DHA Exam Fees 2026 - Cost Breakdown and Budget Planning

Exam booking is only one line in a Dubai licensing budget. Most GP candidates also pay Sheryan eligibility evaluation (commonly AED 200–500), DataFlow PSV near AED 1,235, medical fitness testing, malpractice insurance prepayments, and license issuance fees once employed.

Prometric exam charges vary by title code — many physician categories align with USD 280 in official CBT fee tables, while some allied categories are lower. Currency conversion and bank charges add margin; budget 5–10% above quoted AED totals.

Pay DataFlow only after eligibility self-check passes. Pay Prometric only when Sheryan shows exam authorization — paying early without authorization wastes reschedule flexibility. Employers sometimes reimburse post-offer; keep receipts tagged by expense type for HR.

Beyond regulator fees, budget Emirates ID medical tests, initial housing deposits, and flight relocation. Employers vary on reimbursement timing — clarify in writing before resigning home posts.

The Dubai Health Authority regulates independent healthcare practice within the Emirate of Dubai. It is separate from the Department of Health (DOH) in Abu Dhabi and from MOHAP licensing for Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain. Your offer letter emirate determines which regulator you pursue first — switching later requires a new application even when exams look similar.

Sheryan (often called DHA Connect) hosts eligibility questionnaires, primary-source verification status, exam authorizations, and license lifecycle events. Keep the email tied to your profile active; password resets during verification windows delay query responses.

Dubai facilities activate licenses after you pass assessment, complete medical fitness at approved centres, and satisfy malpractice insurance rules tied to your employer. Locum contracts and visit arrangements do not replace full DHA licensure for unsupervised clinical duties.

Most GP physician categories sit for 150 single-best-answer MCQs in a computer-based session commonly timed around 170 minutes under the January 2026 DHA CBT guideline referenced in candidate communications. There is no penalty for wrong answers — unanswered items at timeout count as incorrect.

Prometric centres enforce biometric check-in and provide a whiteboard or note sheet depending on location. Flag-and-review lets you revisit marked questions within the same session if time remains; practice this workflow in timed mocks so it feels automatic on exam day.

Candidates who pass on the first or second attempt commonly report 3,000–6,000 MCQs completed with explanation review, not merely answered. Volume without review plateaus around 55–60% mock accuracy; logging why distractors fooled you adds the last 10–15 points needed for comfortable Pass margins.

Working doctors often schedule 40–60 MCQs on weekdays and one 100–150 question mock on weekends for 10–12 weeks. Full-time study can double weekday volume — adjust using mock trends, not guilt.

In the final week, reduce new topic introduction. Sleep regularisation matters: Prometric sessions start at fixed appointment times regardless of your night-shift recovery from hospital duties.

Figures and policies change. Confirm your profession category, fee schedule, and document list in Sheryan (DHA Connect) before paying verification or exam fees.