The UAE Professional Qualification Requirement for Licensing of Internationally Trained Physiotherapists
To work in the healthcare industry in the UAE, you must have a license as a healthcare professional.
The unified Healthcare Professionals Qualification Requirements (PQR), which have been adopted by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), the Department of Health—Abu Dhabi (DOH), the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and the Sharjah Health Authority (SHA), mark a significant step toward achieving the strategic goals of the UAE to enhance the delivery of healthcare services throughout the nation.
Therefore, if you want to work in the UAE, the licensing requirements are all the same; all you have to do is submit an application to the Emirate of your choice.
Licensing Requirements:
Education
You must have graduated from a college or university that is accredited both nationally and internationally.
The minimum time commitment for the required bachelor’s degree is three (3) years of full-time study. Master’s or postgraduate degree requirements must be completed in at least two (2) years of full-time study.
If you have a one-year master’s degree from one of the following nations: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, you may be accepted.
A qualification can be considered acceptable for the required title if it has been equalized by the Ministry of Education (MOE) or the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) as equivalent to the qualification listed in this PQR.
Experience
Except if you have a master’s degree, where a year of work experience is required, you are expected to have a two-year work history.
Professional license/Good standing
You must hold a valid license or registration to practice in your home country and/or country of last employment (where applicable).
You will also be required to provide a “Good Standing Certificate” (GSC) that isn’t older than 6 months and issued by the health regulatory authority in the country(s) of your last employment.
Primary Source Verification
Your documents, including your educational credentials, experience certifications, professional licenses, and/or any other papers the authorities deem necessary, must be confirmed directly from the original or primary source.
Examination
To obtain a professional license in the UAE, healthcare professionals must pass the Authority’s exam.
There will be different types of exams, such as written, oral, structured objective clinical examinations (OSCE), etc. There will be no translators permitted at the oral examination, which will be conducted in English.
The oral examination consists of a minimum of five (5) various scenarios or questions in the specialty-related areas or as the examining panel deems necessary.
You have three (3) attempts to pass the examination.
Application fee: AED 100
License AED 300
Start the process to apply for a Physiotherapy license in Abu Dhabi