How many CPD hours do UAE nurses need per year?

Nurses licensed under DOH Abu Dhabi, DHA Dubai, SHA, or MOHAP must complete 20 CPD hours per year. Nurses at DHCC (Dubai Healthcare City) follow a biennial (2-year) cycle: Registered Nurses, Registered Midwives, and Specialised Nurses need 30 CPD points over 2 years; Nursing Assistants and Practical Nurses need 20 CPD points over 2 years.

What is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 for nurses?

Under DOH and MOHAP, at least 50% of your 20 annual hours (i.e., 10 hrs) must be Category 1 (formal/accredited activities such as accredited workshops, conferences, or certified nursing courses). The remaining up to 50% can be Category 2 (non-formal: journal reading, self-study, peer review). DHA and SHA do not enforce a formal Cat 1/Cat 2 split.

What is the DHCC nursing sub-tier system?

DHCC uses a two-tier structure for nursing CPD. Senior-grade nurses — including Registered Nurses, Registered Midwives, and Specialised Nurses — must complete 30 CPD points every 2 years. Junior-grade nurses — Nursing Assistants and Practical Nurses — must complete 20 CPD points every 2 years. At least 50% (15 or 10 points respectively) must be Category 1.

Do midwives have different CPD requirements than nurses?

No. Across all five UAE licensing authorities, the CPD requirements for midwives are identical to those for nurses. Under DOH, DHA, SHA, and MOHAP, midwives require 20 CPD hours per year. Under DHCC, Registered Midwives fall into the senior sub-tier (30 pts/2yr). The same Category 1/2 rules apply.

Are BLS and ACLS mandatory for nurses?

Yes. BLS (Basic Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) are mandatory competency prerequisites for nursing licensure under DOH, DHA, and MOHAP. Critically, these certifications do NOT count toward your CPD hour total — they are zero-credit prerequisites that must be maintained separately from your CPD portfolio.

Can online CPD courses count toward nursing requirements?

Yes. Under DHA, 100% of CPD hours can come from online programmes if they are nursing-relevant. Under DOH and MOHAP, online courses can be Category 1 if they carry a DOH accreditation number or recognised provider stamp. DHCC caps online CPD at 50% of the 2-year cycle total. SHA has not published a specific online cap.

Do nursing CPD hours carry over to the next year?

No. Under all UAE authorities, CPD hours must be earned within the specific licensure cycle. Hours completed in one cycle cannot be carried forward to the next. Under DHA, this is explicitly stated in §18.8 of their CPD manual. DHCC’s biennial cycle accumulation resets at the start of each 2-year cycle.

How do I submit CPD evidence as a nurse?

Submission portals differ by authority: DOH nurses submit through the TAMM platform (tamm.abudhabi.ae); DHA nurses use the Sheryan portal (sheryan.dha.gov.ae); SHA nurses use the SHA portal (sha.shj.ae); MOHAP nurses use the MOHAP portal (mohap.gov.ae); DHCC nurses submit through the MASAAR portal (dhcc.ae). Provsure stores all your certificates in one place so you can export authority-specific reports for any portal.

Do visiting or temporary license holders need CPD?

No. Visiting and temporary licenses in the UAE (typically 3–6 months) have a CPD target of zero. DHA visiting licenses are capped at 3 months, one-time per professional. PQR visiting licenses allow a single 3-month renewal (6 months maximum). You must still maintain mandatory credentials like BLS and ACLS, but no CPD hours are required during the visiting period. (Source: v4.11 §6.9.)

I'm in a nursing residency or specialty training programme — do I need separate CPD?

If you are enrolled in an active nursing residency or specialty training programme recognised by your licensing authority, your programme enrolment may fulfil your CPD requirement. DOH awards 40 CPD credits per year for residency/fellowship enrolment (CPD Standard Appendix 1) — keep your programme director’s letter as compliance evidence. Check with your specific authority if your training programme qualifies, as not all nursing training programmes carry automatic CPD fulfilment.

UAE CPD Requirements for Nurses 2026 — All Authorities

CPD Requirements by Authority

All five UAE licensing authorities require nurses to complete CPD annually (or per cycle). The table below compares requirements across DOH, DHA, SHA, MOHAP, and DHCC. Note that DHCC uses a biennial cycle with two sub-tiers based on professional grade.

