DOH License for Doctors in Abu Dhabi: Titles, Exam and Steps
Short answer: A DOH license for doctors is the Department of Health Abu Dhabi licence you need before you can treat patients anywhere in the emirate, including Al Ain and Al Dhafra. You apply through TAMM, DOH assesses your degree, internship, specialty certificate and experience against the Unified PQR, your documents go through primary source verification, and you sit the DOH exam unless you qualify for an exemption. A licensed Abu Dhabi facility then employs you, covers your medical liability insurance and grants your clinical privileges.
Last verified: October 2026 against the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR, third version, April 2025) published by DOH, the DOH Healthcare Professionals Manual, the DOH Standard for Clinical Privileging and the DOH exam booking steps on Pearson VUE. Rules and fees change, so confirm on TAMM before you pay.
Key Takeaways
- DOH uses the same Unified PQR as DHA, MOHAP and the Sharjah Health Authority, so your title (GP, Specialist or Consultant) is decided by the same rules in every emirate.
- Every doctor needs a one year internship after graduation. Without proof of it, the PQR adds two extra years of experience to your requirement.
- A GP needs two years of clinical experience after the internship. Specialists with a Tier 1 or Tier 2 certificate need no further experience, while Tier 3 holders need three years if they are not UAE nationals.
- Specialists and Consultants with Tier 1 certificates from 21 listed countries, and GPs who passed exams such as USMLE Part III, PLAB or the AMC, can be exempt from the DOH exam, unless their gap of practice is over two years.
- Your first privileges in an Abu Dhabi facility are temporary for three months and are confirmed for two years after a focused evaluation.
Which Title Can You Get Under the PQR
Free tool: Not sure which title you qualify for? Our Doctor License Eligibility Checker shows your likely DHA, DOH, MOHAP or SHA title, whether you need the licensing exam, and your next steps in about two minutes.
Before you pay for a DOH license for doctors, work out the title you actually qualify for. DOH will not give a higher title than the PQR allows. The PQR grades specialty certificates into Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 by country and awarding body, and the tier sets your experience requirement.
| Title | Qualification | Experience Required |
|---|---|---|
| General Practitioner | MBBS, MBChB or equivalent from an accredited school, plus the internship | Two years of clinical experience |
| Specialist, Tier 1 or Tier 2 | Medical degree plus a recognised specialty certificate | None after the main or sub-specialty qualification, subject to the gap of practice rules |
| Specialist, Tier 3 | Medical degree plus a recognised specialty certificate | Three years after the main specialty (two after a sub-specialty) for non UAE nationals; one year for UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women |
| Consultant, Tier 1 | Medical degree plus a recognised specialty certificate | Two years after the main specialty, or one year after a sub-specialty |
| Consultant, Tier 2 | Medical degree plus a recognised specialty certificate | Five years after the main specialty, or four years after a sub-specialty |
| Consultant, Tier 3 | Not available | Cannot attain the title, apart from a narrow route for doctors who enrolled in a Tier 3 program before June 2017 |
A few rules trip people up. The medical degree must be at least five years of study, not counting the internship, and distance learning or honorary degrees do not count. Only salaried, hands-on clinical work counts as experience. For the GP title, the PQR accepts experience in cardiology, critical care, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. A specialty program must be full time for at least three years.
Documents and Primary Source Verification
The PQR requires every core document to be verified directly with the body that issued it. That covers your degree, experience certificates and licences, and anything else DOH asks for. The DOH Healthcare Professionals Manual says you must give DOH the consent it needs to obtain that verification, so expect a consent step during the application.
- Passport copy and a recent photo.
- Medical degree and proof of the one year internship, completed after your final degree exam if it was part of a program abroad.
- Specialty and sub-specialty certificates for Specialist and Consultant titles.
- Experience letters from salaried clinical roles, plus surgical logbooks if you are a surgeon.
- A valid licence or registration from your home country or country of last employment, covering the experience period your title needs.
- A Good Standing Certificate from the regulator where you last worked, not older than six months when you apply. Where a country has no regulator, an official certificate from the last employer may be accepted.
Step by Step: How the DOH License for Doctors Works
- Check your title against the PQR. Compare your degree, internship, specialty tier and years of experience with the table above.
- Apply on TAMM. The Abu Dhabi government portal runs the “Issue a Healthcare Professional Licence” service. Upload your documents and pay the fee shown in the application.
