UAE
The UAE is the only Gulf country with four separate licensing authorities, and which one you deal with depends entirely on where you intend to work: MOHAP for the northern emirates, DHA for Dubai, DOH for Abu Dhabi, and the Sharjah Health Authority for Sharjah. They are signatories to a shared Professional Qualification Requirements framework, but they publish different rules, charge different fees, use different exam vendors, and only one of them publishes a pass mark at all.
A MoHAP unified national licensing platform launched on 1 February 2025, which may simplify this over time.
Doctors seeking Emirati specialty certification train through the National Institute for Health Specialties (NIHS) at UAE University and sit the Emirati Board examinations.
Your pathway
- Check eligibility
- Pass the licensing exam
- Register with the authority
- Specialty or board exam
Exams and products
Getting Licensed to Practise — The Four Health Authorities
EMREE — Emirates Medical Residency Entrance Examination
Emirati Board — Internal Medicine
Emirati Board — General Surgery
Emirati Board — Pediatrics
Emirati Board — Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Emirati Board — Family Medicine
Emirati Board — Gastroenterology
Pediatric Surgery — Specialty Licensing
Language requirements
Most authorities ask for an English test. Germany asks for German.
Sharjah is regulated by the Sharjah Health Authority, not MOHAP.
The examinations are not all delivered by the same vendor. DHA and MOHAP use Prometric. DOH Abu Dhabi uses Pearson VUE. The Emirati Board and NIHS examinations are delivered by neither — they are booked at exams.nihs.ae.
The Arab Board in the UAE
UAE residents can hold both the Emirati Board and the Arab Board. Arab Board certification supports specialist classification across many Arab League and GCC countries, though recognition varies by authority. The UAE hosts multiple official Arab Board examination locations.