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Choose your profession and answer four short steps. Questions that do not apply to you stay hidden.
Your Likely Result
General information only. It is not legal or professional advice, and it is not a decision by any authority or a guarantee of any outcome. The result depends on your answers and on published rules that can change; only the relevant authority, employer or court can decide your case. OzaniX Partners is independent and not affiliated with any government body. Confirm with the relevant authority before you act. To the fullest extent permitted by UAE law, OzaniX Partners accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of or reliance on this tool. Full notice.
Your Next Step
Found a likely title and want to move forward? Register as a candidate and our healthcare recruitment team will look at your profile against current roles in the UAE and GCC, or talk to us about your licence route first.
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OzaniX Partners helps doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and social care professionals with DHA, DOH and MOHAP licensing, from the title check to verification and the exam, and places healthcare professionals with clinics and hospitals across the UAE.
Our Recruitment Services Get Licensing HelpHow Doctor Titles Work in the UAE
All four UAE health authorities use the same rule book for professional titles: the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements, known as the PQR. A doctor's title depends on the medical degree, the specialty certificate and the experience after it.
- General Practitioner: an accredited medical degree, a one year internship and two years of clinical experience after it, in one of eight listed fields.
- Specialist: a Tier 1 or Tier 2 specialty certificate needs no further experience. A Tier 3 certificate needs three years after the main specialty, or two after a sub-specialty.
- Consultant: two years after a Tier 1 certificate (one after a sub-specialty) or five years after a Tier 2 certificate (four after a sub-specialty). Tier 3 holders cannot normally become Consultants.
- No internship proof: two extra years are added to the experience the title needs.
How Dentist Titles Work
- General Dentist: a BDS, DMD, DDS or equivalent, a one year internship and two years of clinical experience.
- Specialist Dentist: a Tier 1 or Tier 2 dental specialty certificate needs no further experience. A Tier 3 certificate needs three years after it (one year for UAE nationals, none for UAE dental graduates).
- Consultant Dentist: two years after a Tier 1 certificate or five years after a Tier 2 certificate. Tier 3 holders cannot normally become Consultants.
How Nursing and Midwifery Titles Work
- Registered Nurse: a bachelor's degree in nursing of at least three years full time, with no experience needed.
- Assistant Nurse: a nursing diploma of at least eighteen months, with no experience needed. Assistant Nurses work under a Registered Nurse.
- Specialty Nurse: a Registered Nurse with a clinical master's or postgraduate specialty qualification of at least one year, plus one year in the specialty; or a three year specialty bachelor's plus two years in the field.
- Nurse Practitioner: a Registered Nurse with a Nurse Practitioner master's, doctorate or national certification, plus two years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner.
- Registered Midwife: a three year midwifery bachelor's, or a nursing bachelor's plus a one year midwifery certificate, and two years of experience as a midwife.
How Pharmacist Titles Work
- Pharmacist: a BSc in Pharmacy or a PharmD and two years of experience in the related field (one year with a master's or PhD in pharmacy).
- Clinical Pharmacist: a BSc with a clinical pharmacy residency of at least two years, or a PharmD or recognised clinical postgraduate route plus two years of experience including six months in a hospital.
- Specialized Pharmacist: a one year postgraduate qualification in a listed specialty plus two years, or an American Board certificate with no experience needed.
- Pharmacy Technician: a pharmacy diploma of at least two years and two years of experience.
Experience with pharmaceutical companies or as a sales representative does not count.
Allied Health Professions
The checker covers all 37 allied health professions in the PQR, from physiotherapy, medical laboratory, radiography, MRI, ultrasound and nuclear medicine to dietetics, psychology, occupational and speech therapy, optometry, respiratory therapy, paramedics, dental hygiene, dialysis, anesthesia technology and more. Most titles need a recognised qualification and one to four years of experience after it. A master's or PhD in the field can reduce the experience by a year, and a valid license from one of 20 listed countries can remove the experience requirement and the exam.
