other UAE authorities	$220 – $320
MOHAP Prometric exam	$180 – $240
Licence issuance Tier-dependent	$190 – $330
Total out-of-pocket (indicative) Generally the cheapest UAE pathway	$460 – $890

Let us handle it for you

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

First Medical Consultancy — MOHAP 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

CME hours per MOHAP framework (category-dependent)

Renew via MOHAP e-services before expiry. Lapses beyond the grace period require file re-activation with fresh Good Standing.

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.

Assuming a MOHAP licence covers Dubai or Abu Dhabi

Fix:It doesn't — MOHAP covers the five Northern Emirates only. Working in Dubai needs DHA; Abu Dhabi needs DOH. Plan the licence around where the facility actually is.

Reused Dataflow report older than the acceptance window

Fix:Reports older than ~6 months typically need re-verification of the Good Standing component. Budget 2-3 extra weeks if your original report is aging.

Facility category doesn't match the applied title

Fix:Some Northern Emirates clinics are licensed only for GP-level services — a Specialist application against them bounces. The employer should confirm facility scope first.

Frequently asked questions

MOHAP, DHA ya DOH — which UAE licence should I get first?

Get the licence for the emirate where your job actually is. If you're still job-hunting UAE-wide, MOHAP is the cheapest entry point and its verified Dataflow documents transfer to later DHA/DOH files.

Can I hold MOHAP and DHA licences at the same time?

Yes — many clinicians hold both to cover clinics in Sharjah and Dubai. Each licence needs its own file and fees.

Where can I sit the MOHAP Prometric exam?

Any MOHAP-authorised Prometric centre — UAE centres or international ones once your eligibility is issued.

How long does the MOHAP process take?

8 – 16 weeks typically. Candidates transferring verified documents from another UAE authority have finished in 6 – 8 weeks.

Do I need an employer to start?

The evaluation request is normally raised by a sponsoring facility. Individual self-initiated files are possible in some categories but the licence still needs a facility to activate.

Ready to start your MOHAP journey?

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

Check Eligibility Practice Exams