DHA License for Nurses: Steps, Exam and Documents

1. Self-Assessment Tool on Sheryan. Create a Sheryan account and run the self-assessment for your title. If you disagree with the result, DHA offers a formal Review Registration Eligibility service. DHA lists 10 working days and a credentialing fee in the AED 200 range for that review.
2. Primary source verification with Dataflow. Your degree, experience certificates and current license are verified directly with the issuing bodies. The Sheryan FAQ gives 15 working days from payment for a new report. A report done for another UAE authority can be transferred for a fee in the AED 300 range, and Dataflow reports do not expire.
3. The DHA exam, if your title needs one. Computer based tests are run by Prometric. You can sit the exam while Dataflow is still working on your file.
4. Get Registered. Submit the application on Sheryan with a recent photo and passport copy and pay the credentialing fee, which is in the AED 200 range plus DHA’s Knowledge and Innovation fees. DHA’s average processing time is about 5 working days, and some positions also need an oral assessment. Once approved you are listed on the Dubai Medical Registry.
5. License activation by your employer. The registration is valid for one year. Within that year a DHA licensed facility that hires you activates it into a full time, part time or trainee license through its own Sheryan account. Your malpractice insurance must be valid for the period you practice.

Expect the whole process to take weeks rather than days, because each official clock only starts once that step is paid and complete.

All exams are held in English. The PQR gives you three attempts to pass across the UAE authorities, and you must declare any earlier attempts. After three failures with one authority, you may be given one final attempt with a different authority. DHA shares Prometric results straight away, and oral assessment results within five working days.

Under the PQR, nurses and midwives with a valid license from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK or the USA can be exempt from the exam. The conditions are that you qualified within the last two years or have had no gap in practice since your last day of work, you hold a valid Good Standing Certificate and you complete Dataflow verification. A passed NCLEX is also listed as an equivalent for the USA, Canada and Australia. Where English proof is needed, the PQR accepts IELTS 5.0, OET grade C, TOEFL 500 or Cambridge English 169. The exemption covers the exam only and does not apply if your gap of practice is over two years. UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women are exempt from the authority exams.

DHA’s published license fee for nurses, midwives and allied health is in the AED 1,000 range for a one year full time license, about AED 1,500 for two years and about AED 2,500 for three years, plus Knowledge and Innovation fees. The facility pays this through Sheryan when it activates or renews your license, so it is worth agreeing who carries the cost when you discuss your offer.

• Renewal: the facility can renew from 90 days before expiry. You need valid malpractice insurance, at least 20 CPD credits a year relevant to your field and no unpaid fines.
• Late renewal: DHA charges a penalty in the AED 200 range per month for nurses. A full time license that has been expired for more than six months cannot be renewed.
• Registration renewal: if you are between jobs, renew your registration (fee in the AED 200 range) within three months of its expiry or of your license cancellation to keep your title without a new assessment.