How many CPD hours do UAE physicians need per year?

Physicians licensed under DOH Abu Dhabi, DHA Dubai, SHA, or MOHAP must complete 40 CPD hours per year. Physicians licensed under DHCC (Dubai Healthcare City) must complete 80 CPD points over a biennial (2-year) cycle — equivalent to 40 per year but tracked cumulatively.

What is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 for physicians?

Under DOH and MOHAP, at least 50% of your 40 hours must be Category 1 (formal/accredited activities: conferences, accredited courses, residency). The remaining up to 50% can be Category 2 (non-formal: journal reading, peer review, teaching). DHA, SHA, and DHCC do not enforce a formal Cat 1/Cat 2 split.

Do surgeons have additional CPD requirements?

Yes. Surgeons (including dental surgeons) must submit a surgical logbook every 2 years under the PQR baseline — applicable across DOH, DHA, SHA, and MOHAP. The logbook documents procedures performed and is submitted at license renewal alongside CPD certificates.

Does my DOH CPD count if I transfer to DHA?

Not automatically. Each authority maintains its own CPD records and renewal portal. If you transfer from DOH to DHA, you will need to submit CPD evidence to DHA's Sheryan portal. Provsure stores your certificates centrally, so you can export authority-specific reports for any portal.

What happens if I miss my physician CPD deadline?

Failing to meet annual CPD requirements results in license non-renewal, which constitutes automatic suspension from practice. DOH and DHA notify professionals approaching the deadline through their portals, but the responsibility to comply rests entirely with the individual.

Can online courses count toward physician CPD?

Yes. Under DHA, 100% of CPD hours can come from online programmes — as long as they are specialty-related (§18.5). Under DOH and MOHAP, online courses can be Category 1 if accredited. DHCC caps online CPD at 50% of the 2-year cycle total. SHA has not published a specific online cap.

How does DHCC's biennial cycle work for physicians?

DHCC physicians must accumulate 80 CPD points over a 2-year renewal cycle (not 40 per year in isolation). At least 50% (40 points) must be Category 1. The majority of points must be in the specialty area. Online CPD is capped at 50% of the cycle total. Renewal and tracking is managed through the MASAAR portal using GL/HCP/007/03 guidelines.

Do visiting or temporary license holders need CPD?

No. Visiting and temporary healthcare licenses in the UAE (typically valid for 3–6 months, non-renewable) do not require standard CPD accrual. DHA visiting licenses are capped at 3 months and are one-time only per professional (DHA Manual v1.3, Ch.17). PQR visiting licenses allow a single 3-month renewal (6 months maximum). If you hold a visiting license, your CPD target is zero — but you must still maintain any mandatory credentials like BLS. (Source: v4.11 §6.9 — License Type & Career Stage Handling.)

I'm a medical resident or fellow — do I need to log CPD separately?

If you are enrolled in an active residency or fellowship programme in the UAE, your programme enrolment fulfils your CPD requirement automatically. DOH awards 40 CPD credits per year of enrolment (CPD Standard Appendix 1). You do not need to log individual courses — instead, keep your programme director's letter as your compliance evidence. This letter should confirm your active enrolment, programme name, and dates. Provsure can store this letter as your CPD fulfilment record. Note: if your programme ends mid-cycle, you will need to accumulate standard CPD hours for the remainder of that cycle.

UAE CPD Requirements for Physicians 2026 — All Authorities

Q: Do General Practitioners need specialty-specific CPD?

Yes. Under the UAE PQR (and DHA Manual §5.31), General Practitioners must meet the 70% specialty rule, but their 'specialty' encompasses all 10 defined GP clinical domains: General Practice/Medicine, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Primary Care, Emergency Medicine, Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, General Surgery, Cardiology, and Critical Care Medicine. Any activity in any of these domains counts toward the 70% specialty minimum.

CPD Requirements by Authority

All five UAE licensing authorities require physicians to complete CPD annually (or per cycle). The table below compares the requirements across DOH, DHA, SHA, MOHAP, and DHCC.

