The Golden visa for doctors in the UAE, and since the 2025 Dubai announcement for long-serving nurses, is a 10-year residence that no longer depends on your hospital's sponsorship. It runs through your health license and the health authority that issued it, not the salary route. Wordcraft checks which route fits, attests your medical degree and experience certificates, and files the nomination and visa.
Doctors: License and Nomination Route
Doctors usually qualify through a valid UAE health license issued by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH) or the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), together with the criteria the health authority applies to nominations at the time. Those criteria (specialty, qualification level and experience) are updated from time to time, so we confirm them at application. If you are a doctor earning AED 30,000 a month or more in a skilled role, the Golden visa for professionals can be an alternative route, and we compare both for you.
Nurses: The Long-Service Category
In 2025 Dubai announced that nurses with long service in the emirate's health sector can apply for the Golden visa. The minimum years of service, the employers that count and the license requirements are set by the health authority and confirmed at application. Nurses in other emirates should check whether an equivalent route applies to them; we tell you where you stand. Our blog on the Golden visa for nurses in Dubai explains the background to the announcement.
Medical Degree and Experience Certificate Attestation
Most healthcare Golden visa files rely on the same documents you used for your license, but the residency authority may ask for them again in attested form. The usual set is your medical or nursing degree, internship and experience certificates, and your license. Degrees issued abroad follow the home-country authentication and UAE embassy route, with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs step now completed digitally. We handle degree certificate attestation, medical certificate attestation and experience certificates for more than 50 countries, and our medical translation team translates any document that is not in Arabic or English.
Documents a Doctor or Nurse Needs
- Passport valid for at least six months and a recent photo
- Valid DHA, DOH or MOHAP professional license
- Attested medical or nursing degree, and equivalency where the authority asks for it
- Experience certificates or a service letter from your employer
- Employment contract and salary certificate
- Current visa, Emirates ID and health insurance
- Good conduct certificate where the authority requests it
How the Healthcare Route Runs
- Route check: send your passport, license and a short CV on WhatsApp; we confirm the doctor, nurse or professional route.
- Quote: within 10–30 minutes, covering the degree and experience attestation, the nomination and the visa.
- Attestation and translation: we collect your originals free where needed and complete any missing attestation.
- Nomination: where your route needs it, the nomination is requested through the health authority, and we follow it up.
- Golden visa application: filed with GDRFA if you live in Dubai or ICP elsewhere, once the health authority has nominated you.
- Medical and Emirates ID: for many healthcare staff the medical is quick, as recent screening is on record; we book it and the biometrics around your shifts.
Your family can join you on the same length of residence, with attested marriage and birth certificates; see Golden visa services for family sponsorship and renewal. The health authority decides the nomination and the residency authority the visa.
Golden visa categories are summarized on u.ae, and residence applications go through ICP or GDRFA Dubai.
Last checked: 29 September 2026 against health-authority and ICP guidance on Golden visas for doctors and nurses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all doctors in the UAE eligible for the Golden visa?
Many licensed doctors are, but eligibility depends on the health authority's criteria at the time. We check your license and qualifications before you apply.
How many years of service do nurses need?
The minimum service period is set by the health authority and confirmed at application. Send us your service letter and we check it against the current rule.
Do I need my hospital's approval to apply?
The Golden visa is self-sponsored, but the nomination and service letters come through your employer and the health authority, so their documents are part of the file.
Will I lose my Golden visa if I change hospitals?
No. The visa is not tied to one employer, but you should keep a valid license and meet the category's conditions at renewal.
How much does the Golden visa for doctors cost?
It depends on the health authority route and how many family members join you. The quote lists every fee before we start.
