I work in DIFC — which authority licenses me?

DHA. Clinics in the Dubai International Financial Centre are regulated by the Dubai Health Authority, not by the DIFC itself. The same applies to JAFZA, DMCC, and other commercial free zones in Dubai — the health authority of the emirate where the free zone is located applies. Only DHCC has its own independent healthcare licensing regime.

I hold both a DOH and a DHA license. Do I need separate CPD for each?

Yes. DOH and DHA are independent regulatory bodies with separate CPD requirements. You must meet each authority's CPD requirements independently for each license you hold. Some accredited activities may count toward both (e.g., an internationally accredited conference), but you cannot simply 'share' a CPD portfolio. Maintain separate records per license.

Is the DHCC CPD cycle really different from all other UAE authorities?

Yes. DHCC operates on a biennial (2-year) cycle under GL/HCP/007/03, while DOH, DHA, SHA, and MOHAP all use annual cycles. This means a DHCC physician accumulates 80 CPD points over 2 years (not 40 per year). DHCC also has different point targets for nurses (30/2yr) and allied professionals (30/2yr) compared to other authorities.

Does DHA allow 100% online CPD?

Yes, as of Administrative Resolution No. 25 of 2025, DHA lifted its previous 30% online cap. Healthcare professionals licensed under DHA can now fulfil 100% of their CPD target through online programmes, provided the activities are specialty-related (DHA Manual §18.7).

Does DHA allow carry-over of CPD points?

No. DHA Manual §18.8 explicitly states: 'If the HP overachieves their target CPD points, they are not eligible to carry forward up or transferred from previous year.' Any excess points in a given cycle year are forfeited.

Do visiting or temporary license holders need CPD?

No. Across all five UAE authorities, visiting and temporary licenses (typically 3–6 months) do not require standard CPD accrual. DHA visiting licenses are capped at 3 months, non-renewable, one-time per professional. PQR visiting licenses allow one 3-month renewal (6 months maximum). Your CPD target is zero during a visiting license, but mandatory credentials like BLS must still be maintained. (Source: v4.11 §6.9 — License Type & Career Stage Handling.)

Do residents and fellows need to log CPD?

Medical residents and fellows enrolled in active programmes have their CPD fulfilled automatically through programme enrolment. DOH awards 40 credits per year of enrolment (CPD Standard Appendix 1). Keep your programme director's letter as evidence — it should confirm active enrolment, programme name, and dates. If your programme ends mid-cycle, you must accumulate standard CPD hours for the remainder. Interns on pre-registration trainee licenses also have a CPD target of zero.

UAE CPD Requirements Compared: DOH vs DHA vs SHA vs MOHAP vs DHCC (2026)

Q: What is the DHCC board examination exemption?

Under DHCC Guidelines §4.10.2, medical specialists and consultants who pass a re-certification examination in their licensed specialty within 2 years before license expiry are fully exempt from the 80-point CPD requirement for that renewal cycle. This applies only to DHCC licensees — DOH, DHA, SHA, and MOHAP do not have an equivalent exemption.

Q: What free zones in Sharjah fall under SHA?

General commercial free zones in Sharjah (SAIF Zone, Hamriyah Free Zone) fall under SHA. Sharjah Healthcare City (SHCC) is managed directly by SHA — it is not a separate licensing authority. If you work in SHCC, your licensing authority is SHA.

Full Comparison Matrix

Side-by-side comparison of all five UAE healthcare licensing authorities. Scroll horizontally on mobile to see all columns. The feature column is pinned for reference.

Scroll to compare all authorities

Feature	DOH Abu Dhabi	DHA Dubai	SHA Sharjah	MOHAP Northern	DHCC Healthcare City
Physician hrs/year	40 hrs	40 hrs	40 hrs	40 hrs	40 pts/yr (80/2yr)
Nurse hrs/yearDHCC lower for nurses	20 hrs	20 hrs	20 hrs	20 hrs	15 pts/yr (30/2yr)
Dentist hrs/year	40 hrs	40 hrs	40 hrs	40 hrs	25 pts/yr (50/2yr)
Allied Health hrs/yearDHCC higher for allied professionals	10 hrs	10 hrs	10 hrs	10 hrs	15 pts/yr (30/2yr)
Allied Technician	10 hrs	10 hrs	10 hrs	10 hrs	10 pts/yr (20/2yr)
Cycle length	Annual	Annual	Annual	Annual	Biennial (2 years)
Category 1/2 split	Yes — 50/50	No	No	Yes — 50/50	No
Specialty ratio	70% specialty, 30% general	70% specialty, 30% general	70% specialty, 30% general	70% specialty, 30% general	Majority (>50%) specialty
Online CPD cap	No cap (accredited = Cat 1)	100% allowed	Not specified	Not specified	50% max (§4.9.6)
Carry-over allowed	Not prohibited	No (§18.8)	Not specified	Not specified	Not specified
BLS counts toward CPD?	No (explicit exclusion)	Silent (treat as no)	Unknown	Unknown	No (§4.9.3 explicit)
Board exam exemptionPassing re-cert exam within 2yr of expiry = 80 pts fulfilled	No	No	No	No	Yes — §4.10.2
Submission portal	TAMM / DOH portal	Sheryan	SHA Services Portal	MOHAP Licensing Portal	MASAAR / DHCR

