Last updated on 26-Oct-2026, by Dr. Muhammad

DHA Exam Requirements for Physicians and Dentists (2026 Overview)

This page is the short version. It puts the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) requirements for doctors and dentists side by side so you can see quickly where you stand, then sends you to the detailed guide for your title. The rules come from DHA's Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) and its licensing manual. If your case is unusual, the Sheryan self-assessment tool gives the official first answer, free of charge.

DHA exam requirements for Physicians and Dentists at a glance

The tier depends on the country and body that awarded your postgraduate qualification. UAE nationals, children of Emirati mothers and UAE graduates are exempt from the GP and general dentist experience if they get the title within 2 years of internship.

What are Requirements for DHA General Practitioner (GP)?

You need a primary medical degree from a recognised medical school (DHA checks it through DataFlow, so the school must be verifiable), a completed 12-month internship and registration with a valid licence from the country where you trained or last worked. On top of that, non-UAE applicants need 2 years of clinical experience after internship.

The old idea that this experience must be "in general practice" is not quite right. The PQR accepts experience in cardiology, critical care, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics. It must be paid, hands-on work covered by your licence; observerships and volunteer posts do not count. The full rules are on our DHA requirements for GPs, specialists and consultants page, and the month-by-month counting is explained in clinical experience required for the DHA GP licence.

What are Requirements for DHA Specialist and Consultant?

A specialist needs a recognised postgraduate specialty qualification from a programme of at least 3 years full time, plus a valid licence from the home country or the country of last employment. DHA sorts specialty certificates into tiers. Tier 1 and Tier 2 specialists need no extra experience, while Tier 3 specialists from outside the UAE need 3 years after the qualification.

Consultants need more. Tier 1 consultants need 2 years of experience after the specialist qualification, Tier 2 need 5 years, and Tier 3 qualifications cannot lead to a consultant title. Surgical specialties also submit a logbook for the last 2 years. One rule catches a lot of people: a gap of more than 2 years out of practice means extra CME and supervised training, and non-UAE applicants with a gap of more than 5 years cannot apply. See the physician requirements guide for the tier tables.

What are Requirements for DHA General Dentist?

A general dentist needs a BDS, DDS, DMD or an equivalent dental degree from a recognised dental school, a 12-month internship and registration with a valid licence. Non-UAE applicants also need 2 years of clinical experience after internship. As with doctors, the experience has to be licensed practice, and a gap of more than 2 years brings in the CME and training rules.

If you graduated from a school that has no formal internship (common in some US and Canadian DMD programmes), the self-assessment tool may mark you not eligible. You can then ask DHA for a paid manual review in Sheryan. Details are on our DHA dentist qualification and experience requirements page.

What are Requirements for DHA Dental Specialist and Consultant?

A specialist dentist needs a primary dental degree plus a recognised specialty programme: a residency of at least 3 years, a clinical master's of at least 2 years or a clinical PhD of at least 3 years. The tier system works the same way as for physicians. Tier 1 and 2 specialists need no extra experience, Tier 3 need 3 years, and consultants need 2 years (Tier 1) or 5 years (Tier 2).

If you hold a specialty but not enough experience for the specialist title, the PQR allows DHA to accept you as a general dentist instead, except in dental radiology, forensic dentistry, dental pathology and maxillofacial surgery. That is often a sensible way in while you build experience.

What documents are required for DHA exam application?

The core file is the same for doctors and dentists. Keep scans clear and complete, and make sure the name on every document matches your passport.

• Valid passport copy and a recent passport-size photo
• Degree certificate (MBBS, BDS or equivalent) and transcripts if DataFlow asks for them
• Internship certificate
• Professional registration and valid licence
• Experience certificates for every post you claim
• Good Standing Certificate, not older than 6 months
• Specialty certificate (specialists and consultants) and a logbook for the last 2 years (surgical specialties)
• Updated CV
• DataFlow primary source verification of the above

For the full checklists, see DHA DataFlow requirements for Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, the DHA good standing certificate guide, and the document lists for physicians and dentists.

How do you apply once you meet the requirements?

What is the DHA exam format and passing score?

The CBT is a Prometric MCQ exam, and the result is reported only as Pass or Fail. You get 3 attempts per title. For the number of questions, the time allowed and how scoring works, read DHA Passing Score, Exam Duration. If you think you may not need the exam at all, check the DHA exam exemption criteria.

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