Licensing for nurses and doctors in Qatar
Physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and allied health practitioners in Qatar are registered and licensed by the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) of the Ministry of Public Health. Older documents call it the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP).
General information, written in our own words from the official pages linked under each step; not advice on your case. Rules, fees and processing times change: check the regulator before you apply or pay. Sources checked 26 October 2026.
The regulator
- Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP), Ministry of Public Health (opens in new tab)
Registers and licenses health practitioners in Qatar, public and private sector.
How licensing works
Start with primary source verification
Every practitioner's documents are verified at the source by a provider the DHP approves; its page names Dataflow and Quadrabay. Apply for verification before you apply for evaluation, and attach the verification report to the online evaluation application.
Source: Qatar DHP: Primary Source Verification (opens in new tab) (read from the Wayback Machine copy of 21 April 2026)
Evaluation of your qualifications and experience
The DHP evaluates the equivalence of your academic certificates and checks your practical experience against the conditions for your specialty. For physicians, the primary medical degree must come from a school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.
Sources: Qatar DHP: Registration & Licensing (opens in new tab) (read from the Wayback Machine copy of 19 January 2026); Qatar DHP: FAQs on circulars 22 and 24/2020 (opens in new tab) (read from the Wayback Machine copy of 17 April 2025)
The qualifying exam, and who is exempt
The DHP runs a computer-based qualifying exam through Prometric for a list of practitioner categories. Its 2020 FAQ says specialist physicians and dentists do not sit it, and lists other exemptions, such as some postgraduate degrees and equivalent exams.
An exemption from the DHP's exam does not exempt you from an employer's own acceptance exam: the same FAQ says so for Hamad Medical Corporation. Circulars change these rules, so read the current ones on the DHP site.
Sources: Qatar DHP: FAQs on circulars 22 and 24/2020 (opens in new tab) (read from the Wayback Machine copy of 17 April 2025); Qatar DHP: all circulars (opens in new tab)
Licence, renewal and good standing
The DHP issues the licence once you meet the conditions for your specialty, and it renews and withdraws licences. It also issues certificates of good standing for practitioners licensed in Qatar, which you will need if you later apply elsewhere.
Source: Qatar DHP: Registration & Licensing (opens in new tab) (read from the Wayback Machine copy of 19 January 2026)
Questions
- Is the QCHP still the regulator?
- The work is done by the DHP of the Ministry of Public Health; older documents, file names and some employers still say QCHP.
- How much does it cost and how long does it take?
- We don't quote fees or processing times. Check the DHP site and the verification provider's portal before you pay.