Is the licensing exam in English?

In the UAE, yes: healthcare professionals must pass the Authority's examination to obtain a licence; all examinations are conducted in English.

Can I register in the UK without a test?

Sometimes. For the NMC, a nurse's English is accepted without a test when the pre-registration programme was taught and examined in English in a majority-English-speaking country, or after one year of recent practice in a majority-English-speaking country.

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🇦🇪 🇶🇦 🇸🇦 🇧🇭 🇰🇼 🇴🇲 · Nurses, doctors and allied health

Can nurses and doctors get a Gulf licence without IELTS or OET?

For nurses, the UAE requires no English test outside one exemption route, the licensing requirements of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman name none, and Kuwait asks that nurses speak and write English without naming a test or score; for doctors, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman name none either.

Checked 23 Oct 2026 · DHA ↗

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates: DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA

Nurses: No English test is required of nurses, except the proof under 13.1.15.4 for applicants claiming the experience exemption

🇶🇦 Qatar: DHP (formerly QCHP)

Nurses: No English language test named
Doctors: No English language test named
Pharmacists: No English language test named

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: SCFHS

Every profession: No English language test named

🇧🇭 Bahrain: NHRA

Nurses: No English language test named
Doctors: No