To work as a nurse in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), you need a licence from a UAE health authority. There are three names you will see in job ads:
- DHA: Dubai Health Authority, for Dubai.
- DOH: Department of Health, for Abu Dhabi.
- MOHAP: the federal Ministry of Health and Prevention.
The Sharjah Health Authority (SHA) is a fourth authority. All four use the same rulebook. This guide explains that rulebook, the exam, who is exempt from the exam, and the main steps. Rules and fees change, so check the official pages before you pay for anything. We checked the sources in October 2026.
One rulebook for all authorities: the PQR
The rulebook is called the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR). It is issued together by MOHAP, DOH, DHA and SHA. The current edition is the third version, dated April 2025 (DOH PQR page; PQR document).
Because the rules are the same, a licence decision is similar whichever authority you apply to. Each authority still runs its own online system, exam booking and fees.
Nursing titles and what you need
The PQR (section 14) lists these basic nursing titles:
| Title | Qualification | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse | Bachelor’s degree in nursing | No experience required (gap-of-practice rules apply) |
| Assistant Nurse | Diploma of nursing, course of at least 18 months | No experience required (gap-of-practice rules apply) |
| Specialty Nurse | Registered Nurse qualification plus a clinical master’s or a post-graduate specialty qualification of at least 1 year | 1 year in the specialty |
| Nurse Practitioner | Registered Nurse requirements plus a clinical master’s or doctorate (or equivalent) | 2 years as a Nurse Practitioner |
Some other rules from the PQR nursing chapter (section 13):
- The bachelor’s degree must be at least 3 years full time.
- Degrees by correspondence, distance learning or honorary award do not count.
- You need a valid licence or registration in your home country or your country of last work.
- You need a valid Basic Life Support (BLS) certificate.
- You submit your academic transcript.
- An Assistant Nurse cannot work alone. They work under a Registered Nurse or Registered Midwife.
- A nurse with a bachelor’s degree who is licensed as an Assistant Nurse can apply to upgrade, if their time as an Assistant Nurse is not more than 5 years.
You also need a Good Standing Certificate from the regulator where you last worked. It must not be older than 6 months when you apply (PQR section 1.3).
The licensing exam
The PQR says healthcare professionals must pass the authority’s exam to get a UAE licence (section 1.5). The main rules:
- All exams are in English. No translator is allowed in an oral exam.
- You get 3 attempts in total, across all UAE authorities.
- After 3 fails, you may get 1 final attempt with a different authority. You can take it with the same authority if you sign a declaration that you have not failed with any other UAE authority.
- You must declare how many attempts you have taken.
- You can start again with 3 new attempts if you gain a new recognised qualification, or 2 years of clinical experience after your last attempt.
How the exam is delivered:
- DHA: a computer-based test (CBT) run by Prometric. Sheryan, DHA’s licensing system, gives you an Eligibility ID. You use it to book the test on Prometric’s DHA website and pay by card. Your passport name must match the name in Sheryan. DHA gives only a pass or fail result, uploaded to Sheryan within 2 working days. Some titles also have an oral assessment (DHA assessment manual, 2025).
- DOH: exams are delivered by Pearson VUE. When DOH approves your application for the exam, you pay a pre-booking fee in TAMM, Abu Dhabi’s government services platform. Then you book a date through the Pearson VUE link in your TAMM account (Pearson VUE DOH page).
- MOHAP: we could not reach MOHAP’s website when we checked in October 2026. Confirm the exam provider and steps on mohap.gov.ae or with your employer.
DHA’s licensing manual adds that failing the third attempt blocks you from applying for a DHA licence for two years (DHA licensing manual, version 1.3).
Who does not need the exam
The PQR exam exemptions for nurses and midwives are in section 21.12. There are two ways to qualify.
1. A licence from one of 20 countries. You hold a valid licence and Good Standing Certificate from one of these countries:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, the USA.
You must also meet one of these conditions: you got your qualification in the last 3 years, or you have no gap in practice since your last day of work.
2. A pass in the NCLEX. Proof that you passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) also exempts you from the exam. See our NCLEX-RN guide.
