DHA professional registration, licences and renewals

Question 1

DataFlow and primary source verification for DHA

Accepted Answer

Primary source verification (PSV) checks licensing documents with their original issuers. DHA's FAQ identifies DataFlow as its verification provider. An older or another authority's report may need electronic transfer and linking in Sheryan. Updated documents can need fresh verification. A positive report does not itself activate a professional licence.

Question 2

Language and translation of DHA licensing documents

Accepted Answer

DHA's licensing FAQ requires documents outside Arabic or English to be legally translated, with both the translation and original uploaded. Stamping is not generally required unless DHA's credentialing team requests it.

Question 3

DHA self-assessment and PQR

Accepted Answer

PQR means Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements in DHA's service guidance. Sheryan's free automated Self Assessment Tool checks the qualifications and experience entered against those requirements. No documents are required for the automated check. A result of not eligible does not prevent requesting the separate paid Review Registration Eligibility service. Self-assessment is an initial check, not an active licence to practise.

Question 4

Request a manual DHA registration eligibility review

Accepted Answer

Use Review Registration Eligibility in Sheryan when requesting DHA's review of your qualifications after the automated eligibility check. Prepare a recent passport photograph, valid passport, educational qualifications, experience certificates, licence or registration, good standing certificate and a surgical logbook where applicable. Submit the application and pay the displayed fees; DHA reviews it and returns an outcome. This is only an eligibility assessment and does not grant a right to practise. The chatbot cannot decide whether your qualifications or a gap in practice meet the requirements. Who to contact: Dubai Health Authority

Question 5

DHA registration is not a licence to practise

Accepted Answer

If by an 'eligibility letter' you mean DHA registration confirmation, that is not an active practising licence. DHA registration confirms the approved professional category, title and specialty and places the professional in the Dubai Medical Registry. It is valid for one year; a hiring healthcare facility must activate it into a licence before practice starts. For Get Registered, complete self-assessment, primary source verification and any required computer-based test. DataFlow verification and the computer-based test may run in parallel, but DHA requires the verification result before registration is completed. The listed documents are a recent passport photograph, passport copy and a logbook for surgical specialties. Link the results in Sheryan and complete any oral assessment DHA requires.

Question 6

Activate a full-time, part-time or trainee DHA licence

Accepted Answer

The healthcare facility's representative applies in Sheryan for a professional with active registration; the professional approves the request. The facility needs the relevant specialty and active licensing status. Requirements include malpractice insurance, a valid labour card for non-UAE nationals, settlement of outstanding fines and an updated passport where needed. Part-time activation requires the full-time facility's approval and compliance with the part-time permission matrix. A trainee needs an approved practice setting and a full-time supervisor. Practice starts only once the appropriate licence has been issued. Fees depend on the professional category and selected licence. Surgeons licensed in an outpatient facility for more than two years also need a logbook when applying for part-time work in a day-surgery centre or hospital.

Question 7

Renew DHA registration before it expires

Accepted Answer

Renew Professional Registration keeps the approved registration position current; it is distinct from renewing an active professional licence. The service's limitations say the registration must not be expired. The renewal window is the three months before registration expiry, or within three months after professional-licence cancellation. Updated experience, licence and good-standing documents require primary source verification; an updated passport may be needed, and surgical specialties need a logbook where a clinical gap exceeds two years. Settle outstanding fines and submit the linked documents in Sheryan. Maintaining a title remains subject to practice-continuity requirements. If registration has expired, DHA directs the professional back to the Self Assessment Tool and the registration requirements.

Question 8

Renew a DHA professional licence and CPD conditions

Accepted Answer

The healthcare facility renews its professional's licence through Sheryan. Renewal can begin 90 days before expiry. Valid malpractice insurance, the applicable CME/CPD requirement and payment of outstanding fines are prerequisites; passport and Emirates ID must be updated where needed. A full-time licence expired for more than six months cannot use this renewal service. Part-time renewal depends on continuing approval from the full-time facility. Supervised positions need an available full-time supervisor; a completed trainee period cannot simply be renewed. Renewal extends from the existing expiry date to the selected validity period. An expired licence does not permit clinical practice.

Question 9

Upgrade a DHA registration title or add a position

Accepted Answer

Add/Upgrade Professional Registration lets an already registered or licensed professional request a higher title or an additional position. The registration must be active. Link verification of the recent required documents and any required computer-based test. The service lists a valid passport where needed, a DHA good standing certificate issued within six months and a surgical logbook where applicable. Submit in Sheryan for DHA review and complete any required assessment. Unpaid fines or incomplete CPD actions can block the service. Updating registration is a separate step from updating the practising licence.

Question 10

Apply a registration upgrade to the practising licence

Accepted Answer

The facility must use Add/Upgrade Professional License after the professional's registration title or positions change. The existing licence must be active and malpractice insurance must cover the updated position. Provide an updated passport and Emirates ID where needed and clear outstanding fines. An approved update generates a revised eLicence without changing its expiry date. A trainee licence cannot use the ordinary update: it must first be cancelled and the updated position activated after the registration upgrade is complete.

