How to start a healthcare business in Dubai: licensing and approvals
Clinic, health consultancy or medical trading? Learn the licenses, approvals and premises you need to start a healthcare business in Dubai.
To start a healthcare business in Dubai, you need a trade license for your company and, for activities that require it, licensing from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). For a clinical business, that usually means a facility license, with design, fit-out and inspection approvals, plus a professional license for each healthcare professional on your team.
Not every health-related business is a clinic. Health consultancy and medical equipment trading, for example, fall under different activities with different approvals. This guide explains the types of healthcare business, the two layers of licensing, the steps, the costs to plan for and the pitfalls to avoid. At DHCC Free Zone, we license businesses in every sector, from trading and technology to education and finance, and healthcare is one of them.
Key takeaways
- A healthcare business needs a trade license and, for many activities, DHA licensing as well.
- DHA licensing covers the facility, with design, fit-out and inspection, and each professional.
- Approvals depend on the activity: some health-related activities show no approving authority in our list.
- Patient-facing services need dedicated premises that pass design, fit-out and inspection approvals.
- Confirm your activities, team and premises before you sign a lease or start a fit-out.
Types of healthcare business you can set up
Healthcare covers a wide range of businesses. Broadly, they fall into three kinds:
- Clinical facilities that treat patients, such as a general clinic, dental clinic, physiotherapy center or home health care center.
- Health-related trading, such as trading in medical and surgical equipment, or pharmacy and pharmaceutical activities.
- Non-clinical services, such as health consultancy or health management consulting.
The kind of business you choose shapes everything that follows: your activities, your approvals, your premises and your costs.
The approvals differ from one activity to the next. The table shows examples from our activity list at the time of writing. Ask DHCC on our business activities page always shows the current group and approving authority.
| Example activity | Group | Approval shown |
|---|---|---|
| General Clinic | Healthcare | DHA |
| General Dental Clinic | Healthcare | DHA |
| Physiotherapy Center | Healthcare | DHA |
| Home Health Care Center | Healthcare | DHA |
| Telemedicine Counseling Center | Healthcare | DHA |
| Pharmacy | Trading | DHA |
| Wholesale Of Pharmaceutical And Medical Goods | Trading | Emirates Drug Establishment |
| Medical, Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading | Trading | None shown |
| Health Consultancies | Professional | None shown |
The two layers of healthcare licensing
1. Your trade license
Your company needs a trade license that lists your activities. At DHCC Free Zone, the legal entity is an FZ-LLC, and a trade license starts from AED 12,500 a year, including a flexi-desk and up to 3 activity groups. Healthcare activities sit alongside our 2,000+ business activities in every other sector.
2. Health regulator licensing
Healthcare facilities and professionals in Dubai need licensing from the health regulator. For activities that show DHA approval in our list, that regulator is the DHA. Its licensing has two parts:
- Facility licensing. The premises where you treat patients go through design and fit-out approvals and an inspection.
- Professional licensing. Each healthcare professional needs a professional license. This includes verification of their qualifications and any exam or assessment required.
The DHA sets its own requirements and fees, and they can change, so check its official channels for the current rules. Your adviser will confirm the approvals for your activity.
How to set up, step by step
Use this as a general guide. The exact sequence depends on your activity and the regulator's requirements, and your adviser will confirm it for your case.
- Define your services. List the services you will offer, who will deliver them and whether patients will visit you.
- Choose your activities. Search our activity list and note the approving authority for each activity you need.
- Check your team's eligibility. Confirm that each professional you plan to hire can meet the professional licensing requirements, including qualification verification and any exam or assessment.
- Apply for your trade license. Choose your activities, see the setup cost, upload your documents, then sign and pay online.
- Secure suitable premises. A patient-facing facility needs premises that can pass the design, fit-out and inspection steps.
- Complete facility licensing. Work through the design and fit-out approvals and the inspection.
- License your professionals. Each professional completes their own professional licensing.
- Arrange visas and banking. Sponsor residence visas for your team and open a corporate bank account.
Questions to answer before you apply
- Will patients visit your premises, or will you serve them at home or remotely?