English test for the licence route. If your university studies were not in English, or your licence is from a non-English-speaking country on the list, you need one of these (checked October 2026):
| Test | Minimum |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 5.0 |
| OET | C |
| TOEFL | 500 or equivalent |
| Cambridge Assessment English | 169 |
Two things to know. First, the exemption covers only the exam. You still need credentialing, verification and every other requirement (PQR section 1.6). Second, if you have a gap in practice of more than 3 years, you must take the exam even with an exemption, after you complete the gap requirements (PQR section 1.7.5).
Gap of practice
A “gap of practice” is time when you did not work clinically. The PQR rules for nurses (section 1.7):
| Gap | What you must do |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 years | No gap requirement in the PQR |
| 3 to less than 4 years | 40 CME/CPD (continuing education) credits and 6 months of training |
| 4 to less than 5 years | 60 CME/CPD credits and 8 months of training |
| More than 5 years | Non-UAE nationals cannot apply for a licence |
The training must be at a health facility approved by the authority.
Primary source verification
The authority checks your documents directly with the place that issued them. This is called primary source verification (PSV). It covers your degree, experience certificates, licences, Good Standing Certificate and any exam exemption proof (PQR section 1.4; DHA licensing manual chapter 2).
DHA says PSV is done by a third-party verification agency on its behalf. The result can be positive, “unable to verify” or “discrepancy”. DHA accepts PSV reports already done for DOH, SHA or MOHAP. DHA’s manual names Dataflow as the verification route for some documents. Start PSV early: DHA cannot process your application until the PSV report is complete.
Steps for a DHA licence
DHA’s licensing manual (version 1.3, July 2025) gives these steps:
- Create a Sheryan account and complete the free self-assessment. No documents are needed at this step.
- If the self-assessment says you are eligible, apply for the Get Registered service.
- Complete PSV and the CBT (if you need it). You can do both at the same time.
- Submit the Get Registered application with your verified PSV report, passport copy and photo, and pay the fee.
- If your title needs an oral assessment, book it after approval.
- You receive a registration certificate, valid for one year.
- A licensed health facility (your employer) activates the registration into a licence through its own Sheryan account. You cannot practise until this happens.
When the Get Registered service page was checked on 2 October 2026, it listed a credentialing fee of AED 200. The Sheryan portal was down when we re-checked on 4 October 2026, so confirm the current fee in Sheryan before you pay.
Your employer and your visa
You do not apply for a UAE work visa yourself. The UAE government portal says entry permits are issued at the request of the sponsor, such as an employer. It also says certificates must be authenticated in your home country by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the UAE embassy or consulate (u.ae).
For private-sector jobs, charging recruitment fees to job seekers is illegal in the UAE. The employer pays the costs of recruitment, travel and your residence permit (u.ae). Read our guide to ethical recruitment and scams before you sign anything.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need experience to get a DHA or DOH Registered Nurse licence?
No. The unified PQR sets no minimum experience for the Registered Nurse and Assistant Nurse titles. Gap-of-practice rules still apply: a gap of 3 years or more needs CME/CPD credits and training, and non-UAE nationals with a gap of more than 5 years cannot apply.
Which nurses are exempt from the UAE licensing exam?
Nurses with a valid licence and Good Standing Certificate from one of 20 listed countries, including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Ireland, if they qualified in the last 3 years or have no gap in practice. Nurses who have passed the NCLEX are also exempt. The exemption covers only the exam.
What IELTS or OET score do I need for a UAE nursing licence?
An English test is needed only for the exam-exemption route, when your studies were not in English or your licence is from a non-English-speaking listed country. The PQR minimums are IELTS 5.0, OET grade C, TOEFL 500 or Cambridge 169. We checked these in October 2026.
How many times can I take the DHA or DOH nursing exam?
Three attempts across all UAE authorities, plus one final attempt with a different authority, or with the same authority after a signed declaration. DHA blocks new DHA applications for two years after a third fail. New qualifications or 2 more years of experience can give 3 new attempts.
Is the DHA exam a Prometric exam?
Yes. DHA’s computer-based test is run by Prometric. You book it on Prometric’s DHA website with the Eligibility ID from Sheryan. DOH exams are delivered by Pearson VUE and booked through TAMM. We could not confirm MOHAP’s provider in October 2026.