Working in UAE · Healthcare

Working in UAE Healthcare: Licensing Guide for Doctors, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals

Which authority licenses you, and why it depends on your employer. What the unified qualification rules ask of your title. Verification, exams, costs and a realistic timeline. 2026/27 Edition.

3 + 1
Authorities, one rulebook
3
Exam attempts
6 mo
Max age of Good Standing Certificate
3–4 mo
Typical timeline
Find my licence route Start reading

You cannot treat a patient in the UAE on your home registration. Every doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife, pharmacist and allied health professional needs a licence from the health authority that regulates their employer, and that licence is tied to the facility you work for.

The good news is that the qualification rules are the same nationwide, most of the process can be done from your home country, and a well-prepared file moves quickly. This guide explains who licenses you, what the rules ask of your title, how verification and exams work, what it costs, and what to check in the job offer.

Last verified 3 October 2026
Next review 5 January 2027

How to read the tags

LAW a law or cabinet decision. OFFICIAL a regulator's own website or published document. MARKET information published by the company that provides the service. REPORTED credible press or consistent industry reporting we could not confirm on a regulator's page. ESTIMATE our own working, with assumptions shown. VERIFY we could not confirm it, or sources disagree, so check before you rely on it.

Use this guide sensibly

Licensing decisions are made case by case by the health authority, and only the authority can tell you which title you qualify for. This guide helps you prepare and ask the right questions. It is not legal or licensing advice. Where your contract, visa or legal status is in doubt, Davidson & Co. (a Relocate2UAE partner) would be worth speaking to.

The 60-second answer

  • Your employer's location decides your regulator. Dubai: Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Abu Dhabi: Department of Health (DoH). Northern Emirates: Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). OFFICIAL
  • One rulebook sets the requirements. The Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) is issued jointly by MOHAP, DoH, DHA and the Sharjah Health Authority. It sets the qualification and experience needed for every title. OFFICIAL
  • Four things are checked: your qualification, your experience, your home licence and good standing, and (unless you are exempt) an exam. All documents go through primary source verification. OFFICIAL
  • Registered nurses with a bachelor's degree no longer need prior experience under the current PQR. General practitioners and general dentists need an internship plus two years. OFFICIAL
  • The licence is not portable between emirates, but a valid licence from one UAE authority exempts you from re-sitting the exam at another. OFFICIAL
  • A gap in practice matters. More than three years away from clinical work triggers retraining. More than five years generally rules out a licence for non-UAE nationals. OFFICIAL
  • Budget three to four months and roughly AED 1,700 to 3,500 in your own costs before the employer's fees. ESTIMATE
  • The one thing to do this week: request a Good Standing Certificate from your home regulator. It must be less than six months old when you apply, and it is the document people most often leave too late. OFFICIAL
Interactive tool

UAE Healthcare Licence Route Finder

Tell us where the job is and what you do. You get the authority that licenses you, a check against the unified qualification rules, a dated plan working back from your start date, a budget and a document checklist.

UAE Healthcare Licence Route Finder

Tell us where the job is and what you do. You get the authority that licenses you, a check against the unified qualification rules, a dated plan working back from your start date, a budget and a document checklist.

The job
You

Your route

How you measure up against the rules

    Your plan, working back from your start date

    What to budget

    Item Estimated cost

    Your own costs before the employer's licence fee. Many employers reimburse some or all of this: ask first. [ESTIMATE]

    Documents to prepare

      Looking for an employer with its own licensing team?

      NMC Healthcare is a Relocate2UAE partner with hospitals and clinics under all three licensing authorities, across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman.

      Visit NMC Healthcare
      Unsure about a clause in the contract?

      Davidson & Co. is a Relocate2UAE partner working on UAE immigration and employment law. Worth speaking to before you sign if your title, notice period or non-compete is unclear.

      See our partners

      General information only, not legal, immigration or licensing advice. Requirements are our summary of the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (April 2025 file) and each authority's published service pages, last checked . The health authority decides your title and eligibility case by case. Costs and timings are estimates. Confirm with the authority and your employer before paying a fee or resigning from a post. Relocate2UAE accepts no liability for decisions made using this tool. Nothing you enter leaves this page; your answers are saved only in this browser.

      1. Who licenses you

      The UAE has no single medical council. Your licence comes from the authority that regulates the facility employing you, not from where you live.

