DHA License: Requirements, Cost and Process for Dubai Healthcare Professionals

Who needs a Dubai Health Authority license

Anyone who practises clinically in a DHA-licensed facility in Dubai: physicians (GP, specialist, consultant), dentists, nurses and midwives, pharmacists, allied health (physiotherapists, radiographers, lab staff, dietitians and many more) and traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) practitioners.

Dubai Healthcare City is the main grey area. Its free zone has its own regulator (DHCR), and the 2024 Dubai health laws changed how the two regimes interact, so confirm with your employer which licence a DHCC role needs. See our Dubai Healthcare City guide. Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates also use different authorities (see the comparison below).

Eligibility: the PQR

All UAE health authorities use one rulebook, the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR). It sets the qualification, experience and good standing needed for each title. Key points from the current version:

• General Practitioner: medical degree, internship, then two years of clinical experience.
• General Dentist: five-year dental degree, internship, then two years of clinical experience.
• Specialist: depends on the tier of your postgraduate qualification. Tier 1 and Tier 2 qualifications need no extra experience. Tier 3 needs three years after the main specialty for non-UAE nationals (two after a sub-specialty).
• Consultant: Tier 1 needs two years after the main specialty. Tier 2 needs five. Tier 3 qualifications cannot lead to Consultant.
• Practice gap: non-UAE nationals cannot apply after a gap of more than five years. Gaps over three years need extra CME, supervised training and the exam.
• Good standing: a Good Standing Certificate from your last regulator, no older than six months when you apply.

Run the free Self-Assessment Tool before paying for anything. If it says "not eligible" and you disagree, apply for Review Registration Eligibility (AED 200, average 10 working days).

Documents you will need

• Valid passport copy and recent passport photo.
• Degree certificates and transcripts (primary and postgraduate).
• Internship completion certificate, where applicable.
• Experience certificates on letterhead with exact dates, job title and signatory contact. See the DataFlow guide for what makes one pass verification.
• Current licence or registration from your home country.
• Good Standing Certificate, under six months old.
• Logbook for surgical specialties.
• Name change proof if any document shows a different name.

The DHA license process, step by step

1. Create your DHA account and log in to Sheryan. Our Sheryan login guide covers this and common errors.
2. Self-assessment. Free and instant. You pick your title and answer questions. No documents are uploaded.
3. Primary source verification (PSV) via DataFlow. DataFlow contacts your university, employers and regulators directly. DHA's FAQ puts a new report at about 15 working days from payment. Delays from slow institutions are common. Full detail in DataFlow DHA: steps, fees and status check.
4. DHA exam, if required. Computer-based at Prometric for most titles, oral for some. PSV and the exam can run in parallel. See the DHA exam guide.
5. Get Registered. Apply in Sheryan, pay AED 200 plus Knowledge and Innovation fees, wait about 5 working days. You receive the Professional Registration certificate, often called the "DHA eligibility letter". It is valid for one year.
6. Find a job. The registration is not a licence. It shows Dubai employers you are cleared to be hired.
7. Licence activation. The hiring facility submits Activate Professional License in Sheryan. You approve the request in your account, the facility pays, and the eLicense is issued instantly or within one working day. The facility needs valid malpractice insurance for you and, for non-UAE nationals, a labour card.

DHA license cost

Official DHA fees as listed on the Sheryan service pages in October 2026. Knowledge and Innovation fees are added at checkout and are not shown in the tables.

Licence activation and renewal fees

The facility submits and pays activation and renewal in Sheryan. Who bears the cost is set by your employment contract. DHA's service pages list the two fee columns without clear labels. The split above matches DHA's late-renewal penalties (AED 600 a month for physicians and dentists, AED 200 for others). Confirm on the service page before you budget.

Timeline

For a straightforward file, expect roughly two to three months from self-assessment to registration. PSV is the slow part. The exam can be booked while PSV runs. Activation is instant once a facility hires you.

