Good Standing Certificate in the UAE: DHA, DoH, MOHAP and SHA Steps

What a Good Standing Certificate is

A Good Standing Certificate confirms that a healthcare professional was licensed, competent to practise and free of disciplinary findings during the licensed period. You need one when you move to another regulator, inside the UAE or abroad. Regulators also call it a Certificate of Good Conduct, a Certificate of Current Professional Status or a Letter of Good Standing.

The key rule: only the authority that licensed you can issue it. DHA's licensing guidance says the certificate must come from the same licensing authority as your registration or licence. A letter from your hospital HR is not a substitute, except where no regulator exists in the country where you worked.

When you apply for a new licence, the Unified PQR used by DHA, DoH, MOHAP and SHA asks for a certificate from your last regulator that is no more than six months old. See our DHA license guide, DoH license guide and MOHAP license guide for where it fits in each process.

Which regulator issues yours

Fees and times are from each regulator's own service page or manual, linked in the Sources section. Check the payment screen before you pay, as fees can change.

DHA Good Standing Certificate: step by step

The DHA service is called Good Standing Certificate / License Details Verification. It is open to current and former DHA-licensed physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives, allied health and TCAM practitioners.

1. Clear any fines first. DHA will not process the request while you have unpaid fines.
2. Log in to Sheryan with UAE PASS or your DHA account. If you have left the UAE and lost UAE PASS access, see our Sheryan login guide.
3. Choose the Good Standing Certificate service and fill in the application.
4. Upload documents. A valid passport copy if your record is out of date. Government-sector professionals also need an End of Service letter.
5. Pay. DHA lists about AED 500, with Knowledge and Innovation fees added at checkout.
6. Download the certificate from your Sheryan account under closed applications. DHA targets one working day.

Things that trip people up:

• Pre-1999 licences. DHA does not issue a GSC to professionals licensed in Dubai private facilities before 1999.
• Disciplinary history. If you were suspended, revoked, under investigation, or received a warning, reassessment or undertaking letter in the past two years, you get a Certificate of Current Status instead. It lists the details.
• Criminal matters are not covered. DHA's licensing manual says the certificate reflects medical practice records only, not non-medical legal cases.
• Drafts expire. Sheryan deletes draft applications left inactive for over three months.
• No paper copies. DHA does not issue manual verification letters. Other authorities can verify the certificate through Sheryan's "Verify Document" service or by emailing GSC@DHA.GOV.AE.

The same service also offers License Details Verification (5 working days), which needs a verification form, your passport and your last DHA licence. Some overseas regulators ask for this as well as the GSC.

DoH Abu Dhabi: Current Professional Status Certificate

DoH's 2024 Licensing Procedure Manual (issued with Circular 151/2024) lists the service as "Request a Current Professional Status Certificate". Key points:

• Open to current and previously DoH-licensed professionals. A facility representative can also apply.
• You need an active DoH licence for at least three months before you can get one.
• The manual lists the service as instant with no fee.
• Any revocation, suspension, investigation, warning or notice letter is stated on the certificate.
• You can enter another regulator's email in the application and DoH sends the certificate to them directly.

Overseas regulators that send DoH a verification request expect the certificate to be requested within three months of that request, so time it with your new application.

MOHAP Good Standing Certificate

MOHAP's service is Issue a Good Standing Certificate for a Health Professional. It covers doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, technicians, alternative medicine practitioners and pharmacists.

1. Log in to the MOHAP website or smart app with UAE PASS.
2. Upload the documents for your sector and pay: AED 500 (doctors, nurses, other professionals) or AED 300 (pharmacists and assistant pharmacists).
3. If approved, MOHAP emails the certificate. You can also download it from the website or app. Processing is three working days.

Private sector documents: valid passport; experience certificate from the facility approved by the medical director; MOHAP cancellation letter if your licence was cancelled. Pharmacists need an experience letter certified by MOHAP's medicines department.

Government sector (EHS) documents: an experience letter from MOHAP HR or EHS via Bayanati, the electronic experience certificate from the EHS HR gate, your MOHAP licence and evaluation certificate, and a passport copy. Outsourced staff working in EHS facilities apply under the government sector and need a letter from the outsourcing company.

