Which GCC Country Licenses Which Complementary Medicine Field? Country Comparison for 2026

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), also called Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) or TCAM, is licensed very differently across the Gulf. There is no shared GCC list. Searching "can I practise Ayurveda in Saudi Arabia" or "is homeopathy allowed in Saudi Arabia" has a clear answer from the official documents, and it is different from the answer for the UAE.

• UAE: the widest list. The Unified PQR (3rd edition, April 2025, MOHAP, DOH, DHA and SHA) lists 15 TCIM titles. DHA publishes five computer-based TCIM exams; other authorities publish no exam formats.
• 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, and there is no SCFHS Prometric CAM exam.
• Qatar: a 2026 TCIM standard (Circular DHP/2026/04) covers 13 scopes, licensed by credential review with no qualifying exam.
• Oman: licenses Ayurveda, Homeopathy and TCM at practitioner and technician level, with an interview or viva whose format is unpublished.
• Bahrain: NHRA licenses 13 CAM titles by credential review and committee evaluation, with no exam.
• Kuwait: we found no official CAM licensing framework.

The tables below set this out field by field. Findings come from regulator documents read on 10 October 2026, and we mark anything we could not confirm. If you want to know which route fits your own certificates, use our eligibility assessment.

The "oral at DHA" entries rest on DHA's rule that specialties not listed in its CBT guideline are assessed by oral assessment. That is an inference from the rule, not a title-specific DHA statement. Siddha, Yoga Therapist and Reflexology have no title in the UAE PQR.

The UAE is the only GCC market with published exam codes for several TCIM titles, and they are DHA codes only:

Hijama was not in the May 2026 version of the guideline. Some websites claim these exams are delivered by Prometric for DHA, MOHAP and SHA and by Pearson VUE for DOH. We could not confirm that in any official document.

Rules that apply to every UAE TCIM title

• A valid home-country licence, full transcripts showing hours and a valid BLS.
• MBBS physicians receive TCIM titles only as a privilege on their physician licence.
• Three exam attempts across all UAE authorities, plus one final attempt at a different authority.
• Orals are in English, with at least five scenarios.
• Hijama is added to an existing authority licence (except for UAE nationals and children of Emirati women) and must be practised in a health facility.

Read the title-specific guides: BAMS, BHMS and BUMS in Dubai and Ayurveda Massage Therapist. For authority differences see DHA vs DOH vs MOHAP, DOH, MOHAP and DHCC.

Saudi Arabia is the most restrictive market for Indian AYUSH graduates. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMAH) CAM activity requirements and NCCAM's Classification and Professional Registration Manual list five licensed practices: cupping (hijama), acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic and naturopathy.

• Not licensed: Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, Siddha, TCM as a system, yoga, reflexology and massage.
• Grades: for acupuncture, NCCAM grades a Specialist as a bachelor's holder and a Technician as a diploma holder, with at least one year of experience (Saudis are exempt).
• Assessment: NCCAM's own written or practical test, or an evaluation committee. The question count, fee and exam code are not published, and there is no SCFHS Prometric CAM exam. The NCCAM Practice Manual and Hijama Rules PDFs returned an access error outside Saudi Arabia, so we could not read them directly.
• Hijama: licensed since 2015, and limited to SCFHS-registered doctors, nurses and physiotherapists, according to a 2015 Ministry of Health news release. It requires an NCCAM course, a health screen and a GP on site. Reports describe the NCCAM programme as five days of eight hours with coursework, oral, practical and OSCE components and a written exam at a 60% gate, but those details come from secondary sources.

Many Indian candidates mix up SCFHS classification (for doctors, nurses and allied health) with CAM. If you hold a BAMS and want Saudi work, the CAM route is closed in your title. See our SCFHS licence guide for the regulated professions.

Qatar

The Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) issued Circular DHP/2026/04, a TCIM registration and licensing standard with 13 scopes, including Ayurveda Technician, Reflexology and Medical Massage Therapist. The Ayurveda and Homeopathy Practitioner routes mirror the UAE structure: a BAMS or BHMS of at least five years plus 2 years, or a 3-4 year programme plus 4 years. There is no TCIM qualifying exam: evaluation is by credential review, with an expert panel for non-medical Hijama applicants. Unani and Siddha are not Qatar titles. Qatar's Hijama route requires a DHP-licensed healthcare professional with at least a BSc, an approved programme and 2 years of experience. Our Qatar licence guide covers the general process.

Oman

The Ministry of Health's Complementary Medicine Practice Licensing Guideline (version 1, February 2018) and SOP 007 version 3 (November 2025) cover Ayurveda, Homeopathy and TCM. The Ayurveda route in the 2018 guideline is a BAMS of at least 5 years plus 2 years post-internship, while the November 2025 SOP states 3 years, so confirm the current experience requirement. The route is an interview or viva with the head of department, and a failure allows two more attempts. Format and fee are unpublished. See our Oman licence guide for medical professions.

Bahrain

NHRA's CAM regulations (Resolution 33/2016) and licensing standards (Publication 006, 2017) cover 13 practitioner and technician titles, including Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani/Arab Medicine, acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, naturopathy, cupping and reflexology. Assessment is by credential review and committee evaluation. NHRA's licensure exams resolution (29 of 2020) covers no CAM titles. Read the Bahrain NHRA guide for the general application process.

We found no official CAM licensing framework for the Ministry of Health in Kuwait. Press coverage in 2022 reported MPs proposing a CAM authority, which implies none existed, and a 2026 ministerial decision banned psychotherapists from offering "psychological yoga". These are secondary sources. Before relying on any Kuwait claim, confirm directly with the MOH Licensing Department. A widely cited "5 years plus 3 years plus written and oral" CAM rule that appears online is, according to its source, about the UAE and not Kuwait. For regulated professions, see the Kuwait MOH licence guide.

1. BAMS, BHMS, BUMS: UAE first (DHA CBT, DOH or MOHAP), then Qatar, Bahrain or Oman for Ayurveda and Homeopathy. Saudi Arabia is closed to these titles.
2. Hijama: UAE (DHA exam HIJ5862 for DHA), Saudi Arabia (for registered doctors, nurses and physiotherapists) and Qatar. Check that you hold a base healthcare licence.
3. Acupuncture: UAE with the DHA CBT, or Saudi Arabia through NCCAM.
4. Chiropractors, osteopaths, naturopaths: UAE (oral), Saudi Arabia (NCCAM), Qatar and Bahrain.
5. Siddha, yoga therapy: no licensable title in the GCC. Do not pay for licensing services that claim otherwise.

Confirm the current rules with the authority before you commit: regulators revise guidelines, and Dubai Healthcare City's CAM guideline may be due for an update. Our eligibility assessment compares your certificates against the route that applies to you, and the Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani question banks cover the DHA exams.