DHA license renewal and CPD

• Licences are issued for one, two or three years.
• The facility can renew up to 90 days before expiry. Processing is instant.
• Late renewal is allowed for up to six months after expiry, with a monthly penalty. You must not practise while expired. After six months, a full-time licence can no longer be renewed.
• Annual CPD targets: physicians and dentists 40 points, nurses 20, pharmacists 20, allied health and TCAM 10. Multiply by the licence length, so a three-year physician licence needs 120 points.
• At least 70% of CPD must relate to your specialty. All of it may be online if specialty-related. Surplus points do not carry forward.
• Missing CPD blocks renewal. Surgeons upload a logbook every two years at renewal.

Your professional registration (the AED 200 certificate) is separate. Renew it within the three months before it expires, or within three months after a licence cancellation.

DHA license transfer between facilities

1. Resign and ask your current facility to cancel your full-time licence in Sheryan.
2. Your registration stays active for one year after cancellation, so you do not repeat the exam.
3. The new facility sends an activation request. You accept it in Sheryan. If several facilities invite you, the full-time licence goes to the one that pays first. You can withdraw your approval until payment.
4. If your old employer refuses to cancel, raise a cancellation issue in Sheryan with proof of resignation. DHA gives the facility three days to respond before the request proceeds.

Moving between branches of the same group needs no new licence once the branches are linked as a facility group. DHA lists this rotation as free.

Part-time licences need the medical director's approval at your full-time facility. Limits: one for GPs, general dentists, nurses, allied health and TCAM; two for non-surgical specialists; four for surgical specialists and consultants.

DHA good standing certificate

When you leave Dubai or apply to another regulator, request a Good Standing Certificate in Sheryan. DHA lists the fee at about AED 500 and processing at one working day. It covers medical and administrative violations, not criminal matters. Anyone with a revocation, suspension, investigation or similar decision in the past two years gets a Certificate of Current Status instead. Unpaid fines block the request. The certificate has no expiry date, but most regulators want one under six months old.

DHA vs DOH vs MOHAP

All three follow the same PQR, and DHA accepts DataFlow reports transferred from DOH, MOHAP and Sharjah. You still need a separate licence for each authority. If you held a DOH or MOHAP licence for the same title and apply within five years of cancellation with no gap, DHA can exempt you from its exam.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a DHA license cost in total?

Expect AED 200 for registration, USD 240 to 280 for the exam, a DataFlow fee that depends on your documents, and activation of AED 3,000 (physicians, dentists) or AED 1,000 (nurses, allied) per year, usually paid by the facility.

How long is the DHA registration (eligibility letter) valid?

One year from issue. If no facility activates a licence in that time, renew the registration for AED 200 within 90 days before expiry.

Can I get a DHA licence without a job offer?

You can get registered without one. The licence itself is only activated by a DHA-licensed facility that hires you.

How many CPD points do I need to renew?

Per year: 40 for physicians and dentists, 20 for nurses and pharmacists, 10 for allied health and TCAM. Multiply by your licence length.

Can I transfer my DOH or MOHAP licence to DHA?

Not directly. You apply to DHA, transfer your DataFlow report (AED 300 for reports from other authorities), and may be exempt from the exam if you meet DHA's conditions.

Do I need a DHA licence to work in Dubai Healthcare City?

Dubai Healthcare City has traditionally licensed its own professionals through DHCR. Rules shifted after the 2024 Dubai health laws, so ask the DHCC facility which licence your role requires before you apply.

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Sources

• DHA Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals, v1.3, July 2025 (PDF)
• Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) (PDF)
• DHA: Review Registration Eligibility
• DHA: Get Registered
• DHA: Activate Professional License
• DHA: Renew Professional License
• DHA: Renew Professional Registration
• DHA: Good Standing Certificate / License Details Verification
• DHA Sheryan FAQs
• DHA Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT) (PDF)

Published 18 Oct 2026 · Access One