How to Get a Medical Licence in the UAE: DHA, DOH and MOHAP Steps

The United Arab Emirates does not have one single medical licence. Depending on the emirate where you want to work, your licence is issued by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) or the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). What unites them is a shared rulebook, the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), and a shared logic: verify the documents, assess the candidate, confirm eligibility, then activate the licence through an employer.

The short version

1. Decide where you want to work: Dubai (DHA), Abu Dhabi (DOH) or the other emirates (mostly MOHAP).
2. Check your profession and title against the PQR.
3. Open an application on the authority's portal and start primary source verification with DataFlow.
4. Sit the assessment (usually a computer-based exam delivered by Prometric) unless you qualify for an exemption.
5. Receive eligibility.
6. Get a job offer from a licensed facility, which activates your licence.

The order of steps 3 and 4 varies by authority and over time. Some applicants book the exam before the verification report is final; others must wait. Follow the sequence your portal shows you.

Step 1: Choose your regulator

The regulator follows the location of the facility, not your nationality or residence.

If you do not yet know where you will work, look at where the jobs you are applying for are. A licence from one authority does not automatically let you work in another emirate; transferring usually means a new application with the second regulator, even if parts of your file (such as the verification report) can be reused. The differences between the three are covered in detail in DHA vs DOH vs MOHAP.

Step 2: Check yourself against the PQR

The PQR is the joint standard of MOHAP, DOH, DHA and the Sharjah Health Authority. The current text is the third version; always work from it rather than the older 2014 edition.

The PQR answers three questions for every profession:

• Which qualification counts? For doctors this concerns the basic medical degree and, for specialists and consultants, the postgraduate qualification and how it is classified.
• How much experience is needed, and when? Requirements differ between general practitioners, specialists and consultants, and between titles. Recent clinical experience matters: long gaps in practice can require additional steps.
• Which assessment applies? Whether you sit a written exam, an oral assessment, or are exempt.

Practical checklist before you apply

• Your degree certificate and transcript, with the exact name of the awarding university.
• Internship completion certificate.
• Current and past licences (good standing certificates are commonly requested and usually have a limited validity window).
• Experience certificates on letterhead, with exact dates, full-time status and your role.
• Postgraduate certificates, if you apply as specialist or consultant.
• Passport copy and photo to the portal's specification.

Make sure your name is spelled the same way on every document. Name mismatches are one of the most common reasons a verification is delayed. If your name changed (for example after marriage), prepare the official evidence.

The title decides the exam

Your title (general practitioner, specialist, consultant) defines the exam you sit and the experience you need. Applying for a higher title than your documents support leads to rejection; applying for a lower one can lock you in. Map your qualifications to the PQR title table before you pay any fees.

Step 3: Open the application and start DataFlow

All three regulators use primary source verification (PSV): instead of trusting copies, a verification provider contacts the issuing bodies directly. For DHA and DOH, the provider is DataFlow Group. DataFlow has been DHA's verification partner since 2007, and it runs a dedicated service for DOH Abu Dhabi.

What happens in practice:

1. You create the application on the regulator's portal.
2. You are directed to DataFlow's portal (for DHA, through the DataFlow DHA gateway) and upload your documents.
3. You sign a letter of authorisation that allows DataFlow to contact your university, licensing authorities and employers.
4. DataFlow contacts each source and compiles a report.
5. The report is sent back to the regulator and linked to your file.

The timing depends mostly on how quickly your sources answer. A university that answers verification requests quickly makes a big difference; a hospital that has closed or merged can stall a file for weeks. You can usually track the case with your DataFlow reference number.

For details such as what counts as a "positive" or "negative" report, how to deal with unresponsive sources and when old reports can be reused, read DataFlow verification explained.

Step 4: The assessment

Most doctors who are not exempt sit a computer-based multiple-choice exam. The DHA, DOH and MOHAP exams are delivered through Prometric test centres and, depending on authority and period, remote options. The exam format (number of questions, time, pass mark) is set by each authority and can change, so check the candidate information on the authority's or Prometric's page before you book.

What you can rely on regardless of format:

• It is a clinical knowledge exam, not a language exam. Questions are typically short clinical vignettes with one best answer.
• The blueprint follows the title. A GP exam covers the breadth of general practice; specialist exams focus on the specialty.
• Attempts can be limited. Authorities have rules on how many attempts you get and how long you must wait between them. Read them before your first attempt.
• Results expire. At DHA, a passed exam stays valid for one year while you search for a recruiting facility. Plan your job search so that you are not forced to retake the exam.

How to prepare efficiently

The most reliable preparation method for a one-best-answer exam is a combination of practice questions and spaced review. A major review of learning techniques rated these two as the most useful; see our guides on active recall and practice questions and spaced repetition. For a week-by-week template, use how to build a study plan for any medical licensing exam.

The exam pages on MediFlow, starting with the DHA GP exam, describe the exam itself. The MediFlow app gives you exam-style questions with explanations and spaced review in one place.

Step 5: Eligibility

Once your verification report is positive, your exam is passed (or you are exempt) and your file meets the PQR, the authority confirms that you are eligible for a licence. At DHA this is commonly referred to as the eligibility letter; other authorities use similar concepts.

Eligibility is not a licence. It confirms that you meet the standard; it does not allow you to see patients. It also has a limited lifespan, so treat the date on it as a deadline for finding a job.

Step 6: Job offer and licence activation

The final step happens through your employer. A licensed healthcare facility in the relevant emirate employs you and applies to activate (or issue) your licence. Only then can you practise. The employer usually also handles the visa and the professional indemnity insurance that the authorities require.

That is why many doctors apply for jobs in parallel with steps 3 to 5. Recruiters frequently ask for proof that you are at least in the process (exam passed or eligibility granted). Having those documents ready makes you more attractive than a candidate who has not yet started.

A realistic timeline

The duration depends mostly on factors outside your control: how fast your universities and former employers answer DataFlow, exam availability, and the authority's processing queue. What you can control is the order of work:

The single most effective time-saver is to run studying and verification in parallel. Verification is mostly waiting; use that time for questions and review.

Common mistakes

• Applying to the wrong authority because a recruiter mentioned "UAE licence" without specifying the emirate.
• Claiming a higher title than the PQR supports, which leads to rejection and lost fees.
• Incomplete experience letters without exact dates or full-time status.
• Letting a result or eligibility expire while waiting for a job offer.
• Using unofficial question dumps instead of genuine practice material. They are often wrong, and sharing exam content breaches exam rules.

Where MediFlow helps

• Licensing consultation for GCC licensing: we review your documents against the PQR and help you choose the right authority. Request a call at /get-licensed/.
• Exam preparation: exam-style questions with explanations and spaced review in the MediFlow app.
• Exam pages: format and scope for the DHA GP exam and other GCC exams.

Summary

Getting a UAE medical licence is predictable once you understand that every authority runs the same four checks: documents (PQR), authenticity (DataFlow PSV), knowledge (exam), and employment (activation). Choose the authority by the emirate where you will work, prepare your documents before you pay any fees, study while verification runs, and start your job search before your eligibility or exam result expires.