      Where your employer is Licensing authority Where you apply Exam delivered by
      Dubai Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Sheryan portal OFFICIAL Prometric OFFICIAL
      Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Dhafra Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH) TAMM platform OFFICIAL Pearson VUE OFFICIAL
      Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) MOHAP website or smart app OFFICIAL Prometric REPORTED
      Sharjah MOHAP, with the Sharjah Health Authority (SHA) a party to the unified rules Ask your employer which authority issues your licence VERIFY As above
      Dubai Healthcare City (free zone) Dubai Healthcare City Authority runs its own licensing Ask your employer REPORTED Ask your employer

      Three practical consequences

      • Decide the emirate before you pay for anything. Fees for verification and exams are paid per authority.
      • Your licence is linked to a facility. In Dubai you can register first and find a job second. In Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates the employer is involved from the start.
      • Government and private employers follow the same qualification rules, but government groups (Dubai Health, SEHA, Emirates Health Services) often run the paperwork for you.

      The national platform: what to expect

      MOHAP has announced a National Unified Digital Platform intended to give each professional a single profile recognised by MOHAP, DoH, DHA and SHA, with a stated go-live target of the second quarter of 2026. REPORTED When we checked in October 2026, the individual authorities were still running their own services. VERIFY Plan on the authority-by-authority process described here, and ask your employer's licensing team whether anything has changed.

      2. One rulebook: the PQR

      The Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) is the document every authority assesses you against. The version in force is the third, published on DHA's Sheryan portal in a file dated April 2025. OFFICIAL It is long, but only a few pages apply to you: the general requirements, and the page for your title.

      The general requirements, in plain English

      Qualification. Your programme must be nationally accredited. Qualifications earned by distance learning or correspondence, or awarded as honorary, do not count. Hybrid certificates are not accepted, other than those issued in exceptional periods such as the pandemic. OFFICIAL

      Internship. Doctors and dentists must have completed a one-year internship after graduation. Without evidence of one, two extra years of experience are required. OFFICIAL

      Experience. It must be hands-on clinical work as a licensed professional in paid employment. Teaching, observerships and volunteer roles do not count. Part-time work counts if it reaches at least 400 hours a year. OFFICIAL

      Home licence. You need a valid licence or registration in your home country or the country where you last worked, covering the period of experience you are claiming. OFFICIAL

      Good Standing Certificate. Issued by the regulator in the country where you last worked, and no more than six months old when you apply. OFFICIAL

      Primary source verification. Your degree, experience and licence are checked directly with the bodies that issued them. OFFICIAL

      Exam. Required unless you are exempt. Exams are in English. OFFICIAL

      The gap-of-practice rule

      If you have been out of clinical practice for more than three years, you must complete continuing education credits and supervised training before you can be licensed, then pass the exam even if you would otherwise be exempt. OFFICIAL

      Time out of practice Doctors and dentists Nurses Allied health and pharmacists
      3 to under 4 years 80 credits and 6 months of training 40 credits and 6 months 20 credits and 6 months
      4 to under 5 years 120 credits and 8 months of training 60 credits and 8 months 30 credits and 8 months
      More than 5 years Generally cannot apply (non-UAE nationals) Generally cannot apply Generally cannot apply

      One caution: MOHAP's own service pages state its gap condition differently on different pages (three years on the evaluation page, two years on the licensing page). OFFICIAL If you have been out of practice for two years or more and your employer is in the Northern Emirates, raise it with them before applying.

      3. What your title requires

      These are the headline requirements for the titles most relocating professionals apply for. They are our summary of the PQR. Your authority decides your title, and the PQR page for your profession is the final word. OFFICIAL

      Title Qualification Experience required
      General Practitioner Medical degree of at least five years, excluding internship Internship, then two years of clinical experience
      Specialist physician Medical degree plus a recognised specialty qualification Tier 1 or 2 qualification: none. Tier 3: three years after the qualification
      Consultant physician Medical degree plus a recognised specialty qualification Tier 1: two years after the qualification. Tier 2: five years. Tier 3: generally cannot attain the title
      General Dentist BDS, DDS, DMD or equivalent Internship, then two years of clinical experience
      Specialist dentist Dental degree plus a recognised specialty qualification Tier 1 or 2: none. Tier 3: three years
      Consultant dentist Dental degree plus a recognised specialty qualification Tier 1: two years. Tier 2: five years
      Registered Nurse Bachelor's degree in nursing (at least three years full time) None
      Assistant Nurse Nursing diploma of at least 18 months None. Must work under a Registered Nurse
      Specialty Nurse Registered Nurse plus a postgraduate clinical specialty qualification of at least one year One year in the specialty (two years if the route is a specialty bachelor's degree)
      Registered Midwife Bachelor's in midwifery, or nursing degree plus a one-year midwifery certificate Two years in a maternity setting
      Allied health titles (physiotherapy, radiography, laboratory, pharmacy, psychology and more) Set title by title in chapter four of the PQR Varies by title; two years after qualification is common. Check your title's page

