SCFHS Exam 2026: Saudi License Steps, Fees and Score
SCFHS licensing for Saudi Arabia: why your classification matters more than the exam, the 12 to 24 week timeline, the tiers and the cost.
SCFHS asks for experience letters covering every month since you qualified. Not every year. Every month, with the role, the exact dates, whether it was full time or part time, and an HR contact who will answer.
That one requirement explains most of what goes wrong with Saudi applications. A candidate with a six month gap between two jobs, or a letter that says 2019 to 2021 without dates, does not get a rejection. They get a request for clarification, and the file sits still while they chase a former employer who has moved offices twice since.
The classification decides more than the exam does
The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties is the only route to practise medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy or allied health anywhere in the Kingdom. It sits under the Ministry of Health and runs both licensing and postgraduate training.
Everything happens inside Mumaris+, the SCFHS portal. You register there, upload documents, receive your classification, and later renew from the same account. Your classification and registration number attach to your iqama file, which is why no Saudi employer can process a visa or a salary without them.
Here is the part candidates underestimate. Before you sit anything, an SCFHS scientific committee reviews your file and assigns your classification. That classification sets which exam blueprint you face and which salary band you land in. The exam confirms the classification. It does not decide it.
Our guide to Mumaris+ and how classification works covers that process in detail.
Four tiers, not three
Most Gulf authorities run three grades. Saudi runs four, and the extra one matters if you are mid career.
| Classification | Experience expected | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Practitioner | 1 year post-internship | Medical school and internship without formal specialty training. Practises general medicine under specialist or consultant supervision. |
| Specialist | 4 years post-qualification, 2 of them in the specialty | Requires a recognised specialty board such as SBFM, Arab Board, MRCP, a fellowship, or an American or European board, plus documented specialty practice. |
| Senior Registrar | Between Specialist and Consultant | The intermediate tier for clinicians who have passed specialist experience but not yet met full consultant criteria. Common in Saudi teaching hospitals. |
| Consultant | 5 or more years post-specialty | Sub-specialty training, a teaching or research record, and independent decision-making authority. |
Senior Registrar exists because Saudi teaching hospitals needed a grade between the two. If you are close to consultant but not quite there on paper, this is the tier to ask about rather than applying as a specialist and staying there. The eligibility check will tell you which classification your file supports.
How long it takes, stage by stage
Twelve to twenty four weeks end to end. Saudi is the longest of the Gulf routes, and the reason is that two slow processes have to finish before a third can start.
| Stage | Realistic duration |
|---|---|
| Mumaris+ registration and document upload | 1 to 3 days |
| Classification review by the SCFHS scientific committee | 2 to 4 weeks, longer if experience letters need clarification |
| DataFlow verification | 6 to 10 weeks, running in parallel with classification for most candidates |
| Eligibility ID issued | 3 to 7 working days after both of the above clear |
| Prometric booking | Riyadh slots commonly fill 2 to 3 months ahead |
| Result and registration | Result on screen, registration updates in Mumaris+ within days |
Read the booking row again, because it is the one nobody plans for. Passing the exam is not the bottleneck. Getting a seat is. Candidates who wait until the eligibility ID arrives before looking at the calendar routinely lose two or three months to a queue.
Our DataFlow verification guide explains the other long stage and what causes it to stall.
The exam
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 150 to 200 MCQs |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Pass score | 60 percent, set against your classification |
| Delivery | Prometric, computer based |
| Result | Shown on screen |
| Fee | USD 200 to 320, higher at specialist and consultant tiers |
The paper is written to your classification, so a consultant sits a different blueprint from a practitioner in the same specialty. That is the practical reason a general Gulf question bank is poor preparation for Saudi.
What it costs
| Item | Indicative USD |
|---|---|
| Mumaris+ registration | Free |
| Classification evaluation | 100 to 270, depending on tier |
| DataFlow verification report | 220 to 340 |
| SCFHS Prometric exam | 200 to 320 |
| Registration certificate issuance | 130 to 270 |
| Indicative total out of pocket | 650 to 1,200 |
That total excludes attestation courier costs, translations and any re-examination fee. Saudi is the most expensive Gulf route, and the classification evaluation is the line that scales with seniority, so a consultant application costs meaningfully more than a practitioner one.
Documents, and the two that decide the timeline
- Identity. Passport bio page with a valid Saudi entry visa or iqama if you are in the Kingdom, and a passport photograph on a white background with no glasses.
- Qualifications. Primary degree, full transcripts covering all years of study, internship completion certificate, specialty board certificate and any sub-specialty fellowship. Academic track candidates add master's and doctoral certificates.
- Experience. Continuous letters covering every month since qualification, each stating role, exact dates, full or part time, and an HR contact. Surgical and procedural specialties also submit log book excerpts.
- Professional standing. A good standing certificate valid within six months at the point SCFHS reviews it, a current home country licence, and life support certification appropriate to your specialty.
- Attestations. Home country foreign ministry, then the Saudi embassy in the issuing country, then the final Saudi attestation.
The two that decide everything are the experience letters and the good standing certificate. Letters need to be continuous and contactable, and a good standing certificate obtained too early expires while the committee is still reviewing. Our good standing certificate guide covers the timing.
Renewal starts the day you are licensed
Most classifications are valid for two years, with one year for probationary registration. Renewal requires 30 to 60 CME hours per cycle depending on tier, and the whole process runs inside Mumaris+.
Treat CME as a running obligation rather than a renewal task. Clinicians who leave it until the cycle is nearly over are the ones who end up with a lapsed registration and an employer who cannot pay them until it is restored.
Frequently asked questions
Why do experience letters have to cover every month?
Because SCFHS classification is calculated from documented practice time, and a gap it cannot account for is a gap it cannot count. Letters with vague dates or an unreachable HR contact are the most common reason a Saudi file stops moving.
Can I book the exam as soon as I apply?
No. The exam unlocks after classification and DataFlow both clear and your eligibility ID is issued. Because Riyadh slots often fill two to three months ahead, start looking at the calendar before that point rather than after.
What is Senior Registrar and should I apply for it?
It is the tier between Specialist and Consultant, used widely in Saudi teaching hospitals. If your experience exceeds specialist requirements but falls short of full consultant criteria, it is worth raising rather than defaulting to specialist.
Where to start
Confirm which classification your qualifications and documented experience support with the eligibility check, then gather continuous experience letters and start attestations before anything else, because those are the items that decide your timeline.
Prepare against the paper for your own classification rather than a general Gulf bank. The practice banks are built per exam code with a written explanation on every question, and you can find yours in the full exam list.
If you would rather not run this yourself, our licensing team handles SCFHS files end to end, from document review and DataFlow preparation through to submission and follow up until registration is issued.