How to Open a Dental Clinic in Dubai: DHA Licensing, Space and Costs

What you are licensing

A dental clinic is an outpatient facility regulated by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). In DHA's own fee tables it sits in "Category 3", the same group as polyclinics, GP clinics and school clinics. Hospitals (Category 1) and day surgery centres (Category 2) pay more and go through a longer design review.

You hold two separate licences:

• A trade licence for the company, from DET on the mainland or from a free zone authority. Ownership rules and the legal form are set at this stage. See can a non-doctor own a clinic in the UAE.
• A DHA facility licence for the clinic itself, plus a DHA professional licence for every dentist, hygienist, nurse and assistant.

Planning to open in Dubai Healthcare City? DHA's older guidance excluded DHCC, but the 2024 Dubai health laws brought DHCC health activities under DHA licensing as well. Read DHCC or mainland Dubai and our DHCC guide before you sign a lease.

Step by step: from idea to first patient

1. Decide your services first. General dentistry, orthodontics, implants and cosmetic work all fit a dental clinic licence. IV sedation or general anaesthesia does not. DHA's dentist scope of practice says the facility itself needs a DHA licence to offer sedation, and points to the standards for standalone day surgery centres. If you want home visits later, see home healthcare licensing, because in-home dental care runs under the home healthcare standards.
2. Reserve a trade name. You apply online to DET (or your free zone) and pay the reservation fee. DHA's FAQ points applicants there for the trade name.
3. Find premises and get a layout drawn. An engineering or design firm prepares an AutoCAD floor plan showing every room, its area in square metres and its use. Check the space guide below before you commit to a unit.
4. Apply for a New Facility Licence on Sheryan. Upload the floor plan and the trade licence if you have it. DHA says the trade licence is optional at this stage. Its services guide lists a delivery time of 1 to 10 working days. Approval gives you an inactive facility licence, valid for one year.
5. Fit out the clinic. Build to the approved plan. DHA inspectors cannot approve layout changes on site, so get any change approved before you build it. If you will take X-rays (intraoral, OPG or CBCT), you also need Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) approvals. A qualified expert must assess the radiation shielding, and DHA's facility guidelines say FANR approval and certification are needed for all shielding.
6. Hire and license your team. Every dentist needs a DHA licence before they practise. Overseas dentists go through primary source verification and usually an exam (see our DHA licence guide, DataFlow guide and DHA exam guide). Each professional needs malpractice insurance before activation (malpractice insurance guide). Choose a medical director. DHA's FAQ says the owner can be medical director if they meet the licensing criteria.
7. Request final inspection and activation. The inspector gives one of four outcomes: approved, approved with conditions, suspended (a second inspection and an extra fee) or rejected. Once approved, you activate the facility licence and add your professionals' licences in Sheryan.
8. Connect your systems. NABIDH, Dubai's health information exchange, applies to all DHA-licensed facilities (NABIDH guide). Plan your insurance network contracts and e-claims early, because many patients choose a dentist by insurance network (dental insurance in Dubai).

How much space a dental clinic needs

DHA does not publish one minimum floor area for a whole dental clinic. Instead, its Health Facility Guidelines (Part B, Unit 100: Dental Surgery Unit) include a sample schedule of rooms by chair count. It is a planning guide, and DHA reviews your actual layout. The main rooms it lists:

Three design points cause most rework. Sterilisation must flow from a dirty zone (washing and decontamination) to a separate clean zone (packing and sterilising). The plant room needs external exhaust for suction air. And any X-ray room needs shielding signed off before you build.

Who can do what in a Dubai dental clinic

Investors often assume any licensed dentist can offer the full menu. DHA's Scope of Practice for General and Specialist Dentists (version 2, effective 25 February 2024) says otherwise. This shapes who you need to hire:

• Implants: a dentist needs a DHA dental implant privilege, backed by a recognised implantology course or a specialty programme that included implants. Sinus lifts and advanced bone grafting are limited to oral surgeons, oral and maxillofacial surgeons and periodontists.
• Botox and fillers: general dentists may not perform them. Only DHA-licensed orthodontists, prosthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons may, within the non-surgical cosmetic standards (face only, excluding the nose). If facial aesthetics is part of your plan, read our aesthetic clinic guide.
• Veneers: a general dentist needs two years of experience and an advanced veneer course of at least three months.
• Laser dentistry: the dentist needs certified training accepted by your clinic's privileging committee, and the clinic must follow laser safety standards.
• Sedation: needs certified training, facility privileges and a facility licensed for sedation.