Authority	Hours / Cycle	Cat 1 / Cat 2	Specialty Rule	Online	Cycle
DOH	40 hrs / yr	50% Cat 1 min	70% specialty, 30% general	Not specified	Annual
DHA	40 hrs / yr	No formal split	70% specialty, 30% general	100% allowed	Annual
SHA	40 hrs / yr	No formal split	70% specialty	Not specified	Annual
MOHAP	40 hrs / yr	50% Cat 1 min	70% specialty, 30% general	Not specified	Annual
DHCC	80 pts / 2yr	No formal split	Majority (>50%) specialty	50% max	Biennial (2yr)

Source: UAE authority CPD standards (2024–2025). SHA requirements are based on PQR baseline — no SHA-specific CPD circular has been published to date.

Category 1 and Category 2 by Authority

Not all authorities use a Category 1/2 split. DOH and MOHAP enforce a strict 50%/50% formal/non-formal balance. DHA and SHA do not enforce the split. DHCC requires 50% Cat 1 over the 2-year biennial cycle.

DOH & MOHAP — 50/50 Split Required

✓ Min 20 hrs Category 1 (formal/accredited)
✓ Max 20 hrs Category 2 (non-formal)
! BLS, ACLS — mandatory but 0 CPD hours

DHA & SHA — No Formal Split

✓ All 40 hrs can be online (DHA §18.5)
✓ No carry-over to next year (DHA §18.8)
— SHA: no published Cat 1/2 guidance

The 70/30 Specialty Rule

Across all authorities, physicians must direct the majority of their CPD toward their specialty area. DOH, DHA, SHA, and MOHAP enforce a 70% specialty / 30% general split. DHCC requires a majority (>50%) specialty.

What counts as “specialty” CPD?

→ Conferences, workshops, or courses in your specific specialty (e.g., cardiology, orthopaedics)
→ Publications in specialty journals or book chapters in your field
→ Teaching in formal specialty programmes
→ Specialty board certification (10 CPD credits at DOH)

Note for General Practitioners

General Practitioners are not required to hold a single named board specialty. Instead, the UAE PQR (DOH) and DHA Manual §5.31 define 10 clinical domains that collectively constitute the GP specialty scope. Any CPD activity in any of these domains satisfies the 70% specialty requirement:

General Practice / General Medicine

Internal Medicine

Family Medicine

Primary Care / Primary Healthcare

Emergency Medicine

Paediatrics

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

General Surgery

Cardiology

Critical Care Medicine

GPs: your 'specialty' is general practice — 10+ clinical domains count as core specialty CPD

GPs may work across multiple domains — all count toward the 70% specialty minimum. No requirement to declare a single “primary specialty”.

Surgical Logbook Requirement

Surgical specialists should maintain a procedural logbook alongside CPD

Surgeons (including dental surgeons) must submit a surgical logbook every 2 years as part of the PQR baseline — applicable under DOH, DHA, SHA, and MOHAP. The logbook documents procedures performed and is submitted alongside CPD certificates at license renewal. DHCC does not explicitly address surgical logbooks in GL/HCP/007/03.

Practical tip:Keep your surgical logbook updated continuously rather than compiling it at renewal time. Provsure's document store can hold your logbook alongside your CPD certificates.

Tracking Provsure compliance automatically

Tracking CPD requirements across authorities, categories, and deadlines is time-consuming. Provsure automates it — upload certificates and we handle the categorisation, gap analysis, and renewal alerts.

See how it works →

How to Submit CPD Hours

DOH

TAMM platform (tamm.abudhabi.ae) → Healthcare Professional Services

DHA

Sheryan portal (sheryan.dha.gov.ae) → CPD section

SHA

SHA portal (sha.shj.ae)

MOHAP

MOHAP portal (mohap.gov.ae) → License renewal section

DHCC

MASAAR portal (dhcc.ae) → CPD & Licensing

Common Mistakes to Avoid

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Counting BLS / ACLS hours toward CPD — these are mandatory prerequisites, not CPD activities.
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Submitting more than 50% Category 2 (non-formal) under DOH or MOHAP — the hard cap is 50%.
✕
Assuming CPD hours carry over to the next year — they don't under any UAE authority.
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Forgetting the 70% specialty rule — total hours may be correct but specialty proportion too low.
✕
Mixing up authorities if you hold dual licenses — each authority has its own portal and requirement.
✕
Missing the surgical logbook requirement (every 2 years) if you perform surgical procedures.

Calculate Your CPD Gap

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Frequently Asked Questions

See also — CPD requirements by authority

Do BLS and ACLS Count Toward CPD in the UAE?Category 1 vs Category 2 CPD — What’s the Difference?

UAE CPD Requirements for Physicians (2026)