Updated 2026-08
Dubai Clinic & Medical Centre Licensing Fee Index 2026
Every DHA health-facility licence fee in one readable table — all 43 facility categories, transcribed verbatim from the Dubai Health Authority's own schedules.
A general clinic or dental clinic in Dubai pays AED 5,000 to activate or renew its DHA facility licence for one year, a specialty clinic AED 6,000, a multi-specialty medical centre (polyclinic) AED 15,000, and a hospital AED 20,000–40,000 depending on bed count. Add the new-licence application and initial approval fee — AED 1,000 for most categories, AED 2,000 for hospitals and the larger outpatient and long-term-care centres, AED 500 for a first aid unit — and the inspection fee, which is AED 2,000 for most clinics, AED 3,000 for those larger centres, AED 4,000 for a hospital and AED 1,000 for a nursery clinic. Every clinician then needs their own licence activated — AED 1,000 a year for nurses, allied health and TCAM and AED 3,000 a year for physicians and dentists, separate from the AED 200 registration. A longer term is always cheaper: two years costs 1.75× the annual fee, three years 2.5×. DHA publishes a 5-working-day delivery time for a new facility licence. These are DHA fees only — they exclude the trade licence, municipality approvals, work permits and residence visas.
Where these numbers come from
Transcribed verbatim from two Dubai Health Authority schedules published on 2025-01-28 — "Facility License Fees" and "Facility Services Fees" — plus the delivery times DHA states on each service page. DHA publishes the schedule as a bilingual right-to-left PDF, which is the first reason figures circulating online disagree with it. Three arithmetic rules the schedule obeys on all 43 rows uniquely identify the four licence and ownership columns, with no reference to the header order; the remaining columns are read from the PDF's English header row and corroborated by a fourth rule, re-inspection being exactly half of inspection on every row. All four are asserted in this site's build, so a mistyped fee fails the build instead of being published.
DHA Health-Facility Licence Fees — All 43 Categories
The licence is issued inactive; the one-, two- and three-year amounts are DHA's fee to activate it — and the same fee is charged again at each renewal. Scroll the table sideways for all columns.
| Facility category | Licence — 1 year | Licence — 2 years | Licence — 3 years | New licence / initial approval | Inspection | Re-inspection | Amend (inactive) | Ownership change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | ||||||||
| Hospital (under 50 beds) | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Hospital (50–100 beds) | 30,000 | 52,500 | 75,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 3,000 |
| Hospital (over 100 beds) | 40,000 | 70,000 | 100,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 4,000 |
| Outpatient Facilities | ||||||||
| Fertility Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Day Surgery Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Sleep Disorder Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Oncology Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Renal Dialysis Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| GI Endoscopy Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| General Dental Clinic | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| Psychiatry Centre | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| General Clinic | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| Home Healthcare Centre | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| School Clinic (or clinic in an educational institution) | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| Specialty Clinic | 6,000 | 10,500 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 |
| Clinic within Pharmacy | 4,000 | 7,000 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 |
| Polyclinic / Medical Centre (multiple specialties) | 15,000 | 26,250 | 37,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,500 |
| Telehealth Provider | 12,000 | 21,000 | 30,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,200 |
| Thalassemia Centre | 6,000 | 10,500 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 |
| Medical Fitness Centre | 12,000 | 21,000 | 30,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,200 |
| Nursery Clinic | 2,500 | 4,375 | 6,250 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 250 |
| Diagnostic Centres | ||||||||
| Medical Laboratory | 6,000 | 10,500 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 |
| Radio-Diagnostic Centre | 6,000 | 10,500 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 |
| Diagnostic Centre (multiple specialties) | 12,000 | 21,000 | 30,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,200 |
| Specialized Units | ||||||||
| Blood Bank Centre | 12,000 | 21,000 | 30,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,200 |
| Cord Blood / Stem Cell Centre | 12,000 | 21,000 | 30,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,200 |
| Mobile Facilities | 18,000 | 31,500 | 45,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,800 |
| Patient Transfer Service Centre | 18,000 | 31,500 | 45,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,800 |
| First Aid Unit | 2,500 | 4,375 | 6,250 | 500 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 250 |
| Traditional, Complementary & Alternative Medicine (TCAM) | ||||||||
| TCAM Facility (1 specialty) | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| TCAM Facility (2 specialties or more) | 10,000 | 17,500 | 25,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Clinical Support Facilities | ||||||||
| Clinical Support — Dental Laboratory | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| Clinical Support — Optical | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| Clinical Support Centre (1 specialty) | 5,000 | 8,750 | 12,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 |
| Clinical Support Centre (2 specialties or more) | 10,000 | 17,500 | 25,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Pharmaceutical Facilities | ||||||||
| Hospital Pharmacy | 7,500 | 13,125 | 18,750 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 750 |
| Community / Retail Pharmacy | 7,500 | 13,125 | 18,750 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 750 |
| Ambulatory Pharmacy (within a health facility) | 7,500 | 13,125 | 18,750 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 750 |
| Drug Store | 7,500 | 13,125 | 18,750 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 750 |
| Long-term Health Facility | ||||||||
| Nursing Home | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Palliative Care Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Convalescence House | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Addiction Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre | 20,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
All amounts are in UAE dirhams (AED) and are Dubai Health Authority fees only.