If you add an in-house dental lab, DHA issued separate Standards for Dental Laboratory Services in April 2025.

Dental clinic setup costs in Dubai

DHA's own fees are published. The DHA Health Regulation services guide (last updated 21 March 2023) lists the following for Category 3 facilities. Check the amount shown in Sheryan when you pay, as fees can change.

The guide names "Dental Clinic" in Category 3 but does not give it its own licence line. Ask DHA which line applies to your specialties when you apply.

Everything else varies, and here is why:

• Rent and fit-out: driven by location, unit size and the condition of the space. Dental units need water, drainage and suction at every chair, which costs more than a standard clinic fit-out.
• Equipment: chair count, brand, and whether you buy an OPG or CBCT. Imaging also adds FANR licensing and shielding.
• Trade licence: DET or free zone fees depend on legal form, activity and office.
• People: visas, salaries, licensing costs for overseas hires and malpractice cover.

For the full budget picture across clinic types, see the cost to open a clinic in Dubai.

How long it takes

DHA's paperwork is quick on paper: 1 to 10 working days for the new facility application and 1 working day for activation, per its services guide. The real timeline is set by premises, fit-out, FANR approvals and how fast your dentists clear licensing. Your inactive licence lasts one year, so plan the build inside that window. DHA may reject an application if you do not respond for more than three months, and fees are forfeited.

Marketing before you open

Create your Google Business Profile with a future opening date as soon as you have the address. Google lets you set a date up to a year ahead, and the verified profile appears 90 days before opening. Build an implant, braces and check-up landing page now and run pre-opening Google Ads to collect bookings for opening week. Every ad and post must follow DHA's medical advertisement standard, which requires your medical director's approval and bans "best" claims. So plan the ad approval process before launch. We map this out in a free launch plan, and our clinic marketing service runs it from day one. After launch, follow marketing a new clinic: the first 90 days.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be a dentist to open a dental clinic in Dubai?

DHA says facility ownership follows Cabinet Decision No. 29 of 2020, and the legal form is set when you get your trade licence. Whoever owns it, the clinic needs a DHA-licensed medical director and licensed dentists. See our guide on whether a non-doctor can own a clinic for the ownership rules.

What is the minimum size for a dental clinic in Dubai?

DHA does not publish one minimum area for the whole clinic. Its facility guidelines plan 14 m² per dental surgery plus sterilising, clean-up, reception, waiting, staff and plant rooms. DHA approves your actual layout.

How much is the DHA licence for a dental clinic?

DHA's services guide lists AED 1,000 to apply and AED 2,000 for final approval. The annual licence fee depends on the category, for example AED 6,000 for a specialty clinic. Each full-time dentist adds AED 3,000 a year.

Can a general dentist place implants or do Botox in Dubai?

Implants: yes, with a DHA implant privilege backed by recognised training. Botox and fillers: no. DHA allows only orthodontists, prosthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons to do these, within the cosmetic standards.

Do I need FANR approval for dental X-rays?

Yes. DHA guidance says X-ray facilities need FANR approvals and shielding assessed by a qualified expert before construction.

Can I start treating patients once I have the inactive licence?

No. Professionals may not practise until the facility licence is active after final inspection.

Sources

• DHA Sheryan: Frequently asked questions (facility licensing)
• DHA Health Facility Guidelines, Part A: Approval Process for Health Facilities
• DHA Health Facility Guidelines, Part B: Dental Surgery Unit
• DHA Health Regulation Sector services guide (fees, updated 21 March 2023)
• DHA Facility Services Fees (2025)
• DHA Scope of Practice and Core Competencies for General and Specialist Dentist (v2, 2024)
• DHA Guidelines for Dental Radiology
• DHA Standards for Dental Laboratory Services (2025)
• Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR)
• DHA Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media
• Google Business Profile Help: Add an opening date

Published 18 Oct 2026 · Access One