Passing the DHA exam and receiving your registration doesn’t let you treat patients yet. The final step is activation, and the facility hiring you completes it on the Sheryan portal, not you. This guide explains how activation works, what the facility needs before it can apply, what it costs and why applications get stuck.
Registration vs activation: what’s the difference?
Your DHA registration, often called the eligibility letter, confirms that you meet DHA’s requirements for your category, title and specialty. It also puts you on the Dubai Medical Registry. It is valid for one year from the date it is issued, but it does not allow you to practise.
Activation turns that registration into a professional licence linked to a specific DHA-licensed facility. You can start practising once the licence is issued.
Who applies for activation?
A delegated representative of the facility that is hiring you applies through the Activate Professional License service on Sheryan. You take part too: the request appears in your own Sheryan account, and you approve it.
What the facility needs before it applies
DHA lists these prerequisites for activation:
- The facility’s own licence must be active and include your specialty.
- Your DHA registration must be active.
- You must give the facility consent to license you.
- The facility must hold valid medical malpractice insurance that covers you.
- A valid labour card is required for non-UAE nationals.
- Any outstanding DHA fines must be paid.
- If you are 65 or older, you need a valid medical fitness report.
The documents are short. The facility needs a valid passport copy if yours isn’t already on the system. It needs a logbook only for surgeons who have held an outpatient licence for more than two years and are applying for a part-time licence in a day surgical centre or hospital.
Step-by-step activation on Sheryan
- The facility logs in to Sheryan, selects Activate Professional License and chooses your registration.
- You approve the request in your Sheryan account.
- The facility pays the licence fee.
- DHA activates the licence and generates your eLicense.
DHA publishes the processing time for this service as instant. It takes one working day if there are changes to your personal records.
How much does activation cost?
The hiring facility pays the licence fee. DHA adds Knowledge and Innovation fees at checkout.
| Licence | Nurses, midwives, allied health and TCAM | Physicians and dentists |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time – 1 year | AED 1,000 | AED 3,000 |
| Full-time – 2 years | AED 1,500 | AED 5,000 |
| Full-time – 3 years | AED 2,500 | AED 7,500 |
| Part-time | AED 1,000 | AED 3,000 |
| Trainee | AED 1,000 | AED 3,000 |
| Convert to full-time | AED 200 | AED 200 |
Full-time, part-time and trainee licences
Your first DHA licence is always full-time. After that, you can hold part-time licences at other facilities if the medical director of your full-time facility approves each one through Sheryan. DHA caps the number of part-time licences by title: up to four for consultants and surgical specialists, two for non-surgical specialists, and one each for GPs, general dentists, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.
A trainee licence is for professionals who don’t yet meet the PQR experience rules. It can only be activated at a facility that has DHA’s Approved Practice Setting add-on and a full-time supervisor.
Keeping your licence active
- Renew on time. Licences run for one, two or three years. The facility applies for renewal within three months of expiry, and an expired licence can still be renewed within six months of the expiry date.
- Earn CPD points every year. Physicians and dentists need 40, nurses and pharmacists 20, and allied health and TCAM professionals 10.
- Keep practising. If you don’t practise for six consecutive months while the licence is valid, without an excuse DHA accepts, you will need a new licence.
- Keep your certificates current. Every professional must hold valid CPR, BLS or ACLS certification, and malpractice insurance must stay in place throughout.
Why activation gets stuck
- The registration has expired. It is only valid for one year. You can renew it through Renew Professional Registration (AED 200) within three months of its expiry.
- The facility licence doesn’t cover your specialty. The facility has to amend its licence first.
- Insurance or labour card is missing. Both must be in place before the facility can submit.
- There are unpaid fines on your record or the facility’s.
- You haven’t approved the request in your own Sheryan account.
How OnTime Healthcare helps
OnTime Healthcare has supported DHA licensing for professionals and facilities since 2003, across more than 350 healthcare facilities. We help facilities check prerequisites before they submit, so activation isn’t held up by a missing insurance policy or an expired registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I activate my DHA licence myself?
No. Only a DHA-licensed facility can activate a professional licence. You approve the request from your own Sheryan account.
How long does DHA licence activation take?
DHA lists it as instant, or one working day if your personal records changed. In practice, the timing depends on how quickly the facility arranges your malpractice insurance, labour card and application.
How much does it cost to activate a DHA licence?
The facility pays AED 3,000 a year for physicians and dentists and AED 1,000 a year for nurses, midwives and allied health, plus DHA’s Knowledge and Innovation fees. Two- and three-year licences cost less per year.
How long is my DHA registration valid before activation?
Your DHA registration is valid for one year from the date of issuance. You must activate it into a professional licence within this validity period before you can start practising.
Can I work part-time at a second facility?
Yes, after your first full-time licence is active, and only with approval from your full-time facility’s medical director. DHA limits how many part-time licences each title can hold.
Is a DHA licence valid in Abu Dhabi or the northern emirates?
No. A DHA licence covers Dubai. Abu Dhabi licenses through the Department of Health (DOH), and the other emirates through the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP).
Also Read: New Facility License DHA: How to Apply DHA License from Scratch