Question 11

Schedule a DHA oral assessment after review

Accepted Answer

Schedule Oral Assessment becomes available after DHA reviews Get Registered or Add/Upgrade Professional Registration and explicitly requires an oral assessment. It is not a booking step every applicant can start immediately. Following conditional approval, submit the preferred date or date range in Sheryan; DHA's assessment team confirms the appointment. A CV is listed among prerequisites. Cancelling an ongoing scheduling application creates a new draft that must be completed within three months and requires a new payment. The service's five-working-day scheduling estimate is not a promise of a particular examination date.

Question 12

DHA good standing certificate and licence verification

Accepted Answer

Current or previously DHA-licensed professionals can request a Good Standing Certificate or License Details Verification in Sheryan. For good standing, provide an updated passport if needed and an end-of-service letter for government healthcare professionals. Licence-details verification instead lists the receiving verification form, valid passport and last DHA licence. Certificates are retrieved from the closed application. Outstanding fines must be cleared. Where the service's disciplinary or investigation conditions apply, DHA issues a Certificate of Current Status instead of a good standing certificate. The service excludes private-facility DHA licences from before 1999 from good-standing issuance.

Question 13

Correct personal details on a DHA professional eLicence

Accepted Answer

A professional with an active DHA licence can use Update Professional License Card Information in Sheryan to request a corrected or reissued eLicence. Supply a valid passport if the existing copy is not current and a recent passport photograph when changing the photograph. Submit the requested changes and pay the displayed fee; DHA reviews personal-information changes and issues the updated eLicence. This service requires an active licence. It should not be confused with simply changing an account's contact email.

Question 14

DHA CPD points and renewal

Accepted Answer

Use Update CPD Points in Sheryan to upload evidence of completed professional-development activities. The target depends on the full-time licence category and validity period. The current service table lists annual targets of 40 points for physicians and dentists, 20 for nurses and all pharmacists, and 10 for allied healthcare and TCAM; the listed two- and three-year totals scale with licence validity. Excess points are not carried to the next renewal. If the target is not met, the licence cannot be renewed. A blacklisted CPD provider is not accepted.

Question 15

When a healthcare facility refuses to cancel a DHA licence

Accepted Answer

A licensed professional can submit Raise License Cancelation Issues in Sheryan when their facility refuses cancellation. Upload proof that a resignation letter or written notice was submitted, plus one listed supporting item: employment-visa cancellation, labour-card cancellation, a labour card or employment visa at the new healthcare facility, or temporary MOHRE permission to work there together with an official labour dispute. Settle outstanding fines if applicable. DHA reviews the online request; verbal or paper-only requests are not accepted through this service. This is a licensing route, not a determination of employment compensation or who wins a dispute. Who to contact: Dubai Health Authority

Question 16

Cancel a DHA professional licence

Accepted Answer

A delegated facility representative selects the professional and submits Cancel Professional License through Sheryan. A medical director needs a replacement assigned first. Active appeals must be cancelled and outstanding fines paid; an investigation must reach its outcome before the cancellation service can proceed. DHA reviews the request and cancels the licence if approved. A facility refusing to cooperate is a different situation, for which the professional can use Raise License Cancelation Issues.

Question 17

Pay DHA professional fines or request instalments

Accepted Answer

Open the Violations widget on the professional's Sheryan dashboard to pay one or more licence fines or request instalments. The professional service permits an instalment request when the fine exceeds AED 5,000, excluding knowledge and innovation fees, and asks for evidence of inability to pay. A request is subject to review; this is not an automatic instalment entitlement. This threshold is for the professional service and must not be applied to facility fines. If approved, post-dated cheques must be submitted to DHA in person, and the instalment period cannot exceed one year.

Question 18

Appeal a DHA professional violation

Accepted Answer

DHA's professional Appeal Violations service allows certain violations to be challenged within 30 days of the violation's issue date. Select the violation in Sheryan, choose appeal and upload supporting documents. DHA reviews it and communicates the outcome. A violation can be appealed only once and this service describes its outcome as final. The service guidance does not predict success or determine any separate judicial route. Who to contact: Dubai Health Authority

Question 19

Temporary DHA permission to practise under supervision

Accepted Answer

A Temporary Permit to Practice is limited, supervised permission requested by an active facility's medical director for an unregistered professional. It is not a full professional licence or proof of eligibility for one. The permit may be granted only once, lasts up to three months, and is neither renewable nor transferable. The application lists passport, photograph, specialty qualifications, CV, justification and a home-country licence, except for resident and intern positions; Emirates ID is optional if available. The facility must ensure malpractice cover. DHA review applies, with restrictions for failed assessments, unmet licensing requirements, disciplinary action or a negative verification report. Who to contact: Dubai Health Authority