Can BAMS, BHMS and BUMS Doctors Practise in Dubai? DHA Exam Codes, Eligibility and Steps (2026)

Yes. Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani practitioners can be licensed in the UAE, but not as "doctors" in the MBBS sense, and not by simply holding the Indian degree. The Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), 3rd edition, April 2025, is published jointly by MOHAP, DOH, DHA and SHA. It lists Ayurveda Practitioner, Homeopathy Practitioner and Unani Practitioner as licensable titles, each with its own qualification and experience route.

If you searched "can BAMS give DHA exam", "can BHMS give DHA exam" or "DHA exam for BAMS doctors", this is what the official documents say:

• Dubai (DHA) runs a computer-based exam for each of the three. All are 100 MCQs, 2 hours, 60% pass mark and USD 180: Ayurveda PAY5852, Homeopathy PHO5832 and Unani PUN6062. These codes appear in DHA's CBT guideline, updated September 2026.
• Abu Dhabi (DOH) and the Northern Emirates (MOHAP) license the same titles, but neither publishes an exam format for them. We found no official source confirming a DOH Pearson VUE exam for these titles, so we do not state one.
• Dubai Healthcare City (DHCR) has its own regime. It lists these fields under "Doctor of CAM" and "Associate Doctor of CAM" tiers, and its guideline says no DHCA licensing exam is required.
• Experience is part of the route. The standard BAMS and BHMS routes need five or more years of study including internship plus two years of post-qualification experience. A fresh graduate with no experience does not fit the main DHA, DOH or MOHAP route.

The rest of this guide covers who qualifies, which exam applies, the steps and costs we can verify, and what we cannot confirm. For a check against your own certificates, use our eligibility assessment.

The UAE separates conventional medicine from Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM). Chapter Five of the Unified PQR lists 15 TCIM titles, including Ayurveda Practitioner, Homeopathy Practitioner and Unani Practitioner. Three consequences matter for AYUSH graduates.

1. Your title is "Practitioner"

A BAMS holder licenses as an Ayurveda Practitioner, a BHMS holder as a Homeopathy Practitioner and a BUMS holder as a Unani Practitioner. You treat within the scope of that title. You do not diagnose and prescribe as a general physician, and the scope documents (for example DOH's TCIM Practitioners Scope of Practice, November 2024) spell out what each title may do.

2. MBBS doctors get TCIM as a privilege, not a route

The PQR rule is that physicians receive TCIM titles only as a privilege on their physician licence, after an approved training programme. That is a separate route from the AYUSH degree route described below.

3. Unani practitioners may also practise Hijama

The PQR and DOH's scope document allow Unani Practitioners to practise Hijama (wet cupping) within their title. Other candidates add the separate Hijama Therapist title to an existing licence. DHA added a Hijama Therapist exam (HIJ5862) in its September 2026 guideline, but that is a different title from Unani Practitioner.

There is no Siddha, Yoga Therapist or Reflexology title anywhere in the UAE PQR. If your degree is BSMS, the PQR gives you no licensable title.

The PQR gives each title several routes. The first route in each row is the one the standard Indian degree is built for. Always check your own transcript hours against the PQR text, because regulators assess hours, not degree names.

The standard Indian 5.5-year BAMS (including internship) fits the first Ayurveda route. We did not find an official statement that a specific Indian university is or is not recognised, so confirm your transcript with the regulator.

Requirements that apply to every UAE TCIM title

• A valid home-country licence or registration, which for Indian candidates normally means your state AYUSH council or central register entry.
• Full transcripts showing hours, not just a degree certificate.
• A valid Basic Life Support (BLS) certificate.
• A gap-of-practice ladder. A gap of 3 to 4 years needs 20 CME hours plus 6 months of training, and 4 to 5 years needs 30 CME hours plus 8 months, per the PQR.
• Exam attempts are capped at three across all UAE authorities, plus one final attempt at a different authority. A failed DHA attempt counts towards that total for DOH and MOHAP.

Your transcript, internship letter and experience letters decide which route you sit in. If you are unsure which route fits, our eligibility assessment compares your documents against the current PQR before you pay any fees.

DHA is the only UAE authority that publishes exam codes for these titles. The September 2026 CBT guideline on Sheryan sets the same format for all of them.

These codes are DHA-only. Some websites say the same code is "delivered through Prometric for DHA, MOHAP and SHA and through Pearson VUE for DOH". We could not confirm that in any official document, so treat it as unverified.

What each exam covers

• Ayurveda (PAY5852): Ayurveda philosophy, Dravyaguna, Rasashastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana, Roga Nidan, Kayachikitsa, Panchakarma and Upakarma, Prasuti Tantra and Stree Roga, Samhita, Shalakya, herbs, pharmacology, posology and integration of modern diagnostics. DHA's references include Davidson, Tortora, Charaka Samhita, Ashtanga Hridayam and Sahasrayoga.
• Homeopathy (PHO5832): Organon, Materia Medica, Repertory, pharmacy and posology, case-taking, and therapeutics across medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, ENT, eye and skin. References include Hahnemann, Allen, Phatak, Kent and Davidson.
• Unani (PUN6062): fundamentals, anatomy and physiology, pathology, pharmacology, regimental therapy and formulations.

