Planning to work as a nurse in Qatar? Before starting verification or booking an examination, check which nursing category matches your qualification and experience.
Many applicants still search for a “QCHP nursing licence.” The current authority is the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP), under Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health. Applications involve credential verification, professional evaluation and licensing through the electronic registration system.
This guide explains the process for overseas nurses and highlights newer circulars that affect the nursing guidelines.
1. Who Can Apply for a Qatar Nursing Licence?
Registered General Nurse — RGN
The nursing guidelines list these qualification routes:
| Qualification | Standard experience requirement |
|---|---|
| Four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing | Two years of clinical experience after nursing registration/licensing |
| Three-year nursing diploma following 12 years of schooling | Two years of clinical experience after nursing registration/licensing |
| Associate degree in nursing, with recognised RN registration in the country of origin or graduation | Three years of clinical experience after nursing registration/licensing |
These are the standard requirements. Specific experience exemptions and supervised-training arrangements may apply to eligible groups.
For GNM applicants: a three-year diploma can meet the educational route described above, subject to DHP’s assessment. Your schooling, programme duration, registration and clinical experience must support the application.
Other Nursing Categories
The guidelines also cover specialist, advanced-practice, practical-nursing and midwifery roles. Applicants should select the category that matches their credentials rather than applying under a higher title based only on their job designation.
Two updates deserve attention:
- Nursing Technician and Midwife Technician: Circular DHP/2025/01 introduced these titles in place of the combined “Assistant Nurse/Assistant Midwife” terminology.
- Nurse Educator: Circular DHP/2026/29 provides updated criteria. Overseas applicants need to meet RGN requirements, hold a clinical master’s degree in nursing, and demonstrate at least three years as an RGN plus two years as a nurse educator after the master’s degree.
An MSc alone does not establish eligibility for every specialist or educator position.
2. Can Fresh Graduates Apply?
Fresh graduates should check whether they fall within a specific exemption or approved training pathway.
Circular DHP/2025/24 provides the following distinctions for nursing:
| Applicant group | Experience provision |
|---|---|
| Graduates of recognised universities and higher-education institutions in Qatar | Exempt from the work-experience requirement |
| Qataris and offspring of Qatari women who graduated overseas | Exempt from the work-experience requirement |
| Overseas-qualified offspring of residents and spouses of residents | One year of experience required |
Eligible family-residency applicants may complete the required experience through an approved supervised route. For nurses, the circular requires direct clinical nursing experience in a recognised facility, following DHP approval and the applicable licensing arrangements.
Do not begin training and assume it will count later. DHP’s circular list includes a warning against training or supervised work undertaken without prior approval.
3. Documents Required for Nursing Evaluation
Your attached nursing guidelines list the following evaluation documents:
- Valid passport.
- Qatar ID, front and back, if available; otherwise the relevant national identity document.
- Recent photograph meeting DHP specifications.
- Updated CV in the required format.
- Nursing qualification certificates.
- Official academic transcripts.
- Recent clinical experience certificates.
- Professional registration/licences covering the required employment periods.
- Primary-source verification report.
- Qualifying-examination pass certificate, where required.
Keep internship records, name-change evidence and any additional qualification documents ready if relevant.
Documents issued in languages other than Arabic or English require an official translation attached to the original-language document.
Experience Certificates: What Should They Show?
Ask your employer to include your full name, nursing role, exact employment dates, issue date and authorised signature on official letterhead. The certificate should clearly establish the clinical work you performed.
4. Complete Primary-Source Verification
Primary-source verification, commonly called PSV, checks credentials directly with the issuing institutions or authorities.
DHP’s current verification page lists:
- DataFlow.
- QuadraBay.
- Approved Verification Services — AVS.
Use the links provided on the official DHP website to select an approved provider. DHP instructs applicants to complete verification and attach the report to the evaluation application.
If you already have verification for another country, ask whether a report transfer or additional verification is needed. A previous positive report does not automatically complete Qatar’s requirements.
Your attached guidelines state that PSV replaces certificate attestation for the professional evaluation process. Separate immigration, employer or temporary-licence documents may still have their own attestation requirements.
5. Qatar Nursing Prometric Examination
For applicants required to take the Registered General Nurse examination, Prometric currently lists:
| Item | Published specification |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 multiple-choice questions |
| Duration | Three hours |
| Pass mark | 50% |
Registered Midwife is also listed with 150 questions, three hours and a 50% cut score. Older documents may show different durations, so check the current booking information.
Book through the official Qatar DHP Prometric programme, using identity details that match your passport.
The government’s preliminary-evaluation service specifies a three-year validity for the qualifying-examination certificate.
6. Nursing Examination Exemptions
NCLEX-RN
Circular DHP/2025/19 lists NCLEX-RN as an examination that can exempt nursing applicants from Qatar’s qualifying examination.
The circular requires the examination to be valid and verified. It states that, from 1 January 2026, examination evidence will not be accepted without a verification report.
Your attached nursing guidelines specify successful NCLEX completion within the previous five years. Submit the result for DHP assessment, particularly where the examination date approaches or exceeds that period.
An overseas RN licence alone is not the same as verified NCLEX-RN evidence.
