SCFHS Mumaris+ Classification Explained: GP vs Specialist vs Consultant
Your SCFHS classification decides your Saudi salary band, job title and scope of practice. Here is exactly how the committee classifies you — and how to appeal a downgrade.
Nothing in the Saudi licensing journey causes more grief than classification. Candidates expect Specialist, get classified GP, and lose thousands of riyals a month in salary before they even start. This guide explains how the SCFHS scientific committee actually counts your experience.
What classification controls
- Salary band — Saudi employers pay by SCFHS tier, full stop.
- Job title and scope — a Specialist practises independently; a GP works under supervision.
- Which Prometric exam you sit — the blueprint follows the tier.
How the committee counts your years
The single most misunderstood rule: SCFHS counts specialty years, not total years. Ten years of general practice plus a fresh board certificate classifies you as a junior Specialist — not a senior one. The committee reads your experience letters literally:
- Years before internship completion: not counted
- Years in general practice: count toward GP tier only
- Years after board certification, in the specialty: count toward Specialist/Consultant
The classification tiers at a glance
| Tier | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| General Practitioner | Degree + internship + 1 year |
| Specialist | Recognised board + ~2 years specialty practice |
| Senior Registrar | Between Specialist and Consultant |
| Consultant | 5+ years post-specialty, sub-specialty depth |
How to frame your experience letters
Ask HR to issue letters that split roles by period — "Resident in Internal Medicine, 01/03/2018 – 28/02/2021" and "Specialist in Internal Medicine, 01/03/2021 – present" — instead of one blended letter. Exact DD/MM/YYYY dates are mandatory; month-only letters get queried, adding weeks.
Appealing a downgrade
You have 30 days to appeal a classification through Mumaris+ with new evidence: re-issued letters, log books, board verification. Appeals with genuinely new documents succeed regularly; appeals that just argue succeed rarely. And remember — you can request re-classification later once more specialty years accrue.
Go deeper
Read the complete SCFHS licensing guide — document checklist, fees, timeline and FAQs — and prepare for the exam with our SCFHS-aligned practice banks.