Authority	Hours / Cycle	Cat 1 / Cat 2	DHCC Sub-tier	Cycle
DOH	20 hrs / yr	50% Cat 1 min	—	Annual
DHA	20 hrs / yr	No formal split	—	Annual
SHA	20 hrs / yr	No formal split	—	Annual
MOHAP	20 hrs / yr	50% Cat 1 min	—	Annual
DHCC	30 pts / 2yr (RN/RM/Specialised)	No formal split	20 pts / 2yr (Nursing Asst / Practical Nurse)	Biennial (2yr)

Source: UAE authority CPD standards (2024–2025). SHA requirements are based on PQR baseline — no SHA-specific CPD circular has been published to date.

Category 1 and Category 2 by Authority

DOH and MOHAP enforce a strict 50%/50% formal/non-formal balance for nurses. DHA and SHA do not enforce a formal split. DHCC requires 50% Cat 1 over the 2-year biennial cycle.

DOH & MOHAP — 50/50 Split Required

✓ Min 10 hrs Category 1 (formal/accredited)
✓ Max 10 hrs Category 2 (non-formal)
! BLS, ACLS — mandatory but 0 CPD hours

DHA & SHA — No Formal Split

✓ All 20 hrs can be online (DHA §18.5)
✓ No carry-over to next year (DHA §18.8)
— SHA: no published Cat 1/2 guidance

DHCC Nursing Sub-tiers

DHCC is the only UAE authority that differentiates CPD requirements by nursing grade. Refer to DHCC Guideline GL/HCP/007/03 (managed through the MASAAR portal) to confirm which sub-tier applies to your license classification.

DHCC Senior Grade

30 CPD points / 2yr

• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Registered Midwife (RM)
• Specialised Nurse

Min 15 pts Category 1

DHCC Junior Grade

20 CPD points / 2yr

• Nursing Assistant
• Practical Nurse

Min 10 pts Category 1

DHCC differentiates between RN/RM (30 points) and Nursing Assistant/Practical Nurse (20 points)

Important: DHCC's nursing requirements (30 or 20 pts/2yr) are lower than the PQR baseline (20 hrs/yr = 40 hrs/2yr). If you hold a DHCC license, confirm your sub-tier through the MASAAR portal — incorrect tier selection can lead to under-tracking.

Note for Midwives

Midwives follow the same requirements as nurses across all authorities

Midwife CPD requirements are identical to nurse requirements across all five UAE licensing authorities. There is no separate CPD framework for midwives:

Authority	Midwife CPD	Same as Nurse?
DOH	20 hrs / yr (10 Cat 1)	✓ Yes
DHA	20 hrs / yr (no formal split)	✓ Yes
SHA	20 hrs / yr (no formal split)	✓ Yes
MOHAP	20 hrs / yr (10 Cat 1)	✓ Yes
DHCC	30 pts / 2yr (RM = senior sub-tier)	✓ Yes

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How to Submit CPD Hours

DOH

TAMM platform (tamm.abudhabi.ae) → Healthcare Professional Services

DHA

Sheryan portal (sheryan.dha.gov.ae) → CPD section

SHA

SHA portal (sha.shj.ae)

MOHAP

MOHAP portal (mohap.gov.ae) → License renewal section

DHCC

MASAAR portal (dhcc.ae) → CPD & Licensing — select your sub-tier

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✕
Counting BLS / ACLS hours toward CPD — these are mandatory prerequisites, not CPD activities.
✕
Submitting more than 50% Category 2 (non-formal) under DOH or MOHAP — the hard cap is 50% (10 hrs max).
✕
Assuming CPD hours carry over to the next year — they don’t under any UAE authority.
✕
Selecting the wrong DHCC sub-tier — RN/RM/Specialised nurses need 30 pts/2yr; Nursing Assistants/Practical Nurses need 20 pts/2yr.
✕
Mixing up authorities if you hold dual licenses — each authority has its own portal and requirement.
✕
Midwives treating their CPD differently from nurses — the requirements are identical across all authorities.

Calculate Your CPD Gap

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Total CPD hours completed

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Frequently Asked Questions

See also — CPD requirements by authority

Do BLS and ACLS Count Toward CPD in the UAE?Category 1 vs Category 2 CPD — What’s the Difference?

UAE CPD Requirements for Nurses (2026)