Dubai Health Authority (DHA): Licensing Guide for Doctors 2026

If you want to practise medicine in Dubai, you need a licence from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). The DHA's Health Regulation Sector develops the regulations and standards for healthcare in the emirate and licenses both health facilities and healthcare professionals.

This guide explains the DHA licensing route for physicians in 2026. For salaries, visas and how Dubai compares with Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, see working as a doctor in the UAE.

Key facts

What the DHA does

All healthcare professionals must be licensed to provide healthcare services in Dubai. Each must meet the PQR requirements on qualifications, experience, home-country licensing, good standing, assessment and primary source verification. The DHA also keeps the Dubai Medical Registry, the public list of registered professionals.

The PQR is not unique to Dubai. The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH), the DHA and the Sharjah Health Authority (SHA) issue a unified PQR used to assess applicants' education, experience and licensure. That is why requirements look similar across the UAE, even though each authority runs its own application.

Registration versus licence

The DHA uses two terms that are easy to mix up:

• Registration is the first step. It confirms you are eligible for the title you applied for and serves as proof of eligibility while you search for a job. Your name is listed in the Dubai Medical Registry.
• Licence is created when a hiring facility with a valid DHA facility licence activates your registration through its own Sheryan account. You must accept the facility's request. Activation can be for one, two or three years. You may not practise until the licence status is Active.

Registration is valid for one year from the date of issue. If it is not activated into a licence within that period, you must renew it; otherwise it is cancelled and you start again.

The licensing route, step by step

The steps are:

1. Create a Sheryan account and complete the self-assessment tool. The tool is a free preliminary check of your qualifications and experience against the PQR for your chosen title. No documents are uploaded at this stage. If the result is "not eligible", you can apply for a formal eligibility review.
2. Meet the PQR for qualification, clinical experience, home-country licence and good standing.
3. Obtain a positive PSV result. Documents typically include qualifications, employment certificates, licences, a Good Standing Certificate not older than six months, exam exemption proof if applicable, and a logbook for surgical specialties.
4. Pass the assessment, if your title requires one.
5. Submit the Get Registered application in Sheryan, link the verified PSV report and pay the review fee. PSV and the CBT can run in parallel, but the application cannot be processed until both are complete.
6. Attend an oral assessment if your specialty requires it after approval.
7. Receive your registration certificate and listing in the Dubai Medical Registry.
8. Activate the licence through your employer.

DataFlow PSV reports take about 15 working days for new reports and five for transfers, and that PSV reports do not expire. Documents not in Arabic or English must be legally translated, with copies in the original language uploaded.

DHA assessments

Depending on the position, the assessment is either a computer-based test (CBT) or an oral assessment, and oral exams are progressively being converted to CBT. The CBT is delivered by Prometric, with instant results; oral results are published within five working days.

Key rules:

• Three attempts per position, with no mandatory waiting period between attempts.
• Failed attempts at other UAE health authorities count. You must declare them, and failing to declare attempts can lead to blacklisting.
• A professional who has failed three times across UAE authorities is not entitled to apply for registration. A fourth attempt with the DHA can be requested online with a signed declaration of all attempts at other UAE authorities, subject to DHA review.
• Cancelling or not attending a CBT or oral assessment is not counted as a failed attempt.
• An oral assessment can be rescheduled once at no extra cost if requested more than five working days before the confirmed date.
• If you pass a DHA assessment and then have a gap, a pass within the last two years can still be used; an older pass requires a new assessment.
• Appeals go to the DHA by email within one month of receiving the result.

Certain doctors who completed a residency programme in Dubai government health facilities may be exempted from the DHA GP assessment if they meet the DHA's criteria.

Other requirements worth knowing

• Life support. All healthcare professionals must hold valid basic life support training at a minimum; anaesthetists also submit an ACLS certificate.
• Malpractice insurance must be in place where the licence is activated.
• Gap of practice. The maximum gap is five years for non-UAE nationals.
• CPD. Licensed professionals submit annual CPD points; missing them blocks renewal.
• Visiting doctors need a full DHA licence even for short periods.

Fees (as of October 2026)

Fees are shown in the Sheryan service catalogue. Expect separate charges for the eligibility review, PSV, the assessment, the Get Registered review and licence activation, and confirm each in Sheryan before paying.

Typical mistakes

• Using an old Good Standing Certificate. It must be no older than six months at submission.
• Not declaring attempts at DOH or MOHAP. They count towards the DHA limit.
• Letting registration expire before an employer activates it.
• Practising before activation. A registration is not a licence.

If you are unsure whether to start with the DHA, DOH or MOHAP, MediFlow's GCC licensing team can help at /get-licensed/.

Next steps

• See our DHA GP exam page and practise with exam-style questions in the MediFlow app.
• Run the Sheryan self-assessment for your exact title.
• Compare emirates in working as a doctor in the UAE.

Contact and official links

• Website: dha.gov.ae
• Licensing manual: DHA Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals
• Sheryan FAQ: Sheryan FAQ