- Which professionals will you need, and in which specialties?
- Will you sell medical products or medicines as well as services?
- Will you train other professionals or run courses?
- How many residence visas will your team need in the first year?
Your answers shape your activity list, your approvals and your setup cost.
Tip: Start patient services only when every approval for your facility and your professionals is in place.
Choosing premises for a healthcare business
Premises matter more in healthcare than in most sectors, because the facility itself is licensed.
- Non-clinical companies, such as a health consultancy, may be able to start with a flexi-desk, which is included in our license package.
- Patient-facing facilities need dedicated premises that pass design and fit-out approvals and an inspection.
Before you sign a lease or start a fit-out, check that the space suits the services you plan to offer. Changing a fit-out after the fact can be costly.
For non-clinical teams, see our office space options, from a flexi-desk to a private office. For clinical premises, talk to an adviser about your requirements first. We are based in Dubai Healthcare City, in the heart of Dubai, near Dubai Healthcare City Metro Station on the Green Line.
Costs to plan for
A patient-facing healthcare business has more cost lines than most other businesses, because of premises, fit-out and regulator licensing. We do not quote regulator fees here, because the regulator sets them and they can change.
| Cost item | Indicative figure |
|---|---|
| Trade license with flexi-desk and up to 3 activity groups | From AED 12,500 a year |
| Multi-year license (2 or 3 years) | Saves 15% on the license fee |
| Employee visa | AED 3,500, plus a visa allocation of AED 1,850 a year |
| Establishment (immigration) card | AED 2,000 a year, needed once you hold any visa |
| DHA facility and professional licensing | Set by the DHA; check the current fees |
| Premises and fit-out | Depends on the location, size and services |
Our cost calculator shows the license, visa and extras side line by line. If you plan to hire from abroad, read our guide to getting a UAE residence visa through your company.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Signing a lease too early. Check that the premises can pass facility approvals before you commit.
- Hiring before checking eligibility. Confirm that each professional can be licensed before you make offers.
- Starting services too soon. Wait until every approval is in place.
- Choosing activities that do not match your services. Your activities should describe exactly what you offer, and each one may bring its own approval.
- Underestimating the fit-out. Plan time and budget for design approvals and the inspection.
- Overlooking other regulators. Selling medicines or training other professionals can bring approvals from other authorities, such as the Emirates Drug Establishment or KHDA, depending on the activity.
Combining healthcare with other activities
A healthcare business may also trade, train or consult. You can combine activities from up to 3 activity groups on one license, so a clinic that also sells medical supplies or offers health consultancy may be able to hold these on the same license, subject to the approvals each one needs. Some of these activities, such as training, may need approval from another regulator, like KHDA. Our guide on choosing business activities for a Dubai trade license explains how groups and approvals work.
DHCC Free Zone licenses every kind of business, including trading, e-commerce, consultancy, technology, media, education, finance, real estate services and food and beverage. Healthcare is one sector among many. If you are ready to plan a healthcare business, talk to our advisers about your services, activities and approvals.
Frequently asked questions
Healthcare facilities and professionals in Dubai need licensing from the health regulator. For activities that show DHA approval in our activity list, that is the Dubai Health Authority, and your adviser will confirm the approvals for your activity.
Yes. Each healthcare professional needs a professional license, which includes verification of their qualifications and any exam or assessment required.
A non-clinical company such as a health consultancy may be able to start with a flexi-desk, which is included in our license package. A facility that treats patients needs premises that pass design, fit-out and inspection approvals.
No. We license every kind of business, including trading, e-commerce, consultancy, technology, media, education, finance, real estate services and food and beverage. Healthcare is one sector among many.
Our trade license starts from AED 12,500 a year, including a flexi-desk and up to 3 activity groups. Regulator fees, premises and fit-out come on top and depend on your services.
About DHCC Free Zone
We license companies in Dubai across 2,000+ business activities, from trading, e-commerce and consultancy to technology, media, education and healthcare, and support them from setup to every renewal.
This guide is general information about doing business in Dubai at the time of writing, not legal or tax advice. Fees are indicative until confirmed by DHCC Free Zone.