Nationality and Qatar-Graduate Categories
Circular DHP/2025/24 identifies qualifying-exam exemptions for:
- Qatari nationals.
- Offspring of Qatari women.
- Graduates of universities and higher-education institutions in Qatar.
Family residency alone should not be treated as an examination exemption. Experience concessions and examination exemptions are separate matters.
Does a Saudi, DHA, DOH or MOHAP Licence Give Exemption?
Do not assume automatic exemption based on a GCC licence or GCC examination pass. Submit the exact credentials and follow DHP’s decision for your category.
Likewise, an MSc should not be advertised as a blanket examination waiver. Eligibility for a specialist scope and exemption from a qualifying examination require separate consideration.
7. Qatar Nursing Licence Process: Step by Step
Step 1: Confirm Your Nursing Category
Compare your education, registration and clinical history with the requirements for the intended scope.
Step 2: Prepare Your Documents
Check names, dates and registration details across all records. Resolve discrepancies before verification.
Step 3: Complete PSV
Arrange verification through a DHP-approved provider and obtain the required report.
Step 4: Meet the Examination Requirement
Pass the applicable examination or submit verified evidence supporting exemption.
Step 5: Apply for Evaluation
Complete the electronic evaluation application and coordinate with the Qatar employer’s representative. Your attached guideline shows that the employer representative reviews and forwards the request.
Monitor whether the application is pending with the employer or with DHP; these are different stages.
Step 6: Receive Preliminary Evaluation
The preliminary certificate confirms technical eligibility to proceed. It is valid for six months and is not a practice licence. The official service allows applicants to seek evaluation from their home country.
Step 7: Complete Final Licensing Requirements
Prepare the applicable Qatar identity, medical-fitness, criminal-clearance and professional-good-standing evidence.
Step 8: Obtain the Issued Licence
After approval and payment, check the electronic licence for your name, scope, workplace and validity. Practise within the authorised role and workplace.
8. Documents for the Final Licensing Stage
The government’s permanent-licensing service includes:
- Qatar ID.
- Valid passport.
- Updated CV and photograph.
- Authorised medical-fitness report.
- Qatar criminal-record clearance for licensing.
- Professional Good Standing Certificate.
- Verification report.
- Qualifications, experience and previous registration.
- Examination evidence, where applicable.
The attached guidelines describe direct submission of good standing by the regulator. However, DHP subsequently issued Circular DHP/2025/08 updating submission procedures. Follow the current instructions for your application rather than relying solely on an older email-submission method.
Is BLS/CPR Still Required?
Healthcare practitioners must meet DHP’s CPR requirements. However, Circular DHP/2024/06 delegates responsibility for checking and retaining the evidence to healthcare facilities. It says CPR-course documents do not need to be submitted with licensing or renewal applications.
Keep your recognised certification current for employer review.
9. Is a Temporary Licence Available?
Yes. An eligible applicant who has completed preliminary evaluation may request a temporary licence while completing permanent-licensing requirements.
The government service describes it as optional, issued once, valid for a maximum of six months, and non-renewable. Undertakings and additional identity, medical or police-clearance documents may be required.
Temporary licensing does not remove the need to complete the permanent application.
10. Fees and Processing Time
| Service | Published fee | Published review time |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing preliminary evaluation | QAR 100 | 15 working days |
| Permanent nursing licence | QAR 600 | 10 working days |
| Temporary licence | Free | Subject to complete application and service processing |
These are authority-service charges, not the total cost. PSV, examination, medical tests, translations and related expenses are additional. Processing periods start with a complete application; verification and employer delays can extend the overall timeline.
11. Renewal and Continuing Professional Development
Maintain your registration, employment records and required CPD evidence. DHP issued Circular DHP/2026/38 changing CPD requirements for nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals, so check the current cycle requirements before renewal.
12. Study Materials and Documentation Support
Prepare using the current nursing examination blueprint and references linked through DHP.
For Nursing Manthra study-material enquiries:
Nursing Manthra Study Materials
For documentation and licensing assistance:
WhatsApp: +971 50 251 5717
Website: www.nursingmanthra.com
Nursing Manthra supports documentation and licensing applications. Recruitment and job placement are not included.
Nursing Manthra documentation support
Nursing Manthra can assist with document preparation, application coordination and responding to licensing queries. We provide documentation and licensing support; we do not provide recruitment or job placement.
Before enrolling in training, have your current licence and qualification pathway reviewed. It is easier to resolve an eligibility question before paying course fees.
Contact Nursing Manthra
For document preparation, verification support, licensing guidance and examination study materials:
UAE / WhatsApp: +971 502 515 717
India: +91 6828756689
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/971502515717
Study materials: https://nursingmanthra.com/study-materials/
About the Author:
Shincy George, RN, MSN (Cardiothoracic Nursing), SCFHS-RN, DHA RN, MOH UAE RN, NCLEX-RN (USA), is the Founder of Nursing Manthra Academy.
With extensive international clinical and academic experience, she is dedicated to guiding healthcare professionals through global licensing pathways. Through Nursing Manthra, she supports internationally educated healthcare professionals in achieving their career goals across Canada, USA, UAE, Middle East, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.
Her mission is to simplify complex licensing processes and empower healthcare professionals with the right knowledge, guidance, and support to succeed globally.