Sources: DOH CPD Standard V1/2024; DHA CPD Manual v1.3; DHCC Guidelines GL/HCP/007/03; MOHAP Circular (270) of 2014; SHA PQR Baseline. DHCC points are equivalent to hours for most activity types.

Which Authority Am I Under?

Your licensing authority depends on the emirate where your facility is located — not where you live or your nationality. If you are unsure, check your medical license card: the issuing authority is printed on it.

Abu Dhabi Emirate

DOH

All facilities in Abu Dhabi mainland

Dubai Emirate (general)

DHA

Clinics, hospitals outside DHCC

Sharjah Emirate

SHA

Sharjah Healthcare Authority

Ajman, RAK, UAQ, Fujairah

MOHAP

Northern Emirates (not Sharjah)

Dubai Healthcare City

DHCC

DHCC free zone only — own licensing regime

Free Zone Healthcare Routing

Healthcare facilities in commercial free zones are regulated by the health authority of the emirate where the free zone is located — not by the free zone itself. The only exceptions are DHCC and SHCC, which have dedicated healthcare-specific arrangements.

Free Zone	Emirate	Healthcare Authority
DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)	Dubai	DHA
JAFZA (Jebel Ali Free Zone)	Dubai	DHA
DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre)	Dubai	DHA
Dubai Silicon Oasis	Dubai	DHA
Dubai Internet City	Dubai	DHA
ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market)	Abu Dhabi	DOH
Masdar City Free Zone	Abu Dhabi	DOH
SAIF Zone	Sharjah	SHA
Hamriyah Free Zone	Sharjah	SHA
SHCC (Sharjah Healthcare City)	Sharjah	SHA (managed by SHA)
DHCC (Dubai Healthcare City)	Dubai	DHCC — own regime

DHCC vs SHCC:Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is the only free zone with a fully independent healthcare licensing regime. Sharjah Healthcare City (SHCC) is managed directly by SHA — it is part of SHA’s licensing umbrella, not a separate authority.

Key Differences to Know

DHCC is biennial — everyone else is annual

DHCC professionals accumulate points over a 2-year cycle. This changes the math significantly: a DHCC physician needs 80 points over 2 years, not 40 per year. Nurses and pharmacists need 30 points over 2 years (15/year), which is lower than the 20/year required by DOH, DHA, SHA, and MOHAP.

Only DOH and MOHAP use Category 1/2

The formal/non-formal 50/50 split is specific to DOH Abu Dhabi and MOHAP. DHA professionals are not subject to this split — all accredited points count equally. SHA professionals also do not use Category 1/2. Do not apply DOH rules to your DHA or SHA license.

DHA removed its online CPD cap in 2025

DHA's previous 30% online CPD cap was repealed by Administrative Resolution No. 25 of 2025. DHA professionals can now fulfil 100% of their CPD requirement through online programmes, provided the activities are specialty-related (§18.7). DHCC still maintains a 50% maximum for online courses (§4.9.6).

DHA prohibits carry-over; others are unclear

DHA Manual §18.8 explicitly prohibits carrying forward excess CPD points to the next renewal year. DOH does not explicitly prohibit it but expects year-round engagement. SHA, MOHAP, and DHCC do not address carry-over in available documentation.

DHCC has a board examination exemption

DHCC specialists who pass a re-certification examination in their licensed specialty within 2 years before license expiry are fully exempt from the 80-point CPD requirement (§4.10.2). No other UAE authority has an equivalent exemption provision.

Holding Licenses Under Multiple Authorities

Some healthcare professionals hold licenses under two or more UAE authorities — most commonly physicians who work across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Each license has independent CPD requirements:

✓You must meet each authority's CPD requirement independently for each license
✓Maintain separate CPD portfolios (or one portfolio with activities clearly assigned per authority)
✓Accreditation counts per authority: a DOH-accredited conference may count for DOH; DHA acceptance depends on whether DHA recognises the accreditation body
✓License renewal deadlines may differ between your licenses — track each separately
✓Provsure supports multi-authority tracking with separate compliance dashboards per license

Tracking UAE CPD compliance automatically

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