      Notes that change outcomes

      • "None" still means no gap. Where no experience is required, the gap-of-practice rule still applies.
      • Experience for the GP title is accepted from a defined list of specialties: cardiology, critical care, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics.
      • Surgical specialties must provide a logbook, signed and stamped by the medical director or head of department.
      • Nurses and midwives must hold at least a valid Basic Life Support certificate.
      • Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals licensed in certain countries can be exempt from the experience requirement for their title if the qualification was obtained within the last three years or there is no gap in practice. The countries are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. If your studies or licence were not in English, proof of English is required (for example IELTS 5.0 or OET grade C).

      What "Tier" means for doctors and dentists

      The PQR sorts specialty qualifications into three tiers by country and certificate. The tier decides whether you can be licensed as a Specialist straight away and how long you must wait for Consultant. This is the single biggest factor in a senior doctor's offer, because title drives salary. OFFICIAL

      Examples from the Tier 1 column of the April 2025 table: American Board certification (ABMS), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada specialist certificate, Australian and New Zealand college fellowships gained by examination, and UK or Irish completion of specialist training with specialist registration. Exam-based membership or fellowship of the UK and Irish Royal Colleges without completed specialist training sits in a lower tier. OFFICIAL

      The table is long, country-specific and easy to misread. Look up your exact certificate in section 7 of the PQR (section 11 for dentists), and ask the employer to confirm in writing which title they are applying for before you accept. An offer that says "Consultant" is only worth that if the authority grants the title.

      4. The process, step by step

      The order below works for every authority. The details that differ are in sections 5 to 7.

      1. 1

        Fix the emirate. Know which authority you are applying to.

      2. 2

        Check yourself against the PQR. Find your title's page. DHA's free Self Assessment Tool on Sheryan does this for Dubai. OFFICIAL

      3. 3

        Gather documents. Degree, transcript, internship certificate, experience letters, home licence, Good Standing Certificate, passport, photo, and a logbook for surgical specialties.

      4. 4

        Primary source verification. Submit the documents to DataFlow, the verification company the authorities use.

      5. 5

        Exam, or exemption. Sit the authority's computer-based test, and an oral assessment if your title needs one.

      6. 6

        Registration or evaluation. The authority confirms you meet the requirements for your title.

      7. 7

        Job offer and licence. A licensed facility applies to activate or issue your licence under its name.

      8. 8

        Visa and arrival. The employer sponsors your work permit and residence visa. You complete the medical fitness test and Emirates ID. See our UAE Visa Requirements Guide.

      9. 9

        Start work only once the licence shows as active. Practising on a pending application is a breach.

      5. Dubai: DHA and the Sheryan portal

      Dubai is the only emirate where you can complete registration without an employer, which makes it the easiest to start from abroad. DHA describes three steps. OFFICIAL

      Step 1: Self-assessment, verification and exam

      Run the Self Assessment Tool. If you meet the requirements, submit your documents to DataFlow and book the computer-based test with Prometric if your title needs one. DHA states that verification and the exam can run in parallel.

      Step 2: Get Registered

      Apply on Sheryan with a passport copy, a recent photo, and a logbook for surgical specialties. DHA reviews the file and may require an oral assessment for some titles. On approval you join the Dubai Medical Registry.

      Step 3: Activate Professional Licence

      This step is done by the hiring facility, not by you.

      Figures published by DHA

      Item DHA's published figure
      Credentialing fee for Get Registered AED 200 for all categories, plus Knowledge and Innovation fees at checkout
      Average processing time for Get Registered 5 working days
      Validity of the registration One year. A facility must activate it into a licence within that time
      Verification report (new) 15 working days from payment
      Transferring a verification report already produced for another UAE authority AED 300, about 5 working days
      Exam attempts Three, counted across all UAE authorities
      Draft applications Cleared after 6 months of inactivity

      What this means in practice

      A Dubai registration is something you can hold in your hand at interview. Recruiters regularly ask for it, and candidates who have it are easier to hire. If you are still deciding between emirates, Dubai registration is a reasonable first move, because the verification report can later be transferred to another authority.

