DHA Nursing License Application Process

I have been working as a Nurse in Dubai for 6 months now, and after more than a year of hiatus from this profession, I am fairly doing well based on the fact that, well, I still have my job. Anyhow, this post I make for those asking how I went through the whole application process; it wasn’t an easy feat especially to an impatient person like me. I believe that you can take this exam anywhere as long as a prometric testing center is available.

First things first, you need to know what you need. Unlike few years back, the application now is a breeze with it being online, queues won’t be an issue. You can find the requirements here. Below are the documents that should be CLEARLY scanned.

• Copy of school certificate. (Certificate of Graduation)
• Evidence of successful completion of an approved nursing and/or midwifery educational program. (Diploma)
• Nursing transcript – a full transcript clearly stating the breakdown of theoretical and clinical hours per subject of the nursing program. Note: Mark sheets are not acceptable (Transcript of Records)
• Official certificate of experience signed by an authorized person from Human Resources, Nursing or from a Medical Director. (Summary of RLE Certification)
• No experience required for new graduates. Employment is permitted only in hospitals, day surgical centre and polyclinics under the direct supervision of a licensed Registered Nurse/Registered Midwife. (This is only applicable for UAE graduates)
• Valid practice license in country of graduation and/or country of last employment (License and Board Certificate)
• Valid Good Standing certificate from previous licensing authorities testifying to good conduct and not charged with a criminal act (if the licensing authority does not issue good standing certificates then a letter of good standing from previous employer.) (Certificate of Employment and No Objection Letters)
• Passport copy.
• One (1) colour passport size photo.

Scan all these procured documents and place it in folders, my suggestion, compile it accordingly: School Records, Nursing Records, Employment Records, Passport Copy and Passport Size Photo. Name the files according to what they are so as not to get confused when uploading.

Once these are ready, you’ll need to create an account here : http://eservices.dha.gov.ae/DHAWeb/Account/UserRegistration.aspx

Select the Health Regulation Service menu where you will find the the option “New Professional License.” This will pop up a separate window which will walk you through your application, each step requires documents to be uploaded and clearly instructed.

Once you finish, it will prompt you to a menu where you need to provide details of payment. Only Visa and MasterCard are accepted as online transactions are done. The Credentialing Process costs 210 AED.

Then you will receive an email regarding your application process, which you can also access on your Sheryan (DHA Account) from the inbox menu.

This will be the status of your application

The credentialing process will take up to six weeks, as for me, I got a response in less than 5 days, I think. An email will then be received telling you to undergo a payment process in which a third party will be verifying your documents, called PSV. It costs 700 AED, the link in your email will walk you through the payment process. This PSV (Primary Source Verification) will verify the credentials submitted by an applicant from its origin . The results will take 30 to 60 days and is received via email. You can also follow up on your status through their website. Just follow the instructions clearly given. Make sure to update your email from time to time.

While waiting for the results you can proceed on scheduling your exam. Go to http://www.prometric.com/default.htm to set your schedule, an Eligibility ID is needed for scheduling, it is sent to your email after the initial application process. The payment for this exam is 170 USD and is done online as well.

In the website you will find locations and time slots which you can select according to your convenience. Once you have an appointment, study and review. FAQ’s about the exam are found here.

I went to the testing center in Knowledge Village, my exam time was around 11 am and I went there 1 hour before, which was a good thing. I read they needed proof of identification, I had with me then my Emirates ID. It wasn’t enough though because they needed valid identification issued from your home country (passport). So yes, I had to go back and take mine, lucky for me the proctor gave me time to retrieve it.

The exam was computer based, a 70-item multiple choice assessment that should be finished in 2 hours. I finished mine in 20 minutes, trusting [leaving it with] my first instincts. The questions were situational, as far as I remember, there were drug computations, pharma, med-surg, and maternal and child. It had a broad scope of topics.

In more or less than a week, I received the result. I passed the exam. An eligibility letter is sent which is attached to CVs and application letters for job hunting. This eligibility letter is only given if you pass the PSV and the exam, and it is issued by the DHA. The letter is only valid for 1 year, should you not find a sponsor after that, you’ll have to take the exam again.

The license itself is acquired when you have a sponsor/employer (i.e. hospital, clinic). Those institutions are responsible for processing your nursing license. Your Sheyran (DHA Account) is still active, you will always find updates and check your status there as a healthcare professional.

I am really not good in giving instructions, so here is a video of the whole process. Good Luck!