SCFHS, DHA, DOH and MOH: Gulf Licensing Explained

The regulators, one by one

• SCFHS (Saudi Commission for Health Specialties) — the national regulator for all healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. SCFHS classifies you (for example Consultant, Specialist or General Practitioner for doctors, or Nurse Technician/Registered Nurse for nursing) based on your qualifications and experience, and issues your professional registration.
• DHA (Dubai Health Authority), now operating as Dubai Health, regulates healthcare professionals working in Dubai's public and private facilities; the Dubai Healthcare City free zone is regulated separately by the DHCA.
• DOH (Department of Health – Abu Dhabi) regulates all healthcare professionals working in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
• MOH (Ministry of Health and Prevention) regulates healthcare professionals in the remaining Emirates — Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain.

The UAE has moved toward mutual recognition between these regulators for many professionals, meaning a valid licence from one Emirate can support an application in another without repeating the full exam process — but rules change, so always confirm current mutual-recognition status with the relevant authority before assuming it applies to you.

DataFlow: primary source verification

Across almost the entire Gulf region — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait — licensing bodies require your qualifications, licences and employment history to be verified directly with the issuing institution via the DataFlow Group. This Primary Source Verification (PSV) process checks your degree certificate with your university, your prior licences with your former regulators, and your employment letters with former employers. It is often the slowest part of the entire licensing journey, since it depends on how responsive your former institutions are, so start it as early as possible.

The exams: Prometric-delivered licensing tests

Prometric is the computer-based testing provider used across the Gulf to deliver licensing exams on behalf of each regulator. Depending on your title and target country, you may sit:

• The Saudi Medical Licensing Exam (SMLE) or equivalent SCFHS classification exam for doctors, and a parallel nursing licensure exam for nurses, both administered via Prometric on SCFHS's behalf.
• The DHA exam for Dubai, testing clinical knowledge relevant to your specialty and scope of practice.
• The DOH exam for Abu Dhabi, structured similarly.
• The MOH exam for the other Emirates, generally considered a useful baseline licence given the mutual-recognition pathways it can support.

Not every candidate needs to sit an exam — some senior, highly experienced applicants may qualify for exemption depending on the regulator's current criteria, so check eligibility before assuming an exam is required.

Application portals: Mumaris+ and Sheryan

Each regulator runs its licensing process through a dedicated online portal:

• Mumaris+ is SCFHS's portal in Saudi Arabia, used to apply for professional classification, book your exam, and manage your registration and renewals.
• Sheryan is Dubai Health's portal, used for DHA licence applications, exam eligibility letters and licence issuance.
• DOH and MOH each operate equivalent online systems for Abu Dhabi and the remaining Emirates respectively.

You'll typically need your DataFlow report completed, or at least well underway, before these portals will approve your exam eligibility, so sequencing matters — start DataFlow first, then move into the relevant portal.

Eligibility by professional title

Requirements scale with seniority and role:

• Doctors — classification depends on postgraduate qualifications and years of practice; a General Practitioner classification generally needs a completed internship, while Specialist and Consultant classifications require recognised postgraduate/board certification plus a defined minimum of years in practice.
• Nurses — classification depends on whether you hold a diploma (Nurse Technician-level) or a bachelor's degree (Registered Nurse-level), plus a minimum period of recent clinical experience, commonly around one to two years depending on the regulator and hospital.
• Allied health professionals (pharmacists, physiotherapists, radiographers and others) — each has its own classification criteria set by the relevant regulator.

Step-by-step timeline

1. Gather qualification certificates, licences and experience letters.
2. Initiate DataFlow primary source verification (typically several weeks to a few months).
3. Apply through the relevant portal (Mumaris+, Sheryan, DOH or MOH system) once verification is complete or well progressed.
4. Receive exam eligibility and book your Prometric exam.
5. Sit and pass the exam (if required for your classification).
6. Receive your professional classification/licence.
7. Your employer processes your residency visa and work permit alongside or after licensing.

Total time from starting DataFlow to holding a licence typically runs 2–5 months for straightforward cases, longer if verification is slow or documents need to be re-submitted.

Costs and pitfalls

Indicative costs (confirm current fees directly with DataFlow and each regulator) include the DataFlow verification fee, the Prometric exam fee, and the regulator's licensing/registration fee — together typically a few hundred to low thousands of US dollars depending on country and profession. The most common pitfalls are submitting documents that don't exactly match the regulator's format requirements, underestimating how long former employers take to respond to DataFlow, and assuming mutual recognition applies between UAE Emirates without checking current rules.

Another frequent issue is applying for the wrong classification level relative to your qualifications, which can trigger a lengthy appeal or resubmission process. Double-check your intended classification against the regulator's published criteria before you submit, rather than after you receive a rejection.

How Ava Medical helps

Ava Medical guides candidates through DataFlow, portal applications and Prometric exam booking at no cost to you, and works directly with hospital groups across Saudi Arabia and the UAE who need your specialty. Talk to Ava Medical to get a clear, personalised licensing timeline before you commit to a move.

Frequently asked questions