DHA reports Pass or Fail, so a failed attempt tells you little about weak areas. Practise under timed conditions first. Our question banks for Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani follow the DHA syllabus above, and you can start with a free timed mock test.

DOH Abu Dhabi

DOH licenses the full TCIM list under its TCIM Practitioners Scope of Practice (version 2, November 2024), which covers 13 practitioner groups including Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani. DOH's computer-based exams run on Pearson VUE, but DOH publishes no TCIM exam specification, and the public Pearson VUE catalogue did not list one when we checked on 10 October 2026. The assessment mode per TCIM title is unpublished. Ask DOH (HCWS@doh.gov.ae) which route applies before you pay. See our DOH licence guide for the general process.

MOHAP (Northern Emirates)

MOHAP uses the same PQR titles and charges an AED 300 evaluation fee for TCAM applicants. It publishes no exam specification. Older press coverage (2018) and candidate accounts describe a written test plus an in-person oral for alternative medicine practitioners, but these are secondary sources and the current format is unconfirmed. DataFlow's MOHAP fee page lists TCAM practitioners in the AED 935 group, plus 5% VAT. Read our MOHAP licence guide for the application sequence.

Dubai Healthcare City (DHCR)

DHCR's CAM licensure guideline (GL/HCP/046/02, effective September 2019, revision dated August 2022) lists a Doctor of CAM tier (a bachelor's degree plus 5 years of experience) and an Associate Doctor of CAM tier (no experience required, working under a Doctor of CAM). It states that no licensing exam is required, so assessment is by credential review. The guideline may have been updated since, so confirm with DHCR. See our DHCC licensing guide.

Why the route matters

Because the three-attempt cap applies across all UAE authorities, do not try DHA's exam "to see how it goes" if you are not ready. Compare the authorities first with our DHA vs DOH vs MOHAP comparison.

1. Confirm your route and title. Match your degree hours and experience to the PQR table above. Check DHA's listing of the exam mode for your title in the CBT guideline.
2. Collect documents. Degree, internship certificate, transcripts with hours, state or central AYUSH council registration, experience letters, a valid BLS card and a Good Standing Certificate. See our document checklist.
3. Start DataFlow early. Primary source verification is usually the slowest step, and DHA lets you sit the exam while DataFlow runs. Indian candidates should read the DataFlow guide, and our DataFlow verification service can handle submission.
4. Create your Sheryan account in your exact passport name, copy the DHA Unique ID, generate your Eligibility ID and pay the AED 200 credentialing fee.
5. Book the Prometric exam using the Eligibility ID and pay USD 180. Our booking guide covers the screens and the rules on changes, which are not refunded.
6. Sit the exam. DHA posts Pass or Fail to Sheryan within two working days.
7. Complete licensing once DataFlow is positive, then proceed to the facility-linked steps with your employer.

Our DHA licence guide for Indian professionals adds India-specific details on council letters and attestation.

Add card conversion charges and any fee your university or council charges to answer DataFlow. Use our DataFlow cost calculator and read the UAE licensing cost breakdown for a full budget. We do not quote salary figures because we have no verified source.

People search for "BAMS jobs in Dubai salary", "BHMS salary in Dubai per month", "BUMS jobs in Dubai salary" and "ayurveda doctor vacancy in Dubai without MOH licence". Search data shows these queries exist, but it does not give salary figures, and we found no official salary source, so we give none.

• Do not plan around "without licence" vacancies. A UAE employer who hires you before you hold the right title is exposing both of you. Licence first, then start.
• Where the work is. Ayurveda, homeopathy and Unani practice sits in licensed clinics, wellness and integrative centres and hospitals, and the employer's facility licence must cover the service.
• Offer letters. Ask which authority and title the employer has applied under and who pays the DataFlow, exam and licence fees. Our contract red flags guide lists what to check.

The UAE is the most open market for Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani, so do not assume the same degree works elsewhere:

• Saudi Arabia: the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) licenses only cupping, acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic and naturopathy. Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani are not licensed there, and there is no SCFHS Prometric exam for them.
• Qatar: Ayurveda and Homeopathy Practitioners are licensed by credential review without a qualifying exam. Unani is not a Qatar title.
• Oman: Ayurveda and Homeopathy are licensed with an interview or viva; the format is unpublished. Unani is not in the guideline.
• Bahrain: NHRA licenses Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani practitioners by credential review and committee evaluation, with no exam.
• Kuwait: we found no official CAM licensing framework.

The full country comparison is in our complementary medicine GCC country guide.

Check your certificates against the PQR before spending money. Send us your degree hours, internship letter, council registration and experience letters through the eligibility assessment and we will tell you which route and authority fit. Then practise for the exam you are actually sitting with the Ayurveda, Homeopathy or Unani question bank. Regulator rules change, so confirm final fees and formats with the authority on the day you apply.