DHA Licence for Doctors in Dubai: Process and Requirements

Published · by JOBB GROUP FZE

A Dubai medical licence is not something a hospital arranges for you after you land. You build most of it yourself, in a fixed order, through the Dubai Health Authority’s online system, Sheryan. Only the final step needs an employer. Doctors who understand that order early, and start the slow parts first, waste less time.

This guide follows that order. It is based on the DHA’s Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals (version 1.2, effective 8 May 2025), its Manual for DHA Professional Assessment (version 1.1, effective 8 May 2025) and the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR, 3rd version, 2022), which DHA shares with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH) and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). Section numbers below refer to those documents.

Rules are described as of November 2026 and can change. This is general information, not legal or professional advice. Confirm your own case with the DHA Health Licensing Department through dha.gov.ae before you resign from a job or book travel.

Before you start: is DHA the right regulator?

DHA licenses healthcare professionals for facilities it regulates in Dubai. DOH does the same in Abu Dhabi, and MOHAP runs its own evaluation and licensing system. Some Dubai facilities sit under a separate regulator: a Dubai Healthcare City guideline (issued April 2019) says its regulator (DHCR) licenses healthcare professionals in Dubai Healthcare City, and that a valid DHA licence can exempt you from the DHCC exam for the same title and specialty (2.7.12). You still apply to DHCR, not DHA, to work there.

So the first question to ask a recruiter is simple: which authority licenses this facility? Apply to that one.

Step 1: Work out which title you qualify for

Everything in the process is tied to a professional title. The PQR sets the minimum qualification and experience for each, and applying for a title you do not meet is one of the commonest ways to lose time. These are the physician titles in the PQR’s title table (Section 5):

Title What the PQR requires (summary)
General Practitioner Primary medical degree, completed internship, and two years of clinical experience.
Specialist (Tier 1 or Tier 2 qualification) No further experience required after the main or sub-specialty qualification.
Specialist (Tier 3 qualification) Non-UAE nationals: three years’ experience after the main specialty qualification, or two years after a sub-specialty qualification. UAE nationals and children of Emirati women: one year after the main specialty qualification.
Consultant (Tier 1) Two years’ experience after the main specialty qualification, or one year after a sub-specialty qualification.
Consultant (Tier 2) Five years after the main specialty qualification, or four years after a sub-specialty qualification.
Consultant (Tier 3) The title cannot be attained with a Tier 3 qualification.

“Tier” is the PQR’s grading of postgraduate qualifications, based on factors such as programme structure, assessment and independence to practise. Country-by-country tier tables are in Section 7 of the PQR. A note to the title table says physicians holding ABMS, RCPSC, CFPC, CCST or CCT certification attain the Consultant title without the experience requirement, except in surgical and interventional specialties.

Four other PQR rules catch people out:

  • Internship. Physicians need a one-year internship after graduation (1.2.1.1). Without evidence of it, an extra two years of experience is required (1.2.1.2). No separate internship is needed if it was built into your undergraduate training (1.2.1.3).
  • What counts as experience. The DHA manual defines experience as hands-on clinical work in salaried or contractual employment. Volunteer work, observerships and clinical attachments do not count.
  • Gaps in practice. A break of more than two years triggers extra CME/CPD and supervised training requirements (PQR 1.7.1). Non-UAE nationals cannot apply if the gap is longer than five years (1.7.6).
  • Current licence and good standing. You need a valid licence or registration in your home country or country of last employment (1.3.1, 4.1.5), and a good standing certificate from the regulator in your country of last employment that is no older than six months when you apply (1.3.3).

Step 2: Open a Sheryan account and complete the self-assessment

The DHA manual’s process map (Section 5.6) starts with creating a Sheryan account and completing the online self-assessment. This is where you select your title and specialty and declare your qualifications, licences and experience. Treat it as a formal declaration: what you enter here is what will be verified.

Sheryan also issues the Eligibility ID you will need later to book the computer-based test.

Step 3: Get primary source verification started early

DHA will not move you to registration until your primary source verification (PSV) report is complete and any required test has been passed (licensing manual 10.6). PSV means your degree, licences and experience are checked directly with the bodies that issued them.

DHA’s verification partner is DataFlow Group, which says it has worked with DHA since 2007. Applications go through DataFlow’s DHA portal, and DataFlow publishes a “How to Apply” guide and a letter of authorisation template for DHA applicants. You can track progress with your case number.

PSV is usually the slowest part because it depends on universities, hospitals and regulators in other countries responding. Practical steps that help:

  • Tell your medical school, previous employers and licensing body that a verification request is coming, and confirm who handles it.
  • Make sure experience letters state your title, dates and whether the post was salaried, because unpaid observerships will not count.
  • Use the same name spelling across every document, and keep a scan of everything you upload.