- Complete primary source verification. Your credentials are checked with the issuing bodies, which is usually the slowest step because it depends on universities and past employers replying.
- Sit the DOH exam, if you are not exempt. Once the Health Professionals Licensing Department approves you for the exam, you pay the pre-booking fee in TAMM, then follow the link to Pearson VUE to choose a date, time and test centre. Exams are in English, and oral exams cover at least five scenarios with no translator allowed.
- Join a licensed Abu Dhabi facility. The facility that hires you provides medical liability insurance and grants your clinical privileges before you see patients.
DOH does not publish a fixed end to end timeline, and we have not found a public fee schedule for this service, so we do not quote one. Plan for weeks rather than days, and treat the fee TAMM shows when you apply as the figure that counts.
Exam Exemptions and Moving From Another Emirate
Under Chapter Six of the PQR, Specialists and Consultants are exempt from the exam if they hold a recognised Tier 1 specialty certificate from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK or the USA. Tier 2 holders can also be exempt if they meet a strict second set of conditions, including a recognised sub-specialty, more than ten years in the specialty and published or research work.
GPs are exempt with a valid pass in USMLE Part III, PLAB I and II (or a UK medical degree, or valid GMC registration where PLAB is more than five years old), both parts of the AMC, the LMCC, both parts of PRES, NZREX or the EMREE. Where the result shows no validity date, it is accepted for five years. UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women are exempt from authority exams.
Two limits apply. An exemption only covers the exam, not verification or experience, and it does not apply if your gap of practice is over two years. If you fail, you have three attempts across all UAE authorities, plus one final attempt at a different authority after three failures with one.
If you already hold a DHA, MOHAP or SHA licence, the PQR’s licence recognition rules let you move to Abu Dhabi without the exam, keeping the same title, as long as the licence is valid or expired for no more than six months, you present a valid Good Standing Certificate and a full verification report, and you have not used up your exam attempts.
Gap of Practice Rules for Doctors
A break from clinical work often stalls a DOH license for doctors. If you have been out of practice for more than three years, the PQR asks for specialty CME credits and supervised training in an approved facility, and then the licensure exam, even if you would otherwise have been exempt. UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women complete the credits and training but stay exempt from the exam.
| Gap of Practice | What Doctors Must Complete |
|---|---|
| Three to less than four years | 80 CME or CPD credits and six months of training |
| Four to less than five years | 120 CME or CPD credits and eight months of training |
| More than five years | Non UAE nationals generally cannot apply (UAE nationals and Children of Emirati Women up to ten years, with 200 credits and twelve months of training) |
Privileges, Renewal and Staying Licensed
Getting the DOH license for doctors issued is not the last step. Under the DOH Standard for Clinical Privileging, a new doctor gets written temporary privileges for three months, matching the probation period, which can be extended in writing by up to three more months. During that time the facility runs a Focused Professional Practice Evaluation. Confirmed privileges are then valid for two years and are monitored through an Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation.
The Healthcare Professionals Manual says a renewal application must be made at least 90 days before the renewal date and can be made up to six months ahead. A licence that is not renewed by that date is suspended automatically, and reinstating it may mean late fines. The PQR sets a minimum of 40 CME or CPD credits a year for physicians, relevant to the specialty, and surgeons must submit logbooks every two years.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Is a HAAD license the same as a DOH license for doctors?
Yes in practice. The Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is now the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, and DOH issues all professional licences in the emirate through TAMM.
Can I get a DOH license without a job offer?
You can complete the assessment, verification and exam yourself, but you cannot practice until a licensed Abu Dhabi facility employs you, covers your liability insurance and grants your privileges.
Do I need to sit the DOH exam if I have a DHA license?
Usually not. The PQR lets doctors with a valid DHA, MOHAP or SHA licence, or one expired for no more than six months, move with the same title and no exam, provided they bring a valid Good Standing Certificate and a full verification report.
How many times can I sit the DOH exam?
Three attempts across all UAE health authorities, plus one final attempt at a different authority after three failures with one.
Where This Comes From.
How OzaniX Partners Can Help.
If you run a clinic or hospital in Abu Dhabi, hiring a doctor means getting the title right before the offer, then keeping verification, the exam, liability cover and privileging moving at the same time. Our Healthcare Recruitment team checks each candidate’s PQR title and exemption position before you commit, and our Licensing and Regulatory Advisory team handles the facility side, from TAMM submissions to the privileging files DOH expects to see.
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