A new clinic setup in Dubai runs on paperwork, and the paperwork runs in stages. DHA doesn’t ask for everything at once: it asks for one set of documents when you apply for the New Facility License (the initial approval) and a different set when you apply to activate the licence. Mix them up and your file comes back. This guide lists exactly what each authority asks for, stage by stage, based on DHA’s own Sheryan service pages and DHA’s Manual for Licensing Health Facility.
The order matters: which documents come when
- Reserve your trade name with DET (the Department of Economy and Tourism, formerly DED). DHA doesn’t need the final trade licence yet.
- Secure your premises and get the layout designed, because DHA’s application asks for the location details and the layout.
- Apply for DHA’s New Facility License on Sheryan. You receive an inactive facility licence, valid for one year.
- Get the DET trade licence and build, with Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence approvals (and FANR if you install radiology equipment).
- Apply for Activate Facility License, then pass the DHA inspection.
Stage 1: Documents for the New Facility License (initial approval)
- Owner and partner passport copies, with Emirates ID where applicable
- Facility proposal on DHA’s template (facility type and services)
- Engineering layout designed by a DHA-prequalified health-facility design consultant, with room and bed counts as per DHA’s Health Facility Guidelines
- Location details: Makani number, DM plot number certificate (affection plan) and Ejari
- Trade licence information or the expected trade name (the licence itself is optional at this stage)
- Consent of the facility owners, if someone else is applying
DHA also lists a NABIDH-compliant electronic medical record (EMR) as a prerequisite for this service, so choose your EMR vendor early. DHA’s published average processing time is 5 working days, and the initial approval fee is AED 1,000 for most clinic types. Draft applications left inactive for more than three months are cleared from your account, with a reminder sent 15 days before.
About the room sizes on your layout: minimum room sizes depend on the room type and are set in DHA’s Health Facility Guidelines (HFG). Rather than working to a single rule-of-thumb figure, have your design consultant check every room against the current HFG before you submit the layout.
Stage 2: Documents for the trade licence and fit-out
- DET: your trade licence, which you’ll need valid before DHA activates your facility.
- Dubai Municipality (or Trakhees/DDA, where your site falls under them): fit-out approval for the construction work.
- Dubai Civil Defence: fire and life safety approval, and the Civil Defence certificate you’ll need at activation.
- FANR: registration if you’ll install X-ray or other radiology equipment. DHA requires it before activating the facility. See our FANR approval guide.
Stage 3: Documents for Activate Facility License
- Valid trade licence
- An appointed Medical Director
- FANR registration, if you are installing radiology equipment
- Evidence of a NABIDH-compliant EMR, and the approval email for tested NABIDH connectivity
- Civil Defence certificate
- Your approved policies and procedures
- Third-party insurance contract
- Medical waste management contract
- Enough licensed professionals to deliver your services, with their licences activated under the facility
DHA’s published processing time for activation is 1 working day, after which DHA schedules the inspection. Once you pass, the licence becomes active and you can open. If you don’t pass, you fix the issues, book a new inspection and pay the re-inspection fee. Finish every step within the inactive licence’s one-year validity. DHA cancels the licence if the requirements aren’t completed in that time.
Your Medical Director
Every facility needs a Medical Director who holds an active DHA licence and meets DHA’s Medical Director requirements for the facility type. The Medical Director must be appointed before DHA activates the facility licence, can’t be Medical Director of another facility outside the same group, and can’t be away from the role for more than two weeks. You don’t need the Medical Director at the New Facility License stage.
Documents for your clinical staff
Each doctor, nurse and allied health professional gets their own DHA licence, which your facility activates on Sheryan. Before the facility can activate a professional’s licence, DHA asks for:
- The professional’s active DHA registration (valid for one year from issue)
- The professional’s consent for your facility to license them
- Valid medical malpractice insurance covering the professional
- A valid labour card, for non-UAE nationals
- No outstanding DHA fines
- A valid medical fitness report, if the professional is 65 or older
Your facility pays the licence fee: AED 3,000 a year for physicians and dentists and AED 1,000 a year for nurses, midwives and allied health. Learn more in How to Activate Your DHA Licence.
Common document mistakes that delay clinics
- Applying without location details. DHA’s New Facility License asks for the Ejari, Makani number and DM plot certificate, so the premises have to be secured first.
- A layout from a non-prequalified designer, or one not checked against the current HFG.
- Choosing an EMR that isn’t NABIDH-compliant. It’s a prerequisite at the first stage and evidence is needed at activation.
- Leaving staff licensing too late. DHA won’t activate the facility until your clinicians’ licences are activated under it.
- Letting the draft sit. Sheryan clears draft applications inactive for more than three months.
Read the full sequence in our guide to establishing your medical practice in Dubai, and fees in our DHA clinic setup guidelines.
How OnTime Healthcare helps
OnTime Healthcare has helped set up more than 350 healthcare facilities. We prepare and check every document before it’s submitted, coordinate the layout with a DHA-prequalified designer, and run staff licensing alongside the fit-out so activation isn’t held up. Speak with our team for a personalised checklist before you sign a lease or start fit-out, through our clinic setup services in Dubai.
FAQs
1. What documents are needed first to open a clinic in Dubai?
For DHA’s New Facility License: owner passport copies (and Emirates ID if applicable), the facility proposal, an engineering layout from a DHA-prequalified designer, and location details (Makani number, DM plot certificate and Ejari). A trade licence is optional at this stage.
2. Do I need a lease before applying to DHA?
Yes. DHA’s New Facility License application asks for the premises’ Ejari, Makani number and DM plot certificate. To limit the risk, have a DHA-prequalified designer check the layout before you sign, and negotiate a clause or rent-free period that covers the licensing window.
3. Do I need a trade licence before applying to DHA?
No. DHA lists the trade licence as optional for the New Facility License. You need a valid trade licence before DHA activates the facility.
4. When do I need the Medical Director?
Before activation, not at the New Facility License stage. The Medical Director must hold an active DHA licence and meet DHA’s requirements for your facility type.
5. How long does clinic licence approval take?
How long setup takes depends on the project: the facility type, how quickly the layout is finalised, the fit-out, and how fast your staff are licensed. DHA’s own steps are short. The New Facility License averages 5 working days, and activation takes 1 working day before the inspection visit. Just remember that the inactive licence is valid for one year, so every remaining step has to fit inside that window.
6. Can foreign nationals own a clinic in Dubai?
Since Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020, mainland (onshore) companies in the UAE can be 100% foreign-owned for more than 1,000 listed commercial and industrial activities. Activities with strategic impact are excluded. Before you choose between the mainland and a free zone such as Dubai Healthcare City, check your exact healthcare activity on DET’s list.
7. Is a feasibility study required?
For hospitals, DHA’s Health Facility Guidelines require a feasibility study. For clinics, DHA’s New Facility License asks for the facility proposal on DHA’s template instead.
8. Can I offer services not listed on my licence?
No. To add a service, specialty or space, apply for the Amend Facility License service on Sheryan first. If DHA needs to see the change on site, you book and pay for a re-inspection.
9. Can OnTime Healthcare prepare and review my documents?
Yes. We review every document before submission, coordinate your layout and staff licensing, and prepare your clinic for the DHA inspection.
Official sources: DHA Sheryan – New Facility License; DHA Sheryan – Activate Facility License; DHA Sheryan – Activate Professional License; DHA Manual for Licensing Health Facility; UAE Government portal (u.ae) on foreign ownership.