      6. Abu Dhabi: DoH and TAMM

      Abu Dhabi licensing runs through the Department of Health's services on the TAMM government platform.

      • Exam booking. DoH's Health Professionals Licensing Department first approves your application for the exam. You then pay a pre-booking fee in TAMM, after which a link to Pearson VUE appears in your TAMM account so you can choose a date, time and test centre. OFFICIAL
      • Verification. Documents are verified by DataFlow, and the report is normally expected before the exam is booked. REPORTED
      • Employer involvement. Unlike Dubai, there is no free-standing registration step. The licence is issued against a facility, so in practice you need an Abu Dhabi employer to complete the process, though you can start verification earlier to save time. REPORTED
      • Logging in. TAMM uses UAE PASS. If you are applying from abroad, ask the employer's licensing team how they want you to register. REPORTED
      • Fees. DoH application and licence fees are shown in TAMM at the point of payment. Published third-party figures conflict, so we do not quote one. VERIFY

      7. Northern Emirates: MOHAP

      For employers in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah (and, in most cases, Sharjah), the process has two parts. OFFICIAL

      Part 1: Evaluation of Health Professional

      You apply online with your documents and pay the evaluation fee. Once the evaluation officer approves the application, it moves to DataFlow verification and the exam.

      Category MOHAP evaluation fee
      Physicians and dentists AED 500
      Nurses and midwives AED 400
      Allied health professionals AED 300
      Traditional and complementary medicine AED 300

      Part 2: Licensing by the facility

      The employing facility applies for your licence. It needs a valid MOHAP evaluation and verified documents.

      Fee (private facilities) Amount
      Application fee, all professionals AED 100
      Licence fee, doctors AED 3,000
      Licence fee, nurses and technicians AED 1,000

      MOHAP's renewal page lists the same structure, with pharmacists at AED 1,000, and adds that doctors aged 60 or over need a physical and mental fitness report from Emirates Health Services. OFFICIAL

      8. Exams and exemptions

      • Format. A computer-based multiple-choice test for most titles, with an oral assessment for some specialist and consultant titles. An oral assessment covers at least five scenarios in your specialty. OFFICIAL
      • Language. English only. No translator is allowed. OFFICIAL
      • Attempts. Three, counted across all the UAE authorities. A fourth and final attempt is possible in limited circumstances. After three failures you can apply again once you gain a further recognised qualification or two more years of clinical experience. You must declare all previous attempts. OFFICIAL
      • Who is exempt. UAE nationals; professionals who already hold a valid licence from another UAE authority; and holders of certain international exams or registrations listed in chapter six of the PQR. OFFICIAL Commonly reported examples are USMLE Step 3, PLAB parts 1 and 2 and the Australian Medical Council exams for general practitioners, NCLEX for registered nurses, and Tier 1 specialty certificates for specialists. REPORTED Check your own exam against chapter six rather than relying on a list.
      • What exemption does not cover. It removes the exam only. Verification, experience and good standing requirements still apply. OFFICIAL
      • Fees and pass marks are set per title in each authority's exam guide. Third-party figures vary widely, so use our budget range in section 10 and confirm the exact fee when you book. VERIFY

      9. Primary source verification

      Primary source verification means a third party contacts your university, your regulator and your employers directly to confirm each document is genuine. The UAE authorities use the DataFlow Group. OFFICIAL

      • How long. DHA publishes 15 working days from payment for a new report. OFFICIAL DataFlow describes 15 working days as its average for the standard package and warns that unresponsive institutions cause delays. MARKET In practice, applicants commonly report six to eight weeks where a university or former employer is slow. REPORTED
      • What it costs. DataFlow shows the price inside its portal once you select a package. Consistently reported base packages are about AED 935 for nurses and allied health and AED 1,235 for doctors and dentists, with roughly AED 300 for each extra document. REPORTED
      • How to avoid delay. Tell your university registry and former HR departments that a verification request is coming. Use exact legal names of institutions. Upload clear colour scans. Declare every employer in the period you are claiming, because an undeclared gap is what triggers questions.
      • Reports can be reused. A report produced for one UAE authority can be transferred to another for a fee rather than started again. OFFICIAL

