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All Healthcare Professioanls (HCPs) at Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) must obtain a license from Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulation (DHCR), an independent regulatory arm responsible for licensing healthcare providers and professionals, and setting and maintaining international best practice in healthcare delivery and patient care within the free zone.

The licensing board is an independent, final license-granting authority. The board, comprising prominent local and international healthcare experts, is appointed by the DHCA Board of Directors and has ultimate responsibility for the licensing and credentialing of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) and Healthcare Operators (HCOs)/clinical facilities within the free zone. Furthermore, all policy decisions on the licensing process and criteria are approved by the board. The licensing board is a member of the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA), making it the first medical regulatory authority in the Middle East to join the organization.

The DHCR’s licensing department conducts Primary Source Verification, an in-house process through which HCPs’ credentials are verified for authenticity and accuracy from the issuer. The department is responsible for ensuring that licensing of HCPs is carried out in accordance with regulations.

Application process for all categories (medical/dental, nurse, allied health, trainee, and CAM):

• Check eligibility guidelines for your professional category
• Schedule a meeting to review your credentials and provide supporting documents such as employment certificates, good standing certificates, recommendations etc. (manual review fee applies)
• You will be informed of your eligibility during your initial application review
• If eligible, your application moves to pre-approved status and you will be advised to schedule a licensing exam.
• Submit the required application form(s). (application fee applies)

*Professional categories and credentials are listed in the guidelines of each licensing category (education, previous licensing, etc.)

Please download this document for more information.

The eligibility criteria for all healthcare professional licensing categories (listed below) within DHCC are filtered based on the type of qualifications obtained and the countries they were obtained from.

• Medical/dental (general & specialist)
• Nurse
• Allied health
• CAM (Complementary & Alernative Medicine)
• Pharmacist/pharmacist technician
• Trainee

All applicants can check their eligibility by reviewing the following documents:

• Are you eligible? (all license categories)
• Are you eligible? (medical/dental license categories)

For medical and dental applicants, classificationis based on country of qualification. For other licensure queries, kindly contact us via email info@dhcr.gov.ae

*All material is subject to change without notifications. It is the licensee/applicant’s responsibility to review the latest updates and changes.

For more information on how to set up your business in Dubai Healthcare City, click here.

The following steps are required of all Healthcare Operators (HCOs)/commercial organizations seeking to set up within the free zone:

Step 1

To become operational, all interested parties must complete and submit an initial application form available at Dubai Healthcare City Establishing Facility, and a business plan along with other required documents such as passport and CV (for shareholders, directors and managers). If the facility is a branch, a commercial license or copy of the certificate of incorporation will also need to be submitted. DHCR requires this information to understand the applicant’s proposed business.

Step 2

The Facility Licensing Department (FLD) will conduct a detailed review of each application, then submit it to the Facility Committee (FC) for review. If successful, the facility is issued a provisional approval letter with defined services, along with details on the conditions/restrictions that apply to the propsed facility. At this stage, facilities are not entitled to operate within the free zone until an operating license is issued.

Step 3

Healthcare Operators (HCOs) will build their leased or purchased allocated units based on international healthcare standards approved by DHCR. The Facility Licensing Department also reviews all facility designs and construction of hospitals and healthcare facilities to ensure conformity with the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI). Furthermore, the Facility Licensing Department (FLD) ensures all medical equipment used within Dubai Healthcare City is certified, appropriately maintained, and in impeccable working condition.

Step 4

DHCR conducts awareness sessions with applicants – covering the pre-operating assessment requirements in detail – after which a pre-operational assessment of all Healthcare Operators (HCOs) is conducted, to ensure all operating requirements are met. These operating requirements are in place to ensure patient safety, enhance the quality of clinical care, and advance clinical excellence. Operating requirements include the following:

• Quality and patient safety requirements
• Clinical planning requirements
• Facility operating requirements
• Administrative requirements

The Facility Licensing Department (FLD) pre-operational assessment is a prerequisite to obtain a clinical operating license.

Please click here for the Education Permit Operators Guide.

Please click here for the DHCR Approved Practice Setting Standards.

Please click here for the DHCR Continuous Professional Development Standards.

Please click here for Quick Reference Guide for conducting Research in DHCC.

Please click here for the Research Permit Operators Guide.