Step 4: Pass the DHA assessment (unless you are exempt)

The DHA assessment manual describes two formats: a computer-based test (CBT) and an oral assessment. Depending on your category, you may need one or both (4.1).

  • CBT: delivered by Prometric (7.1) and booked through Prometric’s DHA page using your Sheryan Eligibility ID (7.2.2–7.2.3). You take it at a Prometric test centre (7.2.5). Results reach Sheryan within two working days (7.2.14).
  • Oral assessment: booked through Sheryan (5.1), held virtually on a DHA-approved platform, though DHA can require in-person attendance (4.3). It is conducted in English only (6.10) and lasts a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes (6.14).

Results are reported as pass or fail only, with no score or topic breakdown (4.6). You get up to three attempts, with no required waiting time between them (4.8–4.9). If you fail the third attempt, you cannot reapply to DHA for two years (4.10). The PQR counts attempts across all three authorities and allows one last attempt with a different authority after three failures (1.5.4–1.5.5). Missed or cancelled sessions do not count as failed attempts, but exam fees are not refunded (4.15, 4.24).

Some applicants are exempt from the exam under the PQR because they have passed certain international examinations or hold an active registration with certain regulators, as listed in its exam equivalency chapter (1.6.1). UAE nationals and children of Emirati women are exempt from the Authority examinations (PQR 1.5.1). An exemption removes only the exam; credentialing, experience and PSV still apply (PQR 1.6.2; assessment manual 4.14).

Step 5: Receive your Professional Registration Certificate

Once PSV and any assessment are complete, DHA issues a Professional Registration Certificate. It is valid for one year from issue (licensing manual 10.12) and can be renewed within the 90 days before it expires (12.3).

Registration is not a permit to practise (assessment manual 4.7). It is the document you show employers to prove you are cleared for a title, which makes it the point at which serious job applications usually begin. Put the exact registered title and specialty on your CV so recruiters can match you to the right post; a physician resume builder can help you lay out registrations, specialties and verified experience clearly.

Step 6: Licence activation by a DHA-licensed employer

The final step is activation, which a DHA-licensed facility requests for you (licensing manual 5.6 and Chapter 7). Activation can be for one, two or three years (11.4). Points to know at this stage:

  • Your first DHA licence is always full-time (5.16).
  • Malpractice insurance must be held throughout practice (5.9).
  • Surgical specialists must provide a logbook covering the common procedures of their specialty (5.20). Interventional radiology requires at least 300 cases as first or only operator (5.21), and interventional cardiology at least 200 angioplasty cases (5.22).

Keeping the licence: renewal and CPD

Physicians need 40 CPD points a year, multiplied by the number of licence years, so a three-year licence needs 120 points (licensing manual 15.3, 18.1, 18.9–18.10). At least 70% must be in your specialty, and points cannot be carried forward (18.3, 18.4, 18.8).

Your facility applies for renewal within the three months before expiry (15.4). An expired licence can be renewed within six months on payment of a late penalty, but you may not practise while it is expired (15.6). Six consecutive months without practising is a ground for cancellation (5.11, 15.7), and surgeons must upload a logbook every two years at renewal (15.10).

Where applications usually stall

  1. An out-of-date good standing certificate. It must be no older than six months at submission, so time your request for it rather than ordering it first.
  2. Experience that does not qualify. Observerships, clinical attachments and volunteer posts are excluded.
  3. The wrong title. A Tier 3 specialist qualification without the required post-qualification years will not support a specialist application.
  4. Starting PSV late. Registration cannot move until the verification report is complete.
  5. Letting a gap grow. Breaks over two years add training requirements, and over five years block non-national applicants.

If you are applying from abroad, an international resume builder is useful for producing a CV that sets out your training pathway, registrations and dates in a form UAE recruiters expect.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a job offer before I apply for a DHA licence?

No. The account, self-assessment, verification, assessment and registration stages come before an employer is involved. You need a DHA-licensed employer only for activation, the final step.

How long is a DHA registration valid?

One year from issue, under the licensing manual (10.12). If it is close to expiring and you have not been activated, you can apply to renew it in the 90 days before expiry.

Can I take the DHA oral assessment from outside the UAE?

The oral assessment is normally held virtually on a DHA-approved platform, but DHA can require you to attend in person at a designated location. The CBT is taken at a Prometric test centre.

Is a DHA licence valid in Abu Dhabi?

No. DOH licenses professionals in Abu Dhabi. The PQR is shared, and its licence recognition rules (Section 3.1) allow an exam exemption for a licensed professional moving to the same title, provided they have not exceeded the permitted exam attempts, but you still apply to the new authority.

Does DHA publish its licensing fees in these manuals?

No. The manuals say applicants must pay the required fees but do not list amounts. Check the current fee in Sheryan or with DHA before you apply.

Sources

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