Which specialty qualifications are Tier 1, 2 or 3 in Bahrain?
Bahrain's National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) sorts specialty certificates into three tiers: for the Specialist licence, Tier 1 needs no experience after the certificate, Tier 2 needs 1 year and Tier 3 needs 3 years and a pass in the NHRA Specialist Examination, and a Tier 3 holder cannot attain the title of Consultant.
Checked 23 Oct 2026 · NHRA ↗
Experience needed after the certificate
| Specialist | Consultant | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | None | 2 years |
| Tier 2 | 1 year | 4 years |
| Tier 3 | 3 years | Cannot attain the title |
Qualifications by tier
Each qualification on its own. Where the country that awarded it decides the tier, NHRA's table below says which.
Tier 1 · 9 qualifications
- FANZCA
- FRACGP (Australian general practice)
- FRACP (Royal Australasian College of Physicians)
- FRACS
- FRANZCP
- FRANZCR
- FRCPC (Canada)
- UK CCT
- US board (ABMS)
Tier 2 · 1 qualification
Pakistan's FCPS is Tier 2 as well.
- DM or MCh (India)
Tier 3 · 4 qualifications
The FCPS here is Bangladesh's; Pakistan's is Tier 2.
- Arab Board
- DNB (India)
- FCPS (Pakistan, Bangladesh)
- MD or MS (India)
NHRA's table, by country
| India | |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 | DM with MD, MCh with MS, DNB super specialty |
| Tier 3 | MS, DNB, MD |
| Pakistan | |
| Tier 2 | FCPS |
| Tier 3 | MD in clinical medicine |
| Bangladesh | |
| Tier 3 | FCPS by exam, MS, MD |
| Nigeria | |
| Tier 2 | Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians or Surgeons, National Postgraduate Medical College |
| Egypt | |
| Tier 2 | Egyptian board, Egyptian fellowship, clinical PhD |
| Tier 3 | Clinical master's degree |
| Philippines | |
| Tier 3 | Diplomate of the Philippine Board |
| Sri Lanka | |
| Tier 3 | MD of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine |
| United Kingdom | |
| Tier 1 | CCST, CCT, CCT in General Practice, structured higher specialty training of at least four years with an exit fellowship |
| Ireland | |
| Tier 1 | CSCST, CSCST in General Practice |
| United States | |
| Tier 1 | American Board certificates (ABMS) |
| Canada | |
| Tier 1 | RCPSC fellowship, CFPC certification |
| Australia and New Zealand | |
| Tier 1 | Fellowship of the Royal College or Colleges by exam |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| Tier 2 | Saudi board |
| Oman | |
| Tier 2 | OMSB certificate |
| Kuwait | |
| Tier 2 | Kuwait Board |
| Arab Board | |
| Tier 2 | Only with a one-year clinical fellowship after the board, for the consultant licence, when trained abroad |
| Tier 3 | In family medicine and secondary or tertiary care from training outside Bahrain |
| Countries not listed | |
| Tier 3 | Tier 3 when the qualification is at least three years long and meets NHRA criteria |
What it means for you
- Is Pakistan's FCPS the same tier as in the UAE?
- No. NHRA puts it in Tier 2 and the UAE's rules in Tier 3, so in Bahrain a Specialist needs 1 year after it and no NHRA Specialist Examination.
- Who sits the NHRA Specialist Examination?
- Holders of Tier 3 specialty qualifications trained outside Bahrain must pass the NHRA Specialist Examination (electronic, written, short cases or interview); Tier 1 and Tier 2 qualifications are exempt; four attempts within three years of the first.
- Does every doctor sit the licensing exam as well?
- Yes: all physicians must pass the BLE to obtain the professional licence; a pass is valid five years; only Bahraini or GCC nationals holding a valid GCC licence are exempt.
- Can a doctor trained abroad get a general (GP) licence?
- The general licence categories are for Bahrainis only; non-Bahraini physicians need an exemption from the Supreme Council of Health; general practitioners and general residents work under the direct supervision of consultants.
- What counts as a specialty qualification?
- A specialty certificate obtained after a full-time structured clinical residency of at least three years, or a full-time clinical master's or PhD with at least 70 to 75 per cent supervised clinical training, allocated to Tier 1, 2 or 3 in the Recognized Specialty Certificates table by country and awarding body; a sub-specialty licence needs a one-year fellowship.
What to do next
Tell us your specialty qualification and your years of practice, and we show whether NHRA will license you as a specialist or consultant and what is left, with how long it takes.
Sources
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