Dubai licensing portal guidance
Work out which record you have, what the portal is asking for and who needs to act next. Follow the official registration route and use the troubleshooting checklist below when a document, result or application needs attention.
Start here
Sheryan is the Dubai Health Authority's licensing system for healthcare professionals and facilities. It is where you check whether your profile fits a DHA title, where you submit a registration application, and where an employing facility later turns that registration into a practising licence.
It is not, in itself, a licence. Nor is it a shortcut around the requirements — the portal is the counter, not the decision. The decision is made against the rules DHA publishes for the category, title and specialty you apply under.
The official Sheryan portal is run by DHA, not by us. This page explains what happens at each stage once you are inside it.
Open the DHA Sheryan portalFind the next action
Use this checklist to identify what needs attention. The situations are preparation guidance, not a list of official portal status labels. Follow the current service instructions and the exact request in your account.
On smaller screens, scroll sideways to read every column.
| Your situation | Check first | Useful next action |
|---|---|---|
| Unclear self-assessment outcome | Title selected and answers entered. | Compare with your records; review the official manual-eligibility service if applicable. |
| Verification completed elsewhere | Report reference, origin and credentials covered. | Check the official report-linking or transfer instructions before ordering another package. |
| Assessment completed, result missing | Booking reference, identity details and date. | Ask the official support channel about that record; do not assume a new booking is required. |
| Request for more information | The exact request and affected document. | Respond to that item and retain the version and submission date. |
| Registration issued | Title, status and validity dates. | Confirm the facility’s activation step before arranging clinical practice. |
Official references checked 20 September 2026: DHA Get Registered and DHA Sheryan FAQs.
Make a support request specific
Keep the service name, application reference, last action date, exact message and relevant supporting reference together. Explain one unresolved issue at a time. If the issue concerns a payment, retain its receipt and status before attempting payment again.
Illustrative situation: verification is complete but the related records are not visible in Sheryan. Describe that linking issue and give official support the relevant report reference. “My application is stuck” leaves out the detail needed to investigate.
The published sequence
DHA sets the professional pathway out as Self Assessment Tool, then Get Registered, then Activate. Most confusion at the portal comes from treating verification and the exam as stages of their own; DHA places both inside Get Registered, and states they can run at the same time.
Stage one
Use self-assessment to check the proposed title before committing to later services. Keep the answers consistent with your qualification and career history, and clarify an uncertain title before payment.
DHA's requirements differ by title, so the question the self assessment answers is narrow but decisive: does this profile fit this title? That is also the question a PQR-based review answers, which is why it is worth doing before you open an application rather than after.
A profile review looks at profession, qualification, experience, licence history and target authority together, so the title you apply under is a decision rather than a guess.
PQR eligibility assessmentStage two
These are the conditions DHA states for its professional registration service. They are the details that decide whether an application moves or stalls, and several of them contradict what applicants commonly assume.
DHA states plainly that DataFlow verification and the CBT assessment can be performed at the same time. Use that option when the title and assessment requirement are clear; an unresolved eligibility or exemption question may need attention before booking.
DataFlow / PSV assistanceDHA states the professional must pass the related assessment within three attempts across the Authorities. The allowance is shared, not per-authority, so a run of failures is not reset by applying to MOHAP or DOH instead.
DHA requires the Primary Source Verification result for submitted documents before the registration application proceeds, and states an applicant must not be blacklisted.
Depending on the position applied for, DHA may require an oral assessment after the registration application. It is a step many applicants only discover when they are asked to schedule it.
DHA requires the Good Standing Certificate to be valid and no older than six months at the time of application. Requesting it before your other documents are ready is one of the most common avoidable delays.
The six-month rule explainedThe last two years of surgical logbook are required for surgical specialties, alongside the standard document set.
