Healthcare professional licence in Qatar (DHP): nurses, doctors and allied health

Nobody can work as a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife, pharmacist or allied health professional in Qatar without a licence from the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) at the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). DHP used to be called the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP), and you will still see that name on forms, certificates and recruiters' messages. The licence has four parts, done in this order: verifying your documents with a DHP-approved company (Dataflow, Quadrabay or AVS), passing the Prometric qualifying exam if your profession needs it, getting your qualifications evaluated by DHP, and finally the licence itself, which needs a Qatar ID and a job at a licensed facility. After that, you keep it alive by collecting continuing professional development (CPD) credits and renewing on time. This guide is for anyone recruited from abroad or already in Qatar on a family visa; rules change often through DHP circulars, so always check the latest on the DHP website before you pay for anything.

Before you start

• Your degree certificate and full official transcripts (DHP does not accept online or distance-learning nursing programmes)
• Your professional registration or licence from every country you practised in, covering the whole period of experience you claim
• Experience certificates on facility letterhead, signed by an authorised person, showing your job title and exact start and end dates (recommendation letters are not accepted)
• An updated CV with no unexplained gaps, plus a short explanation letter for any break in practice
• Passport copy and a recent passport-style photo; your Qatar ID (QID) if you already live in Qatar
• Contact details of your current or last licensing authority, so it can send a Certificate of Good Standing directly to DHP or to the verification company
• A valid CPR or basic life support course certificate from a recognised provider
• Exam exemption evidence if you have it (for example a recent NCLEX pass for nurses, or USMLE Step 2, PLAB 1, AMC MCQ for GPs)
• Official Arabic or English translations of any document in another language
• A personal email and mobile number you will keep, because the DHP portal sends one-time passwords to both

Step by step

1. Check your profession's requirements first

   Open the DHP website and download the guideline for your profession (physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists or allied health). These set the minimum degree, years of experience and whether you need the exam. For example, the nursing guideline asks registered general nurses with a bachelor's or diploma for 2 years of clinical experience after registration, and associate-degree nurses and midwives for 3 years. A newer circular (No. 24/2025, reported in January 2026) changed experience and exam rules for Qatar graduates, Qataris, children of Qatari women and family-visa holders, so read it if any of those apply to you. If your experience is short, you may only qualify for a supervised licence at first.

2. Create your DHP portal account

   Register on the Registration and Licensing System at dhpportal.moph.gov.qa with your own email and mobile number, then activate the account from the email link. Every sign-in needs your password plus a one-time code sent to your phone and email, so use details you will still have in Qatar. Since September 2024 you can apply for an evaluation on your own, without an employer, so you can start before you have a job offer. Keep this account for life: renewals, change of employer and good standing requests all go through it.

3. Start primary source verification (PSV)

   Primary source verification means a DHP-approved company contacts your university, past employers and licensing bodies directly to confirm every document is genuine. DHP currently approves three providers: Dataflow, Quadrabay and AVS (Approved Verification Services). You apply and pay on the provider's own portal, upload your documents and authorisation letters, and receive a case number to track progress. This step usually takes the longest, so start it first and answer any request for missing documents quickly. For DHP, a verification report replaces certificate attestation, but your employer may still need an attested degree for your work visa.

   Read guide: Attesting your degree for Qatar: the full chain →

4. Book the Prometric qualifying exam if you need it

   Most general and allied categories must pass a computer-based exam run by Prometric: general practitioners, general dentists, pharmacists, registered nurses, midwives, lab and radiology staff, physiotherapists, paramedics, dietitians and others, plus many physician and dental specialties. Each exam has 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours. The pass mark is 50% for allied health, 60% for GPs, general dentists and pharmacists, and 65% for specialists. Book through prometric.com/exams/schq2 at a test centre in your country or the centre in Doha; you can sit up to 5 consecutive times. DHP publishes a blueprint and reference list for each exam, which is the best place to start studying.

5. Check whether you are exempt from the exam

   Some certificates replace the Prometric exam. The nursing guideline exempts nurses who passed the NCLEX within the last 5 years, and the physicians' guideline accepts USMLE Step 2, PLAB Part 1, AMC MCQ, MCCQE Part 1 and a few others for GPs. Specialists whose postgraduate qualification is on DHP's Category 1 or 2 lists do not sit the exam. Qataris, children of Qatari women and graduates of universities in Qatar are exempt under the 2025 circular. If you think you are exempt, upload the proof with your evaluation; if your specialty is not on DHP's list, contact DHP before booking.

