The DHA examination is the test that a nurse must qualify for to be eligible to work as a nurse in Dubai hospitals and clinics. Thus, “What is DHA exam for nurses?” briefly? It is an electronic examination conducted by the organization Prometric on behalf of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). It tests whether you are capable of providing safe and practical nursing care. Once you pass it and your documents are verified, you can apply for a DHA license for nurses and begin looking for nursing job positions in Dubai.
Dubai is often the first place where nurses from Kerala go abroad due to its tax-free salary, state-of-the-art hospitals, and close proximity to India (just around 4 hours of flight). However, passing the DHA exam for nurses is a prerequisite for employment there, and knowing how it works will be beneficial before spending a dime.
You will find below the eligibility criteria, required documents, Sheryan portal information, costs for 2026, syllabus, and preparation methods.
What Is the DHA Exam? The Dubai Health Authority Exam for Nurses Explained
DHA means Dubai Health Authority. This is an agency of the government of Dubai responsible for licensing healthcare facilities and practitioners, including nurses, doctors, and others working within its jurisdiction. The “Dubai Health Authority exam for nurses” is the test administered by DHA to determine whether a nurse licensed elsewhere in the UAE is fit to practice in Dubai.
A few quick facts:
- DHA sets the rules and Prometric runs the exam at its test centres around the world. That’s why you’ll also hear it called the DHA Prometric exam for nurses. It’s the same exam with two names.
- It is a computer-based multiple-choice exam that you take on screen at a Prometric centre. There is no written or oral round for staff nurses.
- It is meant for Registered Nurse and Assistant Nurse applicants, along with midwives, who want to work in Dubai.
- After you pass and clear document verification, DHA issues an eligibility letter. Once a Dubai hospital hires you, the employer completes your licence activation.
DHA vs HAAD (DOH) vs MOH: Which One Do You Need?
The UAE has three main health regulators, and the emirate where you want to work decides which exam you write.
- DHA Dubai Health Authority licenses nurses for Dubai.
- HAAD/DOH Abu Dhabi licenses nurses for Abu Dhabi. HAAD is the old name of the Department of Health. See our HAAD coaching in Kerala.
- MOH/MOHAP licenses nurses for Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. See our MOH coaching in Kerala.
If you’re looking at nursing jobs in Dubai for Indian nurses, the Dubai Health Authority test is the one you need. Our guide on which exam nurses need for Dubai goes into this in more detail.
Eligibility to write DHA Exam for Nurses
In order to appear for the DHA nursing exam, one must have a valid nursing degree, active nursing registration from their native country, and in most cases, experience in the field as well. This can be verified through the free self-assessment tool available at Sheryan, which is the online portal for DHA licensing.
For Indian applicants, the “DHA exam eligibility for nurses” would typically be:
- An education in B.Sc Nursing, Post Basic B.Sc Nursing, M.Sc Nursing or GNM from an institute accredited by Indian Nursing Council
- Active registration from Kerala Nursing Council (Kerala Nurses & Midwives Council) or your respective State Nursing Council
- Clinical experience post-registration, usually two years for a Registered Nurse
- No long gap in practice. If you’ve been away from nursing for a while, DHA may ask for extra training first
- Good enough English to handle a full exam written in English
Your qualification also decides your job title. The self-assessment tells you whether you fit the Registered Nurse or Assistant Nurse category, and the exam you book depends on that.
Can Fresher Nurses Apply?
In some cases, yes. The Unified PQR (Professional Qualification Requirements) used across the UAE has relaxed the old two-year experience rule for some titles. Nurses who graduated from a recognised program within the last two years may be able to apply without experience. These rules do change, so run the Sheryan self-assessment before you pay anything. At Tiju’s Academy, we check each student’s eligibility before they apply, which saves a lot of wasted fees.
Who Is Exempted From the DHA Exam?
Nurses who already hold a valid licence and a Good Standing Certificate from certain countries on DHA’s approved list may not need to write the exam, as long as they meet DHA’s rules on recent practice. Most nurses trained and working in India will need to take the exam.
Documents Required for DHA Exam
The documents required for DHA exam are your passport, nursing certificates, council registration, experience letters and a Good Standing Certificate. These go to the DataFlow Group for Primary Source Verification (PSV). In plain words, DataFlow contacts your college, your nursing council and your past hospitals directly to confirm every paper is genuine.
