Healthcare Professional Licensure Requirements in the UAE: Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Guidelines
The document outlines the general requirements for healthcare professional licensure in the UAE, including educational qualifications, professional experience, licensure status, primary source verification, and assessment requirements. It specifies requirements for physicians, dentists, nurses, allied health professionals, and traditional and complementary medicine practitioners.
General Licensure Requirements
Licensure General Requirements consist of several mandatory criteria. The requirements include a valid license, experience relevant to the applied title, good standing certificates, and passing an authority assessment exam within three attempts. Primary Source Verification is also a critical step in the process. Exemptions from assessment are provided for certain international qualifications and licenses.
Regarding Discontinuity of Practice, professionals with over two years of discontinued practice must complete continuous medical education credits and clinical training based on their profession before reapplying for licensure.
The DHA Manual Review Option
The Manual Review service allows applicants to request DHA officials to manually check their eligibility documents before proceeding with costly steps such as DataFlow verification or Prometric exams. In such situations, the DHA Manual Review option is your safest and smartest move. The review helps determine:
- Whether your education and experience meet DHA requirements
- If additional documents are needed
- Whether you should proceed to the exam or verification stage
- Or if the application cannot be accepted under DHA licensing rules
By paying a small fee for Manual Review, you can avoid financial loss and know your eligibility before spending on DataFlow. The Fee is AED 220 (online payment through the DHA licensing portal) and the Average Processing Time is 10 working days.
Required Documentation
If you are requesting a manual review of your eligibility, prepare the following files in PDF format:
- Recent passport-size photograph
- Valid passport copy
- Educational qualification certificates-Degree/Diploma, marksheets, transcripts
- Experience certificates
- Professional license / registration certificate
- Good Standing Certificate (GSC) – valid and not older than 6 months
- Internship certificate for general practitioners
Categorization of Healthcare Professions
The Unified Healthcare Professional Requirements (PQR) cover a wide range of specialties across different chapters. Below is an overview of the recognized professional categories:
| Chapter | Healthcare Professional Category |
|---|---|
| Chapter One | Physicians (General Practice and Recognized Specialties) |
| Chapter Two | Dentists (including Implant Dentistry Privileging) |
| Chapter Three | Nurses and Midwives |
| Chapter Four | Allied Healthcare Professionals (Physiotherapy, Pharmacy, etc.) |
Allied Healthcare Professionals include various roles such as Anesthesia, Audiology, Medical Laboratory, Medical Imaging, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, and Psychology.
Final Eligibility and Licensing Process
Even if DHA approves your application after Manual Review, the approval is conditional. You will receive the final Eligibility Letter only if you later achieve a positive DataFlow report and a pass result in the DHA exam. Therefore, both a positive DataFlow result and a successful exam score are mandatory for final licensing.
This eligibility letter confirms approval and is to be submitted to healthcare facilities for the issuance of a DHA license to seek employment. Note: This letter is NOT a license and you are NOT eligible to practice. This letter is valid up to one year from the issuing date, and any changes or alteration will result in the certificate being cancelled.