Full DHA document listWhat the portal charges
Every figure below is charged by DHA. Sheryan prints the core ones twice — once for Nurse and Midwife, Allied Health and T&CM, once for Physicians and Dentists — and the two are identical until activation, where they diverge threefold. The single-price rows beneath come from DHA’s Service Catalogue, which is dated March 2023; their notes say so. DataFlow’s own verification charge sits outside this table and is billed by DataFlow, though the AED 100 fee to transfer an existing report to DHA is DHA’s.
Sheryan prints its core fees twice — once for Nurse and Midwife, Allied Health and T&CM, once for Physicians and Dentists. Those two columns are identical for registration and diverge sharply at licence activation, so the category you fall into changes the total far more than the registration fee does. The rows below the activation block are single-price services published in DHA's Service Catalogue rather than on the live portal, and are dated accordingly in their notes.
| What you pay for | Amount | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHA professional registration (credentialing) | AED 200 | Official | Identical for both applicant categories. The same AED 200 applies to renewal and to adding or upgrading a registration. |
| Self Assessment Tool | Free | Official | DHA charges nothing to check your own eligibility before applying. Worth doing first. |
| CBT assessment — Physicians, Dentists | USD 280 | Official | DHA prices the computer-based exam in US dollars, not dirhams. No AED equivalent is published. |
| CBT assessment — Nursing and most Allied Health | USD 240 | Official | Applies to all Nursing CBTs and the majority of Allied Health specialties. |
| CBT assessment — Aesthetician, Laser, OT Technician, TCIM | USD 180 | Official | The lowest of DHA’s three CBT price bands. Covers Aesthetician/Beauty Therapist, Cast Technician, Laser Hair Reduction, Operation Theatre Technician and Technologist, and all five TCIM exams. |
| Oral assessment — Nurse, Allied Health, T&CM | AED 250 | Official | Half what Physicians and Dentists pay for the same assessment. |
| Oral assessment — Physicians, Dentists | AED 500 | Official | The urgent option is AED 2,000 and is flat across every category, so it costs a Physician four times the normal fee and a Nurse eight times. |
| Licence activation, 1 year full-time | AED 1,000 / AED 3,000 | Official | Nurse, Allied Health and T&CM pay AED 1,000; Physicians and Dentists AED 3,000. Paid by the facility, not the professional. |
| Licence activation, 2 years full-time | AED 1,500 / AED 5,000 | Official | Nurse/Allied/T&CM and Physician/Dentist respectively. |
| Licence activation, 3 years full-time | AED 2,500 / AED 7,500 | Official | The widest gap between the two categories anywhere in DHA’s fee tables — three times the price for the same duration. |
| Part-time or trainee licence | AED 1,000 / AED 3,000 | Official | Priced the same as a one-year full-time licence in both categories. |
| Convert part-time to full-time | AED 200 | Official | Identical for both categories. |
| Knowledge and Innovation Fee | Added at checkout | Official | DHA states this is applied at checkout on every fee-bearing service and publishes no amount, rate or basis anywhere on Sheryan. Budget for a total above the listed fee. |
| Good Standing Certificate | AED 500 | Official | Requires an active DHA licence held for more than three months. Published in DHA's Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue, updated March 2023. At least one fee in that document has since changed on the live portal, so confirm the current amount before you pay. |
| Review Registration Eligibility | AED 200 | Official | The paid appeal route when the free Self Assessment Tool returns "not eligible". Published in DHA's Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue, updated March 2023. At least one fee in that document has since changed on the live portal, so confirm the current amount before you pay. |
| Transferring an existing PSV report to DHA | AED 300 | Official | DHA’s current FAQ states this for reports issued by other authorities. Additional or updated documents may need verification. The FAQ separately describes free linking for DHA reports issued after 2017; confirm the applicable service before paying. |
| Late full-time professional licence renewal — monthly penalty | AED 600 or AED 200 per month | Official | The current renewal service lists AED 600 per month for physicians/dentists and AED 200 for nurses, allied health and TCAM. Confirm the outstanding amount in Sheryan. This service page does not state a six-month cap on penalties. |
Sources: DHA Sheryan — Get Registered service description · DHA — Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT), updated September 2026 · DHA Sheryan — Schedule Oral Assessment service · DHA Sheryan — Activate Professional License service · DHA — Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue (update 21 March 2023) · DHA Sheryan — Primary Source Verification FAQs · DHA Sheryan — Renew Professional License
Checked between 22 August and 24 September 2026. Authorities can change fees and requirements without notice — confirm current figures before you pay.
