UAE Licensing Exams: DHA, DOH and MOHAP Explained

Medical and health education in the UAE

Medical training in the UAE is mostly taught in English. The MBBS or MD usually takes five to six years, followed by a one-year internship before full licensing. Nursing is normally a four-year bachelor's degree, pharmacy a four- to five-year BPharm or PharmD, and dentistry a five-year BDS. There are roughly ten medical schools, public and private, and degree programmes are licensed and accredited through the Commission for Academic Accreditation under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (institutions in some free zones also answer to local authorities such as KHDA in Dubai).

A UAE degree does not by itself give a licence. Every graduate still applies to DHA, DOH or MOHAP, and the regulator decides whether an exam, primary source verification or proof of internship is needed. Treat these figures as a guide and confirm them with the regulator.

Start with the emirate, not the exam

Most countries have one licensing body per profession. The UAE has three health regulators that each license professionals in their own territory, and each has its own exam provider, rules and attempt limits. A pass in one does not automatically work in another, although the systems recognise each other in specific ways described below.

Who needs a licensing exam in the UAE

UAE nationals are exempt at DOH, and the PQR sets exemptions elsewhere. In practice the exam is aimed at expatriate professionals whose qualification or experience does not meet an exemption category. Recent graduates from outside the country, and applicants who cannot show the required years of post-registration experience, are the groups most often asked to sit it.

The exam is a licensing step, not a graduation requirement. Whether you need it depends on your title, your degree, your experience and the emirate. Always confirm with the regulator's current PQR before paying for preparation.

Whatever the emirate, expect primary source verification of your degree and experience, normally through DataFlow, before or alongside the exam. The exam does not replace it.

Doctors

This is the most varied profession because each regulator treats general practitioners and specialists differently.

• DHA: a Prometric theory test and/or a virtual oral assessment in English. The oral lasts about 20-30 minutes or more and uses at least five scenarios. The DHA manual does not publish the question count or time for the theory test; those are in a separate candidate guide.
• DOH: a Pearson VUE test. The regulator does not publish the question count, time or pass mark for the general practitioner exam in the sources we reviewed, so confirm them with DOH (via TAMM) before you plan. Other specialties are assessed orally. No translator is allowed in orals.
• MOHAP: the Prometric evaluation exam, pass mark 60%. Non-UAE graduates generally need at least two years of post-internship experience to apply as a general practitioner.

Official source: the DHA Professional Assessment manual.

Nurses

DOH runs a Pearson VUE test for registered nurses. The sources we reviewed do not publish the question count, time or pass mark for DOH nursing exams, so confirm them with DOH (via TAMM). Some nursing titles are assessed by oral only. DHA uses its Prometric test and/or oral for registered and assistant nurses. MOHAP uses the same Prometric evaluation exam as other professions, with a 60% pass mark.

Confirm your exact title (registered, assistant, specialist) before you book, because the format changes with it.

Midwives

Midwives sit the same assessment families as nurses but under a midwife title. DOH lists a Registered Midwife exam, but the sources we reviewed do not publish its question count or time, so confirm them with DOH (via TAMM). DHA and MOHAP both run their Prometric assessment for midwives. Check whether your registration is as a midwife or as a nurse-midwife, since regulators title them differently.

Pharmacists

DOH lists the pharmacist exam in its allied health category. The question count and time are not published in the sources we reviewed, so confirm them with DOH (via TAMM) before you plan. DHA and MOHAP both assess pharmacists, and DHA also covers assistant pharmacists, through Prometric. MOHAP's pass mark is 60%.

Dentists

DOH assesses general dentists by exam, but the sources we reviewed do not publish the question count or time, so confirm them with DOH (via TAMM). Specialists are assessed by title. MOHAP applies the same Prometric evaluation, and non-UAE graduates generally need at least two years of experience. DHA assesses general dentists and dental specialists through its Prometric test and/or oral.

Physiotherapists

Physiotherapy is an allied health title. DOH uses an allied health exam for physiotherapy, and the sources we reviewed do not publish its question count or time, so confirm with DOH (via TAMM). Some allied titles add an oral or OSCE. DHA and MOHAP use their standard assessments. Because allied health lists change, check that physiotherapy still requires an exam under the current PQR for your emirate.

How to move between emirates

Switching emirates is where candidates lose months. These rules come from the regulators' own materials:

• DOH exempts holders of a valid DHA or MOHAP licence for the same title.
• A DHA evaluation can be transferred to MOHAP through DataFlow.
• After three failed MOHAP attempts you may apply through DHA or DOH instead.
• Free-zone clinics, such as those in Dubai Healthcare City, may sit under a separate facility regulator. Check which licence your employer expects.

Language and recognition

English is the working and assessment language. DHA orals are English only, and DOH states that all exams are in English. The regulator sources we reviewed do not set a separate English test, though an employer may ask for proof of English. Recognition rests on the Unified PQR, which sets accepted qualifications, experience and exemptions, plus DataFlow verification. There is no automatic recognition by treaty, and a licence from a Gulf neighbour does not carry over.

Typical steps to a UAE licence

1. Get the job offer or sponsor. Most routes need an employer in the emirate you will work in.
2. Identify the regulator. Dubai means DHA, Abu Dhabi means DOH, northern emirates mean MOHAP.
3. Check the PQR. Find your title, required experience and whether an exemption covers you.
4. Start DataFlow verification. It takes the longest, so begin early.
5. Book the exam. Prometric for DHA and MOHAP, Pearson VUE for DOH.
6. Complete licensing. A pass is followed by the final licence issue, subject to verification and your employer.

The exams side by side

Last reviewed October 2026