      10. What it costs, and how long it takes

      Your own costs before the employer's licence fees. ESTIMATE

      Item Typical cost Source
      Authority application or evaluation AED 200 (DHA) to AED 500 (MOHAP, doctors) OFFICIAL
      Primary source verification AED 935 to 1,235, more with extra documents REPORTED
      Exam About AED 500 to 1,100 depending on title and authority REPORTED
      Good Standing Certificate from your home regulator Varies by country Check your regulator
      Total to budget About AED 1,700 to 3,500 ESTIMATE

      Many employers reimburse some or all of this, and most pay the licence issue fee themselves. Ask before you start paying, and keep receipts. MARKET

      A realistic timeline for a complete, well-prepared file

      Stage Typical time
      Collect documents and Good Standing Certificate 2 to 6 weeks
      Primary source verification 3 to 8 weeks
      Exam booking, sitting and result (can overlap with verification in Dubai) 2 to 4 weeks
      Registration or evaluation decision 1 to 2 weeks
      Licence activation by employer, visa and medical 2 to 4 weeks
      Start to first shift About 3 to 4 months

      Do not resign from your current post on the strength of an offer letter alone. Resign when the authority has confirmed your title and the employer has confirmed a start date in writing.

      11. Documents to prepare

      • Passport copy and a recent passport-size photo
      • Degree certificate and full academic transcript
      • Internship completion certificate (doctors and dentists)
      • Specialty qualification and, where relevant, specialist registration
      • Experience letters on letterhead for every post you are claiming, with dates, title and whether full or part time
      • Current licence or registration from your home regulator
      • Good Standing Certificate, less than six months old
      • Surgical logbook, signed and stamped (surgical specialties)
      • Basic Life Support certificate (nurses and midwives; advanced certificates where your scope needs them)
      • Proof of English, if your studies or licence were not in English
      • Legal translations of anything not in English or Arabic

      Degree certificates may also need attestation for the visa side. That is a separate chain from licensing verification; see our UAE Government Services Guide.

      12. Already licensed in one emirate?

      Moving from one UAE authority to another is far easier than starting from scratch. Under the PQR's recognition rules: OFFICIAL

      • You are exempt from the exam, provided you have not used up your permitted attempts for that title.
      • You need a valid licence from your current authority. If it has expired or been cancelled, it must be within six months of expiry when you apply.
      • You need a Good Standing Certificate and your full verification report. An authority will not issue a Good Standing Certificate until you have completed three months of clinical practice under its licence.
      • You are granted the same title. A higher title needs the full requirements for that title.
      • A suspension or revocation by one authority is applied by the others.

      Budget for the report transfer (AED 300 at DHA) and the Good Standing Certificate, reported at about AED 500 from DHA or MOHAP. OFFICIAL REPORTED

      13. Keeping your licence

      • Continuing education every year: 40 credits for doctors and dentists, 20 for nurses, 20 for pharmacists, 10 for allied health. Credits must be relevant to your specialty. OFFICIAL
      • Surgical logbooks must be submitted every two years at renewal. Without one, the gap in surgical practice is counted from your last operation. OFFICIAL
      • Renewal cycles and fees differ by authority. Check the expiry date on your own licence rather than a general rule. VERIFY
      • Changing employer means the new facility must take over or re-issue the licence. Time the move so that the licence does not lapse.

      14. The job offer: what to check before you sign

      Licensing gets you permission to work. The contract decides whether the move is worth it.

      • Title. The title in the offer should match the title the authority will grant. Ask what happens to salary if a lower title is issued.
      • Who pays for licensing. Verification, exam, licence issue and renewal. Get it in writing.
      • Malpractice cover. Federal law on medical liability requires practitioners to be insured against liability for medical errors. LAW It is normally arranged by the facility. Ask for the certificate, the limit, and whether it covers you for work at more than one site. REPORTED
      • Salary structure. How much is basic salary and how much is allowances. End-of-service gratuity is calculated on basic salary.
      • Housing, flights and schooling. Whether provided, paid as an allowance, or not included.
      • Health insurance for you and your family. Employers must insure you. Family cover depends on the emirate. See our UAE Healthcare and Health Insurance Guide.
      • Hours, on-call and leave, including study leave and a continuing education allowance.
      • Probation, notice and any non-compete clause.
      • Registered contract. For mainland private employers, your contract is registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and the registered version is what counts in a dispute. See our UAE Government Services Guide.

      Partner: Davidson & Co.