How long each stage takes
DHA's five working days is a decision time, not a start-to-finish estimate. It begins once a complete application reaches DHA, which means after verification has returned and any required assessment has been passed.
| Stage | How long | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHA professional registration decision | 5 working days | Official | DHA’s stated service delivery time once a complete application is submitted. Renewal and add/upgrade are also 5 working days. |
| Self Assessment Tool result | Instant | Official | Free and immediate. The cheapest way to find out whether you are eligible at all. |
| Licence activation by the facility | Instant | Official | DHA states one working day where the professional’s personal records have changed. |
| CBT result uploaded to Sheryan | 2 working days | Official | Clause 7.2.14 of DHA’s assessment manual. |
| Oral assessment result | 3–5 working days | Official | Longer than the CBT, and the oral route covers the large majority of titles. |
| Oral assessment scheduling | 5 working days | Official | From submission to being scheduled — not to sitting the assessment. |
| Registration validity | 1 year | Official | From the date of issuance. A certificate issued after a successful assessment is valid one year from the result date. |
| Renewal window | 3 months | Official | The Sheryan service page states three months from expiry or from licence cancellation. DHA’s Licensing Manual v1.3 states 90 days before expiry and a one-year window after cancellation — the two DHA sources disagree, so check both before relying on either. |
| Expired licence renewal | 6 months | Official | Licensing Manual v1.3: an expired DHA licence can be renewed within six months of expiry. |
| Primary Source Verification — new report | 15 working days | Official | DHA’s current FAQ states this from payment for a new PSV report. This is a published estimate, not a guaranteed deadline; confirm the case-specific timing with DataFlow. |
| Transferring an existing PSV report | 5 working days | Official | DHA’s current FAQ states five working days from payment. Updated documents may need further verification; report transfer does not itself approve a professional licence. |
| Good Standing Certificate | 1 working day | Official | Published in DHA's Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue, updated March 2023. At least one fee in that document has since changed on the live portal, so confirm the current amount before you pay. |
| Review Registration Eligibility | 10 working days | Official | Against "instant" for the automated Self Assessment Tool. Published in DHA's Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue, updated March 2023. At least one fee in that document has since changed on the live portal, so confirm the current amount before you pay. |
Sources: DHA Sheryan — Get Registered service description · DHA Sheryan — Activate Professional License service · DHA — Manual for Professional Assessment (Oral/CBT) · DHA Sheryan — Schedule Oral Assessment service · DHA Sheryan — Renew Professional Registration service · DHA — Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals v1.3, effective 18/07/2025 · DHA Sheryan — Primary Source Verification FAQs · DHA — Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue (update 21 March 2023)
Checked between 22 August and 12 September 2026. Authorities can change fees and requirements without notice — confirm current figures before you pay.
Reading your result
The computer-based assessment is delivered by the testing provider, and its result feeds the registration application rather than being the registration itself. Passing it does not complete the pathway; it clears one of the conditions DHA requires before it will decide the application.
What a result does decide is how many attempts remain. Because DHA counts three attempts across the Authorities, a failed attempt is worth treating as a shared allowance being spent — the first attempt is the one to plan for, not the one to test the water with.
DHA states registration is valid for one year and must be activated into a licence by a healthcare facility before practice can begin.
Registration versus active licenceMatch the source to the question
The Get Registered page describes the application service. For exam format, duration, questions, fees, coverage and references, use the current CBT guideline and the title-specific mode lookup. For exemptions, review the relevant PQR provision and DHA licensing instructions.