Professional Licence Fees — Activation & Renewal
The fee that actually lets a clinician practise, and it is separate from the AED 200 registration. It is applied through the facility's Sheryan account rather than the professional's, which is why DHA catalogues it under health-facility services. Renewal costs the same, and converting part-time to full-time is AED 200.
| Professional category | Full-time — 1 year | Full-time — 2 years | Full-time — 3 years | Part-time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse / Allied Health / TCAM | AED 1,000 | AED 1,500 | AED 2,500 | AED 1,000 |
| Physician / Dentist | AED 3,000 | AED 5,000 | AED 7,500 | AED 3,000 |
Flat Service Fees — Facility & Practitioner
| Service | DHA fee |
|---|---|
| Change Medical Director | AED 1,000 |
| Change Facility Name | AED 1,000 |
| Add / Change Local Service Agent | AED 1,000 |
| Amend Facility Licence — add a specialty or health activity (active facilities) | AED 1,000 |
| Change Facility Location | AED 1,000 |
| Add-on: Mobile Healthcare Unit | AED 2,000 per year |
| Add-on: Telehealth | AED 2,000 per year |
| Add-on: Home Healthcare | AED 2,000 per year |
| Cancel a healthcare facility licence | Free |
| Purchase sick-leave certificates (per certificate, per branch) | AED 70 (service page) / AED 50 (fee schedule) — see note |
| Get registered as a healthcare professional — all professional categories | AED 200 |
| Renew professional registration — all professional categories | AED 200 |
| Review registration eligibility | AED 200 |
| Add or upgrade a healthcare professional REGISTRATION | AED 200 |
| Add or upgrade a healthcare professional LICENCE | AED 200 |
| Cancel a healthcare professional licence | Free |
| Schedule oral assessment — physicians and dentists | AED 500 |
| Schedule oral assessment — allied health, nurses and TCAM | AED 250 |
| Good standing certificate / licence details verification — per certificate | AED 500 |
| Convert a part-time licence to full-time (validity unchanged) | AED 200 |
| Healthcare professional licence card replacement | AED 50 |
| Update CPD points | Free |
| Raise a licence cancellation issue | Free |
| Pay fines — healthcare professionals and facilities | Free |
| Appeal violations — healthcare professionals and facilities | Free |
DHA's Own Published Delivery Times
| Service | DHA published delivery time |
|---|---|
| New healthcare facility licence | 5 working days |
| Healthcare professional registration | 5 working days |
| Professional registration renewal | 5 working days |
| Review registration eligibility | Self-assessment instant; manual review 10 working days |
| Add or upgrade a professional registration | 5 working days |
| Add or upgrade a professional licence | 1 working day |
| Schedule oral assessment | 5 working days |
| Raise a licence cancellation issue | 5 working days |
| Pay fines | Instant; 4 working days for instalments |
| Activate a healthcare professional licence | Instant |
| Renew a healthcare professional licence | Instant |
| Professional licence card replacement | 1 working day |
Exact Answers on Dubai Clinic Licensing Fees
- How much is the DHA licence fee for a medical centre in Dubai?
