United Arab Emirates Licensing

Which authority governs licensing in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates is regulated by 6 separate health authorities: DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SHA, DCAS and CDA. Each one issues its own licence, valid only inside its own jurisdiction, so the first decision is where you intend to work rather than which process looks easiest.

Applying to the wrong authority is the most expensive mistake in this process: fees are not transferable and the eligibility bar differs between regulators. DHA covers Dubai, UAE, DOH covers Abu Dhabi, UAE, MOHAP covers Northern Emirates, UAE, SHA covers Sharjah, UAE, DCAS covers Dubai, UAE (EMS) and CDA covers Dubai, UAE (Social care & mental health).

• DHA, Dubai Health Authority: Dubai, UAE. Prometric exam, DataFlow required, 8-16 weeks on average.
• DOH, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi, UAE. Pearson VUE exam, DataFlow required, 10-18 weeks on average.
• MOHAP, Ministry of Health & Prevention: Northern Emirates, UAE. Prometric exam, DataFlow required, 8-16 weeks on average.
• SHA, Sharjah Health Authority: Sharjah, UAE. Prometric exam, DataFlow required, 10-16 weeks on average.
• DCAS, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services: Dubai, UAE (EMS). Authority CBT exam, DataFlow required, 6-12 weeks on average.
• CDA, Community Development Authority: Dubai, UAE (Social care & mental health). Prometric exam, DataFlow required, 16-20 weeks on average.

Who needs a licence to practise in United Arab Emirates

Every healthcare professional who treats patients in United Arab Emirates must hold a current licence from the relevant authority before starting work: physicians, dentists, nurses and midwives, pharmacists, and the allied health professions including radiographers, laboratory technologists, physiotherapists and respiratory therapists.

The title you are licensed under, general practitioner, specialist or consultant, is decided by your qualification and the number of post-qualification years you can evidence, not by the title you held at home. That tier sets both the exam you sit and the salary band you are hired into, which is why it is worth confirming before you file anything.

• 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

The exam required for a United Arab Emirates licence

Licensing exams for United Arab Emirates are delivered through Prometric, Pearson VUE and Authority CBT depending on the authority. The paper is a computer-based multiple-choice assessment sat at a test centre in your home country, so no travel is needed to sit it.

DHA runs a 150 MCQs, single best answer paper of 3 hours with a pass mark of 60% (title-dependent). The exam fee is $240 – $280, paid to the authority, and the other regulators here charge differently. Some candidates qualify for an exemption based on their specialty certificate, which is worth checking before booking anything.

Documents you will need

The file is assembled once and then reused across the process, so it is worth getting right the first time. A rejected document restarts the clock on the whole application, and document problems are the single most common reason a United Arab Emirates application stalls.

• Identity: Passport (bio page + valid Dubai/UAE visa or entry stamp if in-country)
• Identity: Emirates ID (if already resident)
• Identity: Recent passport-size photograph (white background)
• Qualifications: Primary medical/dental/nursing degree certificate
• Qualifications: Full transcripts covering every academic year
• Qualifications: Internship completion certificate
• Experience: Experience letters covering every year since qualification
• Experience: Letters should state role, dates (DD/MM/YYYY), full-time / part-time, contact details of the HR office
• Experience: 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)
• Professional standing: Home-country practice licence (current, not expired)
• Professional standing: 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)
• Attestations: UAE Embassy attestation of the degree (from your home country)
• Attestations: MOFA UAE final attestation (after arrival, if required by employer)

DataFlow primary source verification

Every authority in United Arab Emirates requires DataFlow primary source verification. DataFlow writes directly to your university, your licensing council and each employer you have listed, and waits for them to confirm the documents are genuine.

This is the step that decides your timeline, because it depends on how quickly third parties reply. A verification usually clears in three to six weeks, and it can be reused when applying to a second GCC authority, which makes a second licence considerably faster than the first.

Typical timeline

Allow 8-16, 10-18, 10-16, 6-12 to 16-20 weeks from a complete file to licence issued for United Arab Emirates, assuming documents are accepted first time and the exam is passed on the first attempt.

The parts you control are document collection and exam preparation. The parts you do not are DataFlow's third-party replies and the authority's own review queue, both of which run longer in the weeks after exam results are released. Candidates who prepare the file while waiting for verification, rather than sequentially, routinely finish a month ahead.

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

Typical cost

Budget for four charges, all set by third parties: DataFlow verification, the authority's application and registration fees, the exam fee of $240 – $280, and document attestation where your country requires it. None of these is refundable if the application is rejected on a document error.

We quote our own consultancy fee after the eligibility check, once we know which pathway applies and how much of your file already exists. Government and DataFlow charges are billed at cost.

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