Medical Tourism in the UAE: What Clinics Need
Short answer: Medical tourism in the UAE is run emirate by emirate. In Dubai, a DHA licensed clinic can apply to join Dubai Health Experience (DXH), and every DHA licensed clinic must report its international patients to DHA each month. In Abu Dhabi, a clinic joins the DOH Medical Tourism Network through TAMM and has to meet the DOH Medical Tourism Standard, which covers accreditation, pricing, interpreters, follow up care and daily reporting. Patients from abroad usually travel on a treatment visa that the UAE facility applies for, and no separate medical tourism network has been published for Sharjah or the Northern Emirates.
Last verified: October 2026 against the DOH Medical Tourism Standard (V2, 2024), the DOH Shafafiya reporting page, the DHA Dubai Health Experience eligibility, FAQ and Patient Protection Plan pages, DHA policy HP-04, and the u.ae, GDRFA Dubai and ICP treatment visa pages.
Key Takeaways
- In Dubai, joining DXH is open to DHA licensed facilities, takes at least 15 working days to review and is free for now.
- Every DHA licensed clinic, member or not, must submit health tourism data within 10 days after the end of each month.
- In Abu Dhabi, the network needs a TAMM “Adding Service” application, AAMEN certification, Malaffi integration and at least 3 Diamonds in Muashir.
- DOH required medical tourism accreditation within 18 months of the March 2025 effective date. That deadline was around September 2026, so check your compliance status with DOH.
- The UAE facility applies for the treatment visa. Health insurance is required, and GDRFA Dubai publishes a refundable deposit, while the ICP fee page lists financial guarantees without saying which visa they apply to.
- Clear, written package prices that show what is and is not included are a formal requirement in Abu Dhabi and good practice everywhere.
How Medical Tourism in the UAE Is Organised
There is no single national scheme for medical tourism in the UAE. Each health regulator runs its own approach, and the visa sits with the immigration authorities.
| Area | Who Runs It | What a Clinic Does |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | DHA, through its Health Tourism Department and the DXH website | Apply for DXH Group membership; report health tourism data monthly |
| Abu Dhabi | DOH, under the Medical Tourism Standard (DOH/HFS/MTS/V2/2024) | Add “Medical Tourism” to the licence through TAMM and meet the standard |
| Sharjah and Northern Emirates | No medical tourism network published by SHA or MOHAP | Treat international patients under the normal licence; visas through ICP |
| Treatment visa | GDRFA in Dubai; ICP for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah | The facility applies on the patient’s behalf |
Dubai includes telehealth patients abroad in its definition. Abu Dhabi excludes patients with UAE licensed insurance or government funding.
Joining Dubai Health Experience (DXH)
DXH promotes DHA licensed facilities, specialties and packages to patients abroad. Any DHA licensed healthcare facility that wants to promote health tourism can apply, and the form applies only to facilities in Dubai licensed by DHA. If your clinic sits in Dubai Healthcare City under DHCC, eligibility is not published, so ask the DHA Health Tourism Department first.
What to expect:
- The form: it asks for your licence details, specialties, any ISQua approved accreditation, and your international patient services, such as a patient coordinator, translators, hotel arrangements and airport transfers.
- Review: the Health Tourism Department needs a minimum of 15 working days, and DHA has full discretion over who is accepted.
- Coordinator: you nominate one person as the main contact with DXH.
- Ongoing duties: members provide packages, statistics and marketing material. They are reviewed yearly and must report eligibility changes within 5 working days.
- Cost: membership is free until DHA announces otherwise.
The Monthly Data Duty in Dubai
This part applies whether or not you join DXH. Under DHA’s Health Tourism Data Collection and Submission policy (HP-04, version 2.1, in force from January 2025), every DHA licensed facility must submit health tourism data through the Dubai Statistics Centre e-sources system. That includes polyclinics, general, specialty and dental clinics, fertility, diagnostic and wellness centres, home healthcare and telehealth.
- The submission period is 10 days after the end of each month.
- You must name a lead for the data, and the data must be approved by that lead and the Chief Medical Officer.
- Required fields include identity, residence, UAE stay address, visit dates, specialty and total medical spend.
Add these fields to your registration form for anyone without a UAE residence visa, and the monthly report becomes a simple export.