Who cannot apply: trainees, visitors, holders of only an initial licence, anyone licensed by MOHAP for under three months, and anyone with a sentence for a medical offence that bars issue. MOHAP states the certificate is valid for six months from issue. MOHAP's call centre is 80011111.

Sharjah Health Authority (SHA)

If your licence was issued by SHA rather than MOHAP, use SHA's Request for Good Standing Certificate service on its e-services portal.

• Eligibility: current or former SHA full-time licence holders, including cancelled or expired licences. Visiting or temporary licence holders qualify only if the licence was renewed at least once. Interns and trainees cannot apply.
• Document: an experience letter from an SHA-licensed facility, signed by the medical director and stamped, stating no disciplinary action and no offence.
• Fee and time: AED 400 and 8 working days, or AED 750 and 2 working days for urgent.
• Validity: six months from issue.
• Help: +971 6 509 1666 or info@sha.gov.ae.

Not sure whether MOHAP or SHA licensed you? Check your licence card or ask your facility. Our Sharjah health regulator guide explains the split.

Dubai Healthcare City (DHCR)

DHCC professionals request a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Current Status through the DHCR online system under E-services, Letter request. DHCC's policy (last revised February 2023) lists AED 520 regular (7 working days) and AED 1,020 urgent (2 working days), both including a AED 20 fee. The certificate is valid six months, or three months if an investigation is pending. See our Dubai Healthcare City guide.

Timing tips when leaving or transferring

1. Request the certificate after your licence status is final. A certificate reflects your status on the day it is issued. DHCC, for example, charges a second fee if you need a new one after your licence status changes.
2. Do not request it too early. Most new regulators want it under six months old on the day you submit, and it also goes through DataFlow primary source verification (see our DataFlow guide).
3. Keep your UAE PASS working before you fly out. DHA and MOHAP both run through online accounts, and recovering access from abroad is slow.
4. Pay fines and close out CPD issues first. Outstanding fines block DHA requests, and DHA requires fines paid before a licence is cancelled.
5. Ask the receiving regulator how they want it. Some accept the PDF you upload. Others want it sent directly from the UAE authority. DoH and DHA both support direct electronic verification.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the DHA good standing certificate?

DHA lists the fee at about AED 500, with Knowledge and Innovation fees added at checkout. Processing is one working day through Sheryan.

How long is a good standing certificate valid in the UAE?

MOHAP, SHA and DHCC state six months from issue. DHA does not print an expiry, but DHA, DoH and MOHAP licensing rules accept certificates no older than six months when you apply.

Can I get a DHA good standing certificate after leaving the UAE?

Yes. Former DHA licensees can apply in Sheryan from abroad. You need working login access, a current passport copy and no unpaid fines.

What is a Certificate of Current Status?

It is issued instead of a Good Standing Certificate when you have recent disciplinary history, such as a suspension, revocation, warning or open investigation. It lists those details for the receiving regulator.

Is the DoH Abu Dhabi good standing certificate free?

DoH's 2024 Licensing Procedure Manual lists the Current Professional Status Certificate as instant with no fee. You need at least three months of active DoH licensure.

Can my hospital issue the good standing letter instead?

Not where a regulator exists. The certificate must come from the authority that licensed you. DoH accepts an employer letter only if the country you worked in has no regulatory body.

Clinic owners hiring from other emirates or abroad: our guide to verifying a doctor's licence covers the employer side. If you need patients once your team is in place, Access One runs Google Ads for clinics.

Sources

• DHA Sheryan: Good Standing Certificate / License Details Verification
• DHA: Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals (PDF)
• DoH Abu Dhabi: Circular 151/2024 and Licensing Procedure Manual
• MOHAP: Issue a Good Standing Certificate for a Health Professional
• MOHAP: Good Standing Certificate for a Pharmacist
• Sharjah Health Authority: Health professional services
• DHCC: Certificate of Good Standing / Current Status Policy (PDF)

Published 26 Oct 2026 · Access One