- A polyclinic — DHA's term for a multi-specialty medical centre — pays AED 15,000 to activate or renew its facility licence for one year, AED 26,250 for two years or AED 37,500 for three. On top of that, DHA charges AED 1,000 for the new-licence application and initial approval and AED 2,000 for the inspection, so the minimum DHA cost to reach an operating one-year licence is AED 18,000.
- How much is a DHA licence for a general clinic or a dental clinic?
- Both are AED 5,000 for one year, AED 8,750 for two and AED 12,500 for three. A specialty clinic is AED 6,000 / 10,500 / 15,000, and a clinic inside a pharmacy is the cheapest clinic category at AED 4,000 / 7,000 / 10,000. Each also pays AED 1,000 on application and AED 2,000 for inspection.
- Is a one, two or three-year DHA licence cheaper?
- Three years, in every category without exception. DHA charges 1.75× the annual fee for two years and 2.5× for three, so a three-year term costs one sixth less than paying annually across the same period. A polyclinic pays AED 37,500 for three years instead of AED 45,000; a general clinic AED 12,500 instead of AED 15,000.
- What does DHA charge to inspect a clinic?
- AED 2,000 for a clinic, medical centre, pharmacy, laboratory or diagnostic centre, and AED 1,000 if a re-inspection is needed. Hospitals pay AED 4,000 and AED 2,000. Larger outpatient facilities — fertility, day surgery, oncology, renal dialysis, endoscopy — and long-term care homes pay AED 3,000 and AED 1,500. A nursery clinic pays AED 1,000 and AED 500.
- How much does it cost to activate a doctor's or nurse's DHA licence?
- AED 3,000 a year for a physician or dentist and AED 1,000 a year for a nurse, allied health professional or TCAM practitioner, on a full-time licence. Two years costs AED 5,000 and AED 1,500 respectively, three years AED 7,500 and AED 2,500, and a part-time licence is AED 3,000 or AED 1,000. Renewal costs the same as activation and both are issued instantly. This is separate from — and much larger than — the AED 200 registration fee, and it is the step after which DHA says a professional can practise.
- How much does DHA charge to register a doctor, nurse or pharmacist?
- AED 200, and DHA states the same fee applies to all professional categories. Renewing that registration is also AED 200, and replacing a lost licence card is AED 50. Those are DHA's registration fees only — they do not include DataFlow primary source verification, an eligibility assessment or an exam, which are charged separately.
- How long does DHA take to issue a new health facility licence?
- DHA publishes a delivery time of 5 working days for the new healthcare facility licence, and the same 5 working days for professional registration and its renewal. A licence card replacement is 1 working day. Those are DHA's processing windows once a complete application is in — they are not the time it takes to open a clinic, which is governed by location approval, fit-out, NABIDH connectivity and the trade licence.
- What does it cost to add a specialty to an existing clinic licence?
- AED 1,000 to amend the licence of an active facility, which is DHA's fee to review a request to add a specialty or health activity. Amending a licence that is still inactive is cheaper — AED 500 for most categories and AED 1,000 for hospitals and the larger outpatient facilities.
- What does it cost to change a clinic's owner or medical director?
- Changing the medical director is a flat AED 1,000, as is changing the facility name, changing its location, or adding or changing the local service agent. Changing facility ownership is priced off the licence instead: 10% of the one-year licence fee — AED 1,500 for a polyclinic, AED 500 for a general clinic, AED 4,000 for a hospital over 100 beds.
- Is this what it costs to open a clinic in Dubai?
- No — this is the DHA layer only, and it is usually the smaller half. A Dubai clinic also pays a DET trade licence, Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence approvals, Ejari, a NABIDH-compliant EMR, fit-out to DHA's facility guidelines, and then MOHRE work permits plus GDRFA and ICP residence visas, Emirates ID and medical fitness for every member of staff. No authority publishes that combined total because it spans five of them.
- Do these fees apply inside Dubai Healthcare City?