Social Care Professionals in Dubai (CDA)
Social workers, social counselors, psychologists, behavioral analysts, special education and learning support teachers who provide community based social care in Dubai are licensed by the Community Development Authority (CDA), not under the PQR. CDA asks for a related first university degree, at least one year of experience, good conduct and UAE residence, plus Ministry of Education equivalency for foreign degrees, Dataflow verification, and either CDA's licensing exam or a British University in Dubai training program depending on the category. Our CDA Social Care Professional License guide explains it step by step.
Who Does Not Need the Exam
UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women are exempt from the authority exams. Doctors at Specialist or Consultant level with a Tier 1 certificate from one of 21 listed countries are exempt, and General Practitioners can be exempt with a valid pass in an exam such as PLAB, USMLE Part III or the AMC. Nurses and midwives can be exempt with a valid license from one of 20 listed countries (if they qualified in the last two years or have had no gap since their last day of work) or a valid NCLEX pass. An exemption covers the exam only, and it does not apply after a gap of practice of more than two years, except for UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women.
Already Licensed in the UAE?
If you hold a valid license from one UAE authority, another authority can recognise it without the exam, as long as you meet the title requirements, present a valid Good Standing Certificate and a full verification report, and have not used up your exam attempts for that title.
Read the Full Guides
DHA License for Doctors in Dubai, DOH License for Doctors in Abu Dhabi and DHA License for Nurses explain the steps and documents in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the DHA, DOH and MOHAP title the same?
Yes. All four UAE health authorities use the same PQR rules, so the same qualifications and experience lead to the same title. The application steps, exams and fees differ by authority.
How do I know if my specialty certificate is Tier 1, 2 or 3?
The PQR lists recognised specialty certificates by country and awarding body. Choose your country and certificate in this checker and it shows the Tier from that list.
Can a nurse get a UAE license without experience?
Yes. The Registered Nurse and Assistant Nurse titles need no experience under the PQR, as long as there is no long gap of practice. Specialty Nurse, Nurse Practitioner and midwife titles do need experience.
How many times can I take the licensing exam?
You have three attempts across all UAE health authorities, plus one final attempt with another authority.
Can I get a UAE license after a long break from practice?
After more than three years away you need CME credits and supervised training, and professionals who are not UAE nationals then sit the licensing exam. After five years, professionals who are not UAE nationals generally cannot apply. UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women can apply up to ten years.
Is this checker the final decision?
No. It gives general information based on the published PQR. The health authority decides your title and license after verifying your documents.
Sources
The rules in this checker come from the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), 3rd version, April 2025, the joint rule book of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority, the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Sharjah Health Authority, and from each authority's published application steps. Social care rules come from the Community Development Authority's own service page. We last checked them on 20 October 2026.
Important Notice and Terms of Use
General information only. This tool gives general information. It is not legal, regulatory, financial or other professional advice, and it is not a licensing decision or a guarantee of any title, exemption, license or job.
How the result is produced. The result is an automated indication based only on the answers you enter and on our reading of the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), 3rd version, April 2025, issued jointly by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority, the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Sharjah Health Authority, the Community Development Authority's published service conditions, and each authority's published application steps. We last checked these sources on 20 October 2026. Rules, fees and procedures change, can be interpreted differently and can depend on facts this tool does not ask about. Only the relevant health authority or the Community Development Authority can decide your case.
Independent company. OzaniX Partners is an independent private company. It is not part of, affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by any government authority, including DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SHA, CDA and MOHRE.
Check before you act. Do not rely on this tool alone. Before you pay any fee, resign, sign a contract, accept a job, relocate or travel, confirm the position directly with the relevant health authority or the Community Development Authority, or take independent professional advice.
No warranty. The tool is free and is provided "as is" and "as available", without any warranty or representation of any kind, express or implied, including as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, fitness for a particular purpose or uninterrupted availability.
Limitation of liability. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, OzaniX Partners and its owners, directors, staff, contractors and partners are not liable for any loss or damage of any kind, whether direct, indirect or consequential, including loss of income, earnings, employment, opportunity, fees, time or data, arising out of or in connection with the use of, inability to use, or reliance on this tool, its results or any email we send about them. Nothing in this notice excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under the laws of the United Arab Emirates.
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