How to open a clinic in Dubai, from DHA licence to first patient

To open a clinic in Dubai you apply on the DHA's Sheryan system for a new facility licence, which is issued as inactive, then activate it by appointing a medical director, licensing your professionals, installing a NABIDH compliant medical record and passing DHA inspection. Until the licence is active, the clinic may not see patients or advertise.

The market you are entering

Dubai had about 5,800 licensed health facilities in 2025, compared with 5,340 in 2024, a rise of more than 8%, and the private sector workforce passed 69,400 professionals.¹ A new facility goes through the two stages below.²

Stage one, the new facility licence

All applications go through Sheryan, the DHA's licensing system, or the Invest in Dubai platform, and manual or emailed applications are not accepted.² The process can begin with the DHA or with the authority that issues the trade licence, such as Dubai Economy and Tourism or the authority of the zone where the clinic will sit.² The application needs five things.²

The trade licence, or the expected trade name and ownership details.
A facility proposal covering the facility type, services, value proposition, the specialties of the professionals and the clinical programme.
Location details with the Makani number, the Dubai Municipality plot certificate and the Ejari.
A layout drawn and approved by a DHA prequalified health facility design consultant, with room and bed counts that follow the DHA Health Facility Guidelines.
Agreement to the DHA terms and conditions.

Fees are paid online and are non-refundable except in listed cases.² The result is an inactive licence valid for one year. You may apply for professional licences during that year, and they stay inactive until the facility licence is activated. If you do not complete the requirements within the year, the process is cancelled and you apply again.²

During that year the clinic may not provide healthcare services, receive or treat patients, or promote or advertise any health service.²

The laws behind the manual

The DHA says the manual must be read with Executive Council Decree No. 49 of 2024, which regulates the practice of health professions in Dubai, and Federal Law No. 8 of 2023, which amended Federal Law No. 4 of 2015 on private health facilities.² Services such as telehealth, home healthcare or 24 hour opening are add-ons to the facility licence, and an active facility adds them through an amendment.²

Choosing the name

The licence name must reflect the trade name in Arabic and English.² When a facility changes its name, the manual says the new name must not already be registered or used for the same or a similar activity, must not be identical or similar to a trade name registered with Dubai Economy and Tourism or the Ministry of Economy, and must suit the activity and legal status.² Check the name before you print anything.

Stage two, activation

To activate the licence the DHA requires a valid trade licence, an appointed medical director, FANR registration if radiology equipment will be installed, evidence of an electronic medical record that complies with the NABIDH Minimum Data Set and connectivity requirements, and a passed DHA inspection.²

For the inspection the manual asks you to have ready the approved engineering layout, enough licensed professionals to deliver the service, a list of medical equipment, the civil defence certificate, approved policies and procedures, third party insurance and waste management contracts, the trade licence, and the approval email for tested NABIDH connectivity.²

If the inspection finds gaps, you apply to amend the licence and pay for a re-inspection.² Once activated, the licence can run for one, two or three years, and the professional licences linked to it activate automatically.²

Systems to choose before inspection

The record has to be installed and tested with NABIDH before activation, so choose it early.² Ask each vendor for its NABIDH status and the hosting location of your records in writing. Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 says health data about care given in the UAE may not be stored, processed or transferred outside the country unless a health authority decision allows it, and requires it to be kept for at least 25 years.³ wai hosts your clinic's records in the UAE, under the UAE's rules. We set this up with your clinic.

Your general consent form must include a clause on sharing records with NABIDH,⁴ and informed consent forms must be in Arabic and English.⁵

Set up booking, payment and enquiry handling before the inspection as well, so the clinic can take its first bookings on the day the licence is activated and answer the enquiries that arrive once advertising begins.

After opening

The licence must be renewed, and renewal can start three months before it expires.² If renewal is more than six months late, or its requirements are not met, the licence is treated as cancelled.² If licensed professional staff are not available, the DHA will temporarily close the facility, and a temporary closure can last up to six months.² Every amendment, from adding a specialty to adding telehealth, goes through Sheryan and may need a further inspection.²

Before the first patient

Show your medical advertisement licence number on the clinic's official social account once advertising is allowed.⁶
Set prices in AED and write down what each one includes.
Set up enquiry channels so WhatsApp, email, web and calls reach one place, in Arabic and English.
Take payment or a deposit at booking from the first day.
Train staff on the DHA social media standard and your own policies before launch.
If you plan to use AI, read the DHA policy on AI in healthcare and set up incident reporting before the first patient.⁷

Where wai fits

wai Admin answers enquiries in Arabic and English day and night and takes the fee at booking, wai Clinicians writes the note while the doctor talks, and wai Profile gives patients their booking, check-in and results. A new clinic opens with enquiries answered at night and every visit paid at booking.

Questions

How long is the initial DHA facility approval valid?

The new facility licence is issued as inactive and is valid for one year. If you do not meet the activation requirements in that year, the process is cancelled and you apply again.

Can a clinic advertise before its DHA licence is active?

A clinic may not advertise until its licence is activated. During the initial approval period it may not provide services, receive patients, or promote or advertise any health service.

Do I need NABIDH to open a clinic in Dubai?

Yes. Activation requires evidence of an electronic medical record that meets NABIDH standards, and the approval email for tested NABIDH connectivity must be ready at inspection.

What documents are needed for a DHA facility licence?

The application needs the trade licence or expected trade name, a facility proposal, location details with the Makani number and Ejari, a layout from a DHA prequalified design consultant, and agreement to the DHA terms. Activation then needs a medical director, licensed staff, a NABIDH compliant record and a passed inspection.

Sources

Written and reviewed by the clinical team at wai. Last reviewed 3 September 2026.