Keep clear scanned copies of these ready:
- Valid passport
- Recent passport-size photo with a white background
- Nursing degree or diploma certificate
- Mark sheets or transcripts for every year of the course
- Nursing council registration certificate (Kerala Nursing Council or your state council)
- Experience certificates from each hospital, showing your dates, designation and department
- Good Standing Certificate from your nursing council, issued recently (many applicants are asked for one from the last three months)
- Signed Letter of Authorization for DataFlow
Small mistakes cause long delays here. A name spelt two different ways, a dark phone photo or an experience letter without dates can hold up your file for weeks. Our team at Tiju’s Academy checks every student’s documents before upload, which is one reason nurses choose us as their DHA coaching centre in Kerala. For the full list with tips, read our DHA nursing documents checklist for 2026.
DHA Exam Registration Process: Step by Step
The DHA exam registration process is fully online. You create a Sheryan account, get your documents verified through DataFlow and book your exam with Prometric. DataFlow verification and the exam can run at the same time, so you don’t have to wait for one to finish before starting the other.
- Create a Sheryan account on the DHA website and complete the free self-assessment.
- Get your DHA Unique ID. You’ll use this number for every step, including your Prometric booking.
- Start DataFlow PSV. Upload your scans, sign the authorization letter and pay the fee. This usually takes 30 to 60 working days, depending on how quickly your college and hospitals reply.
- Pay the application fee on Sheryan and receive your authorisation to test.
- Book your Prometric slot. Pick a date and a centre. Nurses in Kerala can choose centres such as Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram.
- Write the exam. Your result shows on Sheryan as pass or fail, usually within a few working days.
- Get registered. Once both your exam and DataFlow are clear, you apply for registration and receive your eligibility letter. It is generally valid for one year.
- Activate your DHA nursing license. When a Dubai hospital hires you, the employer completes licence activation through Sheryan.
DHA Exam Fees for Nurses 2026
The DHA Exam Fees for Nurses 2026 is from ₹60,000 to ₹90,000, based on the number of documents being verified and the licensing fees you pay. The table below highlights approximate costs. The rupee value fluctuates according to the exchange rate; hence, it’s always advisable to check the current value on Sheryan and Prometric.
| Fee | Approx. amount | Approx. in INR |
| Sheryan application and eligibility review | AED 200 to 220 | ₹4,500 to ₹5,000 |
| DataFlow PSV for nurses (up to 4 documents) | AED 935 | ₹21,000 to ₹22,000 |
| Each extra DataFlow document | About AED 300 | About ₹7,000 |
| Prometric exam fee | USD 180 to 240 | ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 |
| Registration and licence activation | Varies | Varies |
A few money tips:
- There will be no refunds on fees paid, so don’t pay fees unless your self-evaluation is positive.
- Changing a schedule at Prometric will incur extra charges, so select a date that you are sure about.
- Dubai hospitals pay for some portion of your licensing fees after employing you. Discuss this matter during your interview.
DHA Exam Syllabus for Nurses and Exam Pattern
The “DHA exam syllabus for nurses” is an exam that will test you on the practical knowledge you apply on a daily basis on the ward: patient assessment, prioritization, medication safety, infection control and care of patients of all ages.
- DHA Nursing Exam Pattern (2026)
- Approximately 150 MCQs
- Approximately 165 minutes to complete, almost three hours with the on-screen introduction
- English only
- No negative marking, so answer every question
- Taken on a computer at a Prometric test centre
Main Subject Areas
- Fundamentals of nursing
- Medical-surgical (adult health) nursing
- Obstetrics, gynaecology and newborn care
- Paediatric nursing
- Mental health and psychiatric nursing
- Community health nursing
- Pharmacology, drug calculations and medication safety
- Infection control and patient safety
- Emergency and critical care basics
- Leadership, unit management, ethics and nursing law
For topic-wise weightage and reference books, see our DHA exam syllabus and blueprint for nurses.
DHA Exam Pass Mark for Nurses
The DHA exam pass mark for nurses is 50% for Registered Nurses, which is about 75 correct answers out of 150. Assistant Nurses need 45%. You won’t see your exact score. Sheryan only shows pass or fail, usually within about two working days of the exam.
How to Prepare for DHA Exam?
If you’re wondering how to prepare for DHA exam, plan for six to eight weeks of steady study built around a good question bank and a weekly timed mock test. Most nurses already know the content. What trips them up is the question style and the clock.
- Here’s an easy plan for most of our students:
- Begin with the standard DHA plan to understand which subjects have many questions.