6. Submit the evaluation application

   Once your PSV report is ready and you have your exam result or exemption, apply for evaluation on the DHP portal. Upload your passport, photo, CV, degrees, transcripts, experience certificates, past licences, the verification report and the exam certificate. If you apply through an employer, the facility's Employer Representative checks and submits the file, and the status shows 'Pending with Employer' until they do. DHP aims to review a complete nursing file in about 15 working days. If the verification came back negative or 'unable to verify', you get 14 days to re-verify and may be called for an interview.

7. Receive your preliminary evaluation

   If DHP approves you, it issues a Preliminary Evaluation and a letter that your employer can print and use for your recruitment and visa. This tells you the scope and grade you are eligible for, such as Registered General Nurse, General Practitioner or Specialist. The preliminary evaluation is valid for 6 months, so your employer needs to bring you to Qatar and file the licence within that time. If you have no job yet, use these months to apply to Qatar employers.

   Read guide: Finding a job in Qatar: where to look and how hiring works →

8. Get your Qatar ID, medical and police clearance

   The licence itself needs a valid QID, so your employer first arranges your work visa, residency medical and fingerprints. DHP also asks for its own medical report, no older than 6 months, from an approved provider with blood tests (HIV, hepatitis B and C) and a chest X-ray, and a police clearance certificate from Qatar's Ministry of Interior. Get a current CPR or life support certificate, and make sure your Certificate of Good Standing has been sent directly by your last licensing authority. Family-visa holders need their sponsor's permission under the sponsorship rules shown in the guidelines.

   Read guide: Residence medical exam and fingerprints in Qatar →

9. Apply for the licence

   Submit the licensing application on the portal with your QID, verification report, police clearance, medical report, CPR certificate and good standing. DHP reviews it in about 10 to 15 working days, and only issues the licence if the facility you will work at is itself licensed. Do not see patients before the licence is issued; a temporary licence (valid up to 6 months, not renewable) exists for some cases, but only if your employer applies for it with undertaking letters. Once issued, check that your name, scope and facility are correct.

10. Collect CPD credits from day one

    Your two-year CPD cycle starts on the date your licence is issued. Doctors and dentists need 80 credits per cycle and at least 40 each year; nurses, pharmacists and allied health need 40 per cycle and at least 20 each year. At least half must be Category 1 (accredited group learning, such as conferences and courses with a DHP accreditation statement), and the rest can be self-directed learning or assessment activities. Record everything in your CPD ePortfolio as you go, and keep certificates. Extra credits do not carry over to the next cycle.

11. Renew on time, yourself

    Licences run a year at a time, and since 2024 renewal is the practitioner's own responsibility, not the facility's; practising on an expired licence is a legal violation. Government-sector licences now renew automatically each year as long as you stay CPD-compliant, with a full renewal application every few years. Private-sector staff apply on the portal with passport, QID, photo, medical report, CPR certificate and an employment letter; the portal blocks you if your CPD is incomplete. Credits can be submitted from 3 months before expiry. A licence expired more than 3 months is automatically removed and needs restoration plus renewal.

12. Changing employer or leaving Qatar

    When you leave a job, you or the facility must file a 'Removal from the Registry' request on the portal with a resignation or end-of-service letter. A new employer then applies for a change of place of work, and DHP issues a new licence in the new facility's name. If you later need to work abroad, request a Certificate of Good Standing on the portal and DHP sends it electronically to the other authority. Coming back after a gap means restoration, and an absence of more than 5 years needs a full new evaluation.

    Read guide: Changing jobs in Qatar without an NOC →

What it costs

Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.

Common mistakes

• Applying to DHP before the verification report is ready: DHP wants the PSV report attached to the evaluation, and it won't let you practise before verification results are known.
• Sending experience letters without exact dates or a signature, or sending a recommendation letter instead of an experience certificate.
• Leaving unexplained gaps in your CV; a break in practice can lead to a supervised licence or a refusal.
• Booking the Prometric exam when you are exempt (for example a recent NCLEX pass), or for the wrong category.
• Letting the 6-month preliminary evaluation lapse while the visa is still being processed.
• Starting work on an interview offer before the licence is issued.
• Leaving CPD until the last month: annual minimums apply, and missing them can block renewal or deactivate your licence.
• Relying on the hospital to renew for you: since 2024 it is your responsibility, and an expired licence is a violation for you and the facility.

Questions people ask

Official sources

• DHP: Qualifying examination (categories, pass marks, Prometric booking) ↗
• DHP: Primary source verification and approved providers ↗
• DHP: Registration and licensing section ↗
• DHP: Guidelines for nurses (evaluation, licensing, renewal) ↗
• DHP: CPD cycle policy ↗
• Marhaba (Jan 2026): MOPH updates licensing and experience rules ↗

Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.

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