Meeting the Abu Dhabi Medical Tourism Standard
DOH’s revised standard took effect in March 2025. It is detailed, so here are the parts a clinic has to plan for.
| Requirement | What the Standard Says |
|---|---|
| Joining | Submit an “Adding Service” application on TAMM and select Medical Tourism; it then shows on your facility licence |
| Systems | AAMEN certified; electronic medical record integrated with Malaffi |
| Quality | At least 3 Diamonds in the Muashir ranking, plus international healthcare accreditation |
| Medical tourism accreditation | Such as TEMOS, ISO 22525 or Global Healthcare Accreditation. The 18 month window from March 2025 ended around September 2026, so check your current status with DOH |
| Staff | Medical interpreters or translators, and a medical tourism facilitator |
| Safety | A transfer agreement as backup for unexpected complications |
| Patient care | Complaint handling from first contact until the patient is home, a follow up protocol with the home country doctor, full records and discharge summary |
| Reporting | Daily patient volumes through Shafafiya, plus ongoing internal monitoring of KPIs such as satisfaction, outcomes and return patient rate |
Members with a DOH Centre of Excellence designation, a global ranking or 4 Diamonds in Muashir can qualify as Featured Partners. DOH can apply sanctions for breaches.
Pricing, Insurance and Payment
An Abu Dhabi network facility must give transparent package prices, including estimated extra costs for complications, longer stays or a changed plan. Before travel, the medical tourism facilitator sends the patient a final quotation for approval, showing what is included, what is not and how complications are covered. The facility must also explain accepted insurance, payment methods, its cancellation policy and its own insurance cover.
In Shafafiya, these patients are reported as electronic claims under payer codes such as MedicalTourismSelfPay or MedicalTourismOther, so your billing team needs to tag them correctly from the first visit.
Dubai publishes no equivalent pricing rule, but a written quotation still avoids most disputes. DHA’s medical complaints service excludes financial and insurance complaints, which may instead be handled through the facility’s customer service desk.
The Treatment Visa: What Your Front Desk Handles
The patient does not apply alone. The UAE facility applies on the patient’s request and acts as sponsor.
- Dubai (GDRFA): single or multiple entry, valid for 90 or 180 days, issued online in about 48 hours. You need a photo, a passport valid for at least 6 months, an approved medical report and a letter from your facility explaining the visit. The patient must have medical insurance. Visa fees run in the AED 200 to 900 range depending on validity, plus VAT, with a refundable deposit in the AED 1,000 to 2,000 range.
- Abu Dhabi and Northern Emirates (ICP): issued for licensed healthcare facilities. ICP asks for a valid UAE health insurance policy, and the patient must enter within 60 days of issue. ICP’s fees for this visa are not clearly published by category, so confirm in the ICP app.
- Extensions: through the sponsoring facility, up to 180 days in total.
- Companions: enter with the patient on the same type of visa, and can only be extended if the patient’s visa is extended.
One caution for clinics. The u.ae page says a Dubai sponsor “must be a hospital”, while the GDRFA service page says the host must be a licensed health facility. Check with GDRFA that your clinic can sponsor before you promise a visa in a package.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Can a small clinic take part in medical tourism in the UAE?
Yes. Any DHA licensed facility can apply to DXH. In Abu Dhabi the network is open to licensed facilities, but its quality and accreditation conditions are demanding for a small clinic.
Is joining DXH mandatory?
No. Membership is voluntary and currently free. Reporting international patient data to DHA every month is mandatory for every DHA licensed facility.
Which accreditation does Abu Dhabi accept for medical tourism?
The standard names TEMOS, ISO 22525 and Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) as examples, alongside a general international healthcare accreditation.
How long can a patient stay on a treatment visa?
In Dubai the visa is issued for 90 or 180 days. With extensions, the total stay cannot go beyond 180 days according to GDRFA, and ICP lists the same 180 day cap.
Is there an official figure for medical tourists in the UAE?
A UAE wide figure is not published. For Dubai, the Government of Dubai Media Office reported more than 691,000 health tourists in 2023, spending more than AED 1.03 billion, with dentistry, dermatology and gynaecology the most popular specialties.
Where This Comes From.
- DOH: Medical Tourism Standard (DOH/HFS/MTS/V2/2024, effective March 2025)
- DOH Shafafiya: Reporting of Medical Tourism, Self Pay and Non Insurance Claims
- DHA Dubai Health Experience: Eligibility Criteria
- DHA Dubai Health Experience: FAQ
- DHA Dubai Health Experience: The Patient Protection Plan
- DHA: Health Tourism Data Collection and Submission (HP-04, v2.1)
- u.ae: Patient and Companion Entry Permits
- GDRFA Dubai: Issuing a Medical Visa
- GDRFA Dubai: Extending a Medical Visa
- ICP: Issuance of a Visa and Visa Extension
- Dubai Media Office: Dubai welcomes more than 691,000 international medical tourists in 2023 (19 August 2024)
How OzaniX Partners Can Help.
Getting ready for medical tourism in the UAE touches licensing, quality, billing and the front desk all at once. OzaniX Partners helps clinics add medical tourism services to their licence through our Licensing and Regulatory Advisory work, prepare DXH applications, set up DHA and Shafafiya reporting, build clear package pricing, and set up billing through our Insurance and Revenue Cycle service. Talk to us and we will map out what your clinic needs first.
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