- Study one system of the body each day; this may be cardiac, respiratory, renal, neuro and endocrine systems.
- Try to solve 50-100 multiple-choice questions a day and make sure you read their explanations if you answered any question incorrectly.
- Practise priority questions using ABC (airway, breathing, circulation) and Maslow’s hierarchy. “What should the nurse do first?” comes up again and again.
- Work through drug calculations by hand until they feel easy.
- Take one timed mock test a week. There are 150 questions in 165 minutes, so you will have more than a minute per question.
- Schedule your exam once your mock scores easily exceed the pass mark.
- Attend the centre with your passport and Prometric booking confirmation.
While some nurses cope with self-study well, others prefer learning under the supervision of a coach who is familiar with the exam format and can show you why certain answers are more appropriate. This is where structured DHA exam coaching in Kerala becomes useful.
Why Tiju’s Academy Is the Best DHA Coaching Centre in Kerala?
Tiju’s Academy trains nurses for the DHA exam at our centres in Mavelikara and Thiruvalla and through live online classes for nurses anywhere in India or the Gulf. We have trained more than 45,000 students across our courses, with a team of over 72 faculty members.
Here’s what you get when you prepare with us:
- Trainers who focus on Gulf licensing exams, including DHA, HAAD, MOH and Prometric
- Mock exams conducted regularly in the format of actual exam, with feedback on areas where you are weak.
- Practice question papers along with explanation, not just answers
- Batches available online and offline at flexible timings to fit in your ward rotations
- Help with your Sheryan and DataFlow paperwork, so small errors don’t delay your file
- OET and IELTS coaching under the same roof if you plan to move to the UK, Ireland or Australia later
That mix of exam coaching and hands-on paperwork support is why so many nurses call us the best DHA coaching centre in Kerala. You can see batch details on our DHA coaching page.
Conclusion: Start Your DHA Nursing License Plan Today
DHA examination is a legitimate means of testing the nursing skills that you apply on a daily basis. It all boils down to arranging your documents early, using DataFlow when you study, and undertaking timed mock exams. If you do all this, you get yourself an excellent opportunity to pass at the first go. Once you do this, jobs at Dubai hospitals are open to you.
If you’d like a trainer with you through the whole process, from Sheryan registration to exam day, talk to Tiju’s Academy.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A: The DHA exam for nurses is a computer-based licensing test that Prometric conducts for the Dubai Health Authority. It checks whether a nurse can give safe, practical nursing care. After passing and completing document verification, nurses can apply for a DHA license and work in Dubai.
A: DHA stands for Dubai Health Authority. It is the government body in Dubai that licenses healthcare facilities and professionals, including nurses and doctors.
A: Yes, they are the same exam. DHA sets the rules and Prometric conducts the test at its centres worldwide, which is why it is also called the DHA Prometric exam for nurses.
A: Indian nurses with a B.Sc Nursing, Post Basic B.Sc, M.Sc Nursing or GNM from an Indian Nursing Council recognised institution can apply. They also need active state nursing council registration and, in most cases, about two years of clinical experience with no long gap in practice.
A: Yes, in some cases. Under the UAE's Unified PQR, nurses who graduated from a recognised program within the last two years may apply without experience for some titles. Check your eligibility first with the free Sheryan self-assessment.
A: You need these documents:
Valid passport and a passport-size photo
Nursing degree or diploma certificate
Mark sheets for every year of the course
Nursing council registration certificate
Experience certificates from each hospital
A recent Good Standing Certificate
A signed Letter of Authorization for DataFlow
A: Register online through the DHA Sheryan portal in these steps:
Create a Sheryan account and complete the free self-assessment.
Get your DHA Unique ID.
Submit your documents for DataFlow verification.
Pay the application fee on Sheryan.
Book your exam slot with Prometric.
After passing, apply for registration to receive your eligibility letter.
A: DataFlow verification usually takes 30 to 60 working days. The time depends on how quickly your college, nursing council and past hospitals reply to DataFlow.
A: The total cost is roughly ₹60,000 to ₹90,000. This includes the Sheryan application fee (AED 200 to 220), DataFlow verification (AED 935) and the Prometric exam fee (USD 180 to 240). Fees are non-refundable, so check current rates on Sheryan before paying.
A: The DHA nursing exam has about 150 multiple-choice questions, with around 165 minutes to finish. It is in English only and has no negative marking, so you should answer every question.