- Not to the facility. This is DHA's schedule and it covers facilities DHA licenses on Dubai mainland. Inside the Dubai Healthcare City free zone the facility and business licensing runs through DHCR — Dubai Healthcare City Authority (Regulatory) — and its Masaar portal, on its own path and its own fees, so this schedule does not price a DHCC facility. Professionals are the exception: DHCC states on its own site that all healthcare professional licensing inside the free zone is managed by the Dubai Health Authority, so the AED 200 registration fee applies either way. Confirm the facility path with DHCR before you commit to premises.
Notes & Methodology
- Every amount on this page is a Dubai Health Authority government fee, transcribed from DHA's own published schedules — the Facility License Fees and Facility Services Fees documents, both published 2025-01-28, plus the delivery times DHA states on each service page. No figure here is estimated, averaged or supplied by a third party.
- DHA publishes the schedule as a bilingual right-to-left table, which is why figures circulating online disagree with it. Three arithmetic rules hold across all 43 rows — a two-year licence costs 1.75× the one-year fee, a three-year licence 2.5×, and an ownership change 10% of the one-year fee — and they uniquely identify those four columns without reference to the header order at all. The other four columns are read from the document's English header row, corroborated by a fourth rule (re-inspection is exactly half of inspection on every row) and by the English and Arabic halves agreeing row for row. All four rules are asserted in this site's build, so a mistyped fee fails the build rather than being published.
- A DHA facility licence is issued inactive. The one-, two- and three-year amounts are DHA's fee to activate the licence — and the same fee is charged again at each renewal. Activation also requires a NABIDH-compliant electronic medical record with tested connectivity.
- The longer term is cheaper per year in every single category, without exception: three years at 2.5× the annual fee saves one sixth against paying yearly. For a polyclinic that is AED 37,500 for three years instead of AED 45,000.
- These are DHA fees only. They are not the cost of opening a clinic. A Dubai medical facility also pays a Department of Economy and Tourism trade licence, Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence approvals, Ejari, MOHRE work permits, GDRFA and ICP residence visas, Emirates ID and medical fitness for every employee, an EMR that meets the NABIDH standard, and the fit-out DHA's facility guidelines require. No single authority publishes that total, which is exactly why so many clinic budgets are wrong.
- Jurisdiction matters before anything else. This schedule is DHA's, and it applies to facilities licensed by DHA on Dubai mainland. A facility inside the Dubai Healthcare City free zone is licensed through DHCR (Dubai Healthcare City Authority — Regulatory) and its Masaar portal, on a different path with different fees, so this schedule does not price it. Professionals are the exception: DHCC states on its own site that all healthcare professional licensing inside the free zone is managed by DHA, so the professional registration fee below applies in both jurisdictions.
- One figure has two first-party values and we publish both rather than choose. Purchasing a sick-leave certificate is AED 70 on DHA's live service page and AED 50 in its Facility Services Fees schedule of 2025-01-28. Both are DHA's own; the service page is the more recently updated surface. Confirm with DHA before budgeting on either.
- Fees change. This index carries the date of the DHA schedule it was transcribed from, so you can tell at a glance whether it is still current — and the source PDFs are linked below so you can check them yourself.
Open Data — Download & Cite
This index is published under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY 4.0). Reuse the figures in your research, article or site — all we ask is attribution with a link back to ZETUP.
How to cite
ZETUP PRO, "Dubai Clinic & Medical Centre Licensing Fee Index 2026", transcribed from the Dubai Health Authority Facility License Fees schedule (2025-01-28). https://zetup.ae/en/dubai-clinic-licensing-fee-index (CC BY 4.0)Related guides
- PRO services for medical centers & clinics in Dubai
- The cost to open a medical center in Dubai
- NABIDH compliance for Dubai clinics
- The DHA professional licence: Sheryan and DataFlow
- DHA facility licence vs professional licence
- Dubai clinic licence & visa renewal checklist
- MOHRE establishment categories explained for clinics
- ZETUP Open Data (all datasets)
- Dubai Business Setup Cost Index 2026
- UAE Visa Cost & Timeline Index 2026
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