No doctor, nurse or technician can work in a healthcare facility in Abu Dhabi before obtaining a professional licence from the Department of Health. A first licence usually takes two to three months, and most delays come from missing documents.
The stages
- Preparing documents: degrees, experience letters and a certificate of good standing, with the required attestations.
- Credential verification through the approved primary source verification provider.
- Assessment, exam or interview, depending on the profession and qualification.
- Submitting the application on the DOH platform and linking it to the facility.
- Issuing the licence, then recording its expiry date to track renewal.
Where applications usually get delayed
- An experience letter that does not clearly state dates and job title.
- A document not attested, or attested by the wrong authority.
- The name spelled differently across documents.
- A document expiring while the application is in process.
Requirements and fees change. Always check the current requirements on the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi website before applying.