How to Verify a Clinic's UAE License (DHA, MOHAP and DOH)

Aesthetic treatments in the UAE are regulated. Every clinic and every practitioner who performs a medical procedure on you - from a Botox injection to a laser treatment - is required by law to hold a current, valid license issued by a government health authority. The good news: those licenses are publicly searchable, and checking one takes less than two minutes. This guide explains which authority licenses which clinics, what the different license types mean, and exactly how to verify a clinic or practitioner before you book. For the broader regulatory picture, see the regulation hub.

Which authority licenses which emirate

The UAE has a federal-plus-emirate licensing structure. Three authorities cover the country between them, and which one is relevant to you depends on where your clinic is located.1

What a valid license actually covers

There are two separate licenses you should always check - one for the facility, one for the individual practitioner. They are not the same thing, and one does not guarantee the other.

Facility license

A facility license is issued to the clinic as a business. It specifies the type of services the clinic is permitted to offer - for example, a general medical center has different permitted activities than a specialist aesthetic center or a day surgery unit. A clinic may be licensed to operate as a facility while a specific treatment it offers falls outside the scope of that license. Checking the facility license tells you that the physical premises have been inspected and approved for the stated scope.

Practitioner license

A practitioner license is issued to an individual healthcare professional. It specifies their specialty, scope of practice, and the emirate in which they are licensed to work. A doctor licensed by MOHAP to practice in Sharjah is not automatically licensed to practice in Dubai - they would need a separate DHA license for that. For aesthetic treatments, you want to confirm that the specific person performing the procedure holds a current license in the emirate where the clinic sits.

How to check a DHA license (Dubai)

The DHA provides a public license verification tool through its website and the Dubai Health Authority app.2 Here is how to use it:

1. 1Go to dha.gov.ae and navigate to "Health Regulation" or use the search function to find "License Verification."
2. 2You can search by facility name, practitioner name, or license number. The license number is the fastest route if the clinic has displayed it.
3. 3For practitioners, select the "Healthcare Professional" search. For clinics, select "Healthcare Facility."
4. 4A valid, active license will show the license holder's name, the licensed specialty or facility type, and the expiry date. An expired license is not a valid license.
5. 5If no result appears for a name you have been given, try alternate spellings before drawing conclusions - transliteration of Arabic names can vary.

How to check a MOHAP license (other emirates)

MOHAP runs a public verification portal for facilities and practitioners licensed in the Northern Emirates and other federal entities.3 The steps are similar:

1. 1Go to mohap.gov.ae and look for the "Health Services" or "License Verification" section.
2. 2Search by practitioner name, facility name, or license number.
3. 3Check the scope of practice listed - this tells you whether the practitioner is licensed for the specific type of treatment you are considering.
4. 4Confirm the license status shows as active and that the expiry date is in the future.
5. 5If you are in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, or another Northern Emirate, MOHAP is your primary check - not DHA.

How to check a DOH license (Abu Dhabi)

The Abu Dhabi Department of Health provides its own public license search at doh.gov.ae.3 The interface works the same way - search by facility or practitioner name. One important note: Abu Dhabi has its own credential requirements that differ slightly from DHA and MOHAP, so a practitioner licensed in Dubai is not automatically permitted to practice in Abu Dhabi without a separate DOH license.

What license categories mean for aesthetic treatments

When you look up a practitioner license, you will see a listed specialty. For aesthetic medicine, the most relevant categories you might encounter include:1

What to do if you cannot verify a license

If a search returns no result, or the result shows an expired or suspended license, here is a reasonable sequence of steps:

1. 1Try alternate search terms. Names transliterated from Arabic vary. Try the first name only, or search by the clinic's trade name versus its legal name.
2. 2Ask the clinic directly. Request the license number and, if possible, a copy of the license certificate. A legitimate clinic will have this readily available.
3. 3Cross-check the authority. Make sure you are searching the right authority for the right emirate. A Dubai clinic searched on MOHAP will not appear even if fully licensed.1
4. 4Contact the regulator. DHA, MOHAP, and DOH all have public enquiry channels. You can contact them directly to verify a license number.
5. 5If in doubt, do not proceed. An inability to verify a practitioner's license before an aesthetic medical procedure is a reasonable reason to postpone or move to a different provider.

Questions to ask in your consultation

How to read marketing claims about licensing

Phrases like "internationally trained," "certified," or "board-approved" appear frequently in clinic marketing. These words are meaningful in some contexts and entirely unregulated in others. A practitioner can be "internationally trained" and still not hold a current UAE license. "Certified" can refer to a two-day manufacturer training course or a decade of post-graduate medical study.

The only credential that matters for legal practice in the UAE is a current, active, in-scope license from the relevant UAE health authority.1 Every other credential - however impressive it sounds - is secondary to that. Verify it yourself, directly on the regulator's public portal. That is the check that cannot be faked.