DHCA exam 2026: format, booking and attempts

DHCA licenses professionals who work inside Dubai Healthcare City, a free zone with its own regulator, separate from DHA, which licenses the rest of Dubai. Its guideline says applicants must pass the DHCA exam "as applicable" to their profession, so not every category sits one.

Holders of a valid DHA licence can be exempted when they apply for the same licence title and specialty. For physicians and dentists, DHCA's 2021 guidance also exempts graduates of UAE-approved universities, applicants with qualifications from its Option 1 countries, and applicants who hold approved listed exams. At specialist level, Option 1 applicants are exempt, while Option 2 and Option 3 applicants are required to sit the exam.

Not sure which Dubai regulator you need? Our DHCC vs DHA guide explains the difference, and the DHCC licence guide covers the full process. You can also request a free eligibility assessment.

It depends on your title, and DHCA publishes the answer in separate guidelines. The one confirmed "no exam" group is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): DHCA's 2019 CAM guideline (GL/HCP/046/02) states "DHCA Licensing Exam: Not required" for every CAM title I checked, and those titles are assessed on credentials only.

For medical, dental, nursing and allied health titles, the exam is required unless you meet an exemption such as a valid DHA licence. DHCA also publishes a Licensing Exam Guide (GL/HCP/078/04) listing exams for 24 medical specialties, 7 dental, 3 nursing and midwifery and 13 allied health titles.

What is not verified: that guide dates from December 2019 and its review date (December 2022) has passed, so I cannot confirm that its list is current, and the CAM guideline's own revision date has also passed. DHCA's newer General Licensure guideline (2021) and FAQ are consistent with it, but confirm your title with DHCA before you plan around "no exam".

You submit everything online through DHCA's e-service. The General Licensure guideline asks for personal details as in your passport, qualifications and transcripts, evidence of clinical experience (a letter of experience signed and stamped by your employer), your current licence or registration and a certificate of good standing issued within the last 6 months.

You also need English proficiency evidence unless exempt, an up-to-date CV, a valid hands-on BLS certificate (online-only BLS is not accepted), a white-background photo, and, for some applicants, a police clearance certificate. Medical malpractice insurance and BLS are needed before the licence is issued. DHCA does not require attestation for licensing, although your residence visa might.

If your practice gap is three to five years you must meet DHCA's Gap in Practice Policy. DHA government employees need a No Objection Certificate. All documents go through primary source verification. Our document checklist and good standing certificate guide help you prepare.

You cannot book first. The sequence is to submit your online application, wait for DHCA to review it, confirm you are ready for the exam, receive an Eligibility ID, then book and pay on Prometric within three months. DHCA emails you at each stage, and fees for each stage are payable online.

The Eligibility ID is valid for three months from issue. If yours does not work, is inactive or has expired, email [email protected] with the ID, the issue and your application number. Book as soon as you are ready, because a lapsed window means asking DHCA for a new one.

DHCA does not publish how long the review takes, the DHCA fee schedule is on its website rather than in the guideline, and I could not verify an end-to-end processing time. Use the licensing timeline calculator as a planning aid, not a promise.

The exam is taken at a Prometric testing centre in English, in multiple-choice format. DHCA's 2019 exam guide gives each exam its own duration, question count and pass mark. Across its listed exams, durations run from 2 to 4 hours, question counts are 70, 100 or 150, and pass marks run from 50% to 75%.

Examples from that guide: Registered Nurse is 150 questions in 4 hours at 55%, Nursing Assistant 100 questions in 2 hours at 55%, Pharmacy 150 questions in 3.75 hours at 60%, Anesthesia 100 questions in 2.5 hours at 65%, and Orthopedic Surgery 100 questions in 3 hours at 75%. These are from a 2019 edition, so check the current guide for your exam.

The guide also lists content areas with weightings and reference books. Exam details and reference material are in DHCA's Licensing Exam Guide for Healthcare Professionals on the DHCC website.