Keep the source date in your notes. A dated reference table helps preparation, while the current service and booking instructions determine what you submit and pay.
Stage three
DHA states that registration is valid for one year and that a healthcare facility should activate it into a licence to start practising. The professional cannot complete this stage alone — it runs through the facility.
Keep these two records distinct. Passing the assessment and receiving registration feels like the end of the process, and it is not: without activation there is no permission to practise, and the one-year clock on the registration has already started.
Activation and transfer cases follow their own route, and the details differ from a first application.
Licence activation and transferAccount housekeeping
DHA clears draft applications that have been inactive for more than six months, and sends a reminder to the registered email address fifteen days beforehand. If you opened an application and paused it while chasing a transcript or a good standing certificate, that reminder is the thing to watch for.
Prepare carefully
DHA allows PSV and CBT in parallel, but check the title and any unresolved eligibility issue before committing to an assessment.
Opening an application before checking whether the profile fits the category, title and specialty being applied for.
The three-attempt allowance is shared across the Authorities. There is no low-stakes first try.
The certificate must be valid and no older than six months at application, so requesting it first often means requesting it twice.
Registration is valid for one year and still requires a facility to activate it into a licence before practice.
Drafts inactive for more than six months are cleared, with a reminder fifteen days before.
The Knowledge and Innovation Fee is added at checkout and DHA does not publish the amount, so AED 200 is a floor rather than a total.
Duration, question count and passing score are specialty-specific, so one number quoted for every profession is not from DHA. The fee is banded rather than universal, and it is set in US dollars, not dirhams.
Independent consultancy support
Case-based quote
Which fees apply, whether an assessment is required and how long verification takes all depend on profession, title, specialty and document readiness. Share your profile for a case-based estimate rather than a headline figure.
Continue your preparation
Sheryan FAQs
Use the DHA Sheryan link on this page. UAEHealthPro does not operate the portal. Keep your login and verification codes private; our initial enquiry only needs a description of the stage and question.
No. An assessment result, professional registration and an activated licence are different records. Identify which one you currently hold before deciding the next step.
DHA’s Get Registered instructions direct applicants to My Applications and the Closed applications tab for completed self-assessment results. Use the current official service guide if the screen layout changes.
The CBT guideline says Pass or Fail is updated in the applicant’s Sheryan account. If the result is missing or does not match the assessment record, retain the booking reference and contact the official support channel with the details.
DHA says they can. This is an option once the intended title and assessment route are clear, not a reason to book before an unresolved eligibility or exemption question is answered.
Read the exact request, identify the affected record and prepare a response for that item. Keep the submitted version and response date. Ask official support to clarify an ambiguous request before uploading unrelated documents.
DHA’s FAQs discuss linking or transferring an existing report through DataFlow. Check the report reference and applicable official instructions before ordering verification again; the route can depend on the report’s origin and date.
DHA states that drafts inactive for over six months are cleared, with a reminder sent to the registered email fifteen days beforehand. Check your account messages and email, and ask support if the situation does not fit that explanation.
Separate the current DHA service charge, verification, assessment if required and any later facility licensing step. Read the dated fee references and confirm checkout charges; one headline price is not the whole application cost.
Describe the service, application stage, date of the latest action and exact request or error. Share a redacted screenshot only if needed. Do not send your password, one-time code or unredacted identity documents in an initial enquiry.
Start with your profile
Tell us which stage you are on and what the portal is asking for. A PQR-based review can help clarify whether the title you are applying under fits your evidence — before an attempt or a fee is spent against it.
Disclaimer: UAEHealthPro is an independent consultancy. We are not a government authority, we do not operate Sheryan, and we do not guarantee approval, assessment results or processing timelines. Final decisions are subject to DHA rules, eligibility criteria, document verification and authority review.
Review current DHA professional registration informationFree eligibility guidance
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