      Davidson & Co. is a Relocate2UAE partner and a UAE law firm working on immigration and employment matters. If a clause in your contract is unclear, if your title or licence is disputed, or if you are leaving one employer for another, they would be worth speaking to before you sign. MARKET See our partners page.

      Long-term residency

      Doctors are among the professions eligible for the UAE's 10-year Golden Visa, subject to conditions, and in May 2025 Dubai announced Golden Visas for nurses who have served more than 15 years with Dubai Health. REPORTED Our UAE Visa Requirements Guide covers eligibility.

      15. Where the jobs are

      Healthcare employers fall into three groups: government networks (Dubai Health, SEHA in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Health Services in the Northern Emirates), large private groups, and independent clinics. Large groups usually have in-house licensing teams, which removes most of the administrative risk for a first move.

      Partner

      NMC Healthcare

      NMC Healthcare is a Relocate2UAE partner and one of the UAE's largest private healthcare groups, with 41 hospitals and clinics listed across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman. MARKET Because it operates under all three licensing authorities, it is a useful employer to talk to if you are unsure which emirate suits you. As with any employer, confirm the licensing title, who pays the fees and the malpractice cover in writing.

      NMC on Relocate2UAE nmc.ae

      16. Ten expensive mistakes

      1Resigning at home before the authority confirms your title.
      2Paying for verification with one authority, then taking a job under another without transferring the report.
      3Applying with a Good Standing Certificate that is more than six months old.
      4Claiming experience that was unpaid, observational or teaching only.
      5Leaving an employer off the application, creating an unexplained gap.
      6Assuming an exam exemption without checking chapter six of the PQR.
      7Accepting an offer as "Consultant" or "Specialist" without checking your qualification's tier.
      8Letting a Dubai registration expire after one year without a facility activating it.
      9Starting work before the licence is active.
      10Paying an agent for something the portals let you do yourself, without knowing what the fee covers.

      17. Your licensing checklist

      Four months before your target start date

      • Confirm the emirate and the licensing authority with the employer.
      • Find your title's page in the PQR and check qualification, experience and gap rules.
      • Request your Good Standing Certificate.
      • Warn your university and former employers that verification requests are coming.

      Three months before

      • Submit documents for primary source verification.
      • Book the exam, or confirm your exemption in writing.
      • Ask the employer what they will reimburse.

      One to two months before

      • Complete registration (Dubai) or evaluation (MOHAP), or confirm DoH approval.
      • Review the contract against section 14.
      • Confirm the employer has started licence activation and the visa.

      On arrival

      • Medical fitness test, biometrics and Emirates ID.
      • Confirm your licence shows as active before your first shift.
      • Ask for your malpractice insurance certificate and your health insurance Table of Benefits.

      18. Frequently asked questions

      Sources and how we checked

      Official

      The Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements, third version, as published on DHA's Sheryan portal (file dated April 2025); DHA's Sheryan service pages for Get Registered and its frequently asked questions; DHA's Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals (version 1.2, May 2025); MOHAP's service pages for Evaluation of Health Professional, Licensing and Re-licensing of a Health Professional, and Renewal of Health Professional License; MOHAP's announcement of the national licensing platform; DoH's PQR page; Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 on Medical Liability as listed on uaelegislation.gov.ae.

      Provider and reported

      Pearson VUE's Department of Health Abu Dhabi page (exam booking); the DataFlow Group's DHA portal (verification turnaround); Gulf News reporting of MOHAP statements on the unified platform; Gulf News and Khaleej Times on Golden Visas for nurses; consistent figures from several licensing consultancies for verification package prices and exam fees, used only where no official figure is published and tagged [REPORTED].

      Recruitment agency and licensing consultancy pages were used as leads only. No requirement in this guide rests on them alone.

      Important information

      This guide is general information to help you prepare. It is not legal, immigration, employment or licensing advice, and it has not been reviewed by a lawyer or by any health authority. Licensing decisions are made by DHA, DoH, MOHAP and the other authorities case by case, and requirements, fees and procedures change, sometimes without notice.

      Before you pay a fee, resign from a post or sign a contract, confirm the current position with the relevant authority and your employer, and where your contract or legal status is in doubt, Davidson & Co. would be worth speaking to. Relocate2UAE accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of this guide.

      NMC Healthcare and Davidson & Co. are Relocate2UAE partners; they are named because they are useful for the task described and do not pay for editorial coverage. See our partners page for how partnerships work.