Bring your original, valid passport. DHCA's guideline says you need it to be permitted to sit the exam. Check-in also captures a fingerprint, so DHCA exams are only available at Prometric centres where biometric capture works.

Some exams are not available in the USA and Canada, according to the 2019 guide. You must follow Prometric's test-centre regulations on arrival time and check-in, which DHCA's guideline refers you to rather than restating. The permitted items, breaks and scheduled arrival time are therefore Prometric's rules, not DHCA's.

Fees are non-refundable. For rescheduling, cancelling or confirming, DHCA points to Prometric's page rather than stating a notice period, so I could not verify a deadline or the consequences of a no-show. Check Prometric's rules at booking. Our Prometric centres guide covers locations.

You get your result immediately after the exam. Prometric gives you a score report stating Pass or Fail, and DHCA says no other details, such as scores, are provided. You will not learn how close you were.

Passing does not guarantee a licence. DHCA still has to verify your credentials and receive every required document, and BLS and malpractice insurance are needed before it issues the licence. If you meet all requirements but have no DHCC employer yet, DHCA issues a Letter of Acceptance valid for one year, which does not allow you to practise.

DHCA does not state how long an exam pass remains valid, or how long a licence lasts, in the sources I checked. Confirm both with DHCA.

You have a maximum of three attempts per DHCA exam. This is a DHCA rule: the UAE-wide cap in the Unified PQR is published by DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA, and I found no statement that DHCA counts attempts made with them.

After a third failure you can reapply for the same professional grade only after one year of continued practice outside DHCC, twenty continuous professional development (CPD) points and two recommendation letters from direct supervisors. Alternatively, you can apply for a lower grade if you meet its requirements. DHCA does not publish a minimum wait between the first three attempts, so I cannot give you one.

To prepare for a retake, rank your weak domains from a timed mock and rework them. See our comeback guide and retake guide.

DHCA's FAQ lists exam fees of USD 220-280 for medical and dental specialties and USD 180-220 for nursing and allied health, paid online to Prometric during registration. They are non-refundable.

DHCA also charges an initial review fee, processing and verification fees, and licence issuance and delivery fees, each with a knowledge fee and an innovation fee. Its guideline points to the website for the amounts, which I could not verify here. Add DataFlow verification, good standing certificates, BLS and malpractice insurance. Use the DataFlow cost calculator and the UAE cost breakdown to plan.

Yes, unless you are exempt. DHCA asks every professional for evidence of English: TOEFL 500 (paper) or 64 (internet-based), IELTS 5.0, OET grade C, or Cambridge English 169. You are exempt if you studied your specialty in English, have practised or been licensed for at least a year in a native English-speaking country, have been licensed and practised in the UAE for at least three years, or hold a valid DHA licence or an Option 1 country qualification.

If you score below the accepted levels, DHCA can still proceed with an undertaking letter from your hiring facility that an English translator or competent native speaker will be present during working hours. The exam itself is always in English.

Common delays are trying to book Prometric before DHCA has issued an Eligibility ID, letting the three-month ID lapse, and assuming a DHA licence exempts you when the title or specialty differs. Others are a good standing certificate older than six months, an online-only BLS certificate, and a letter of experience missing dates or an authorised signature.

Candidates also assume "no exam" applies to them because they read the CAM guideline. That only covers CAM titles. Passing the exam is also not the last step, since the licence needs MMI, BLS and verification. See our licence rejection mistakes guide.

Plan around the three-month Eligibility ID: book only when you are ready, because an unused window and a failed attempt both cost you. Our free timed mock tests show your weakest domains, and the question banks give you full-length papers with a rationale for every answer.

DHCA publishes content areas with weightings in its exam guide, so start from your exam's blueprint and use the sample questions to test each area. Remember that DHCA exam lengths and pass marks differ from DHA's, so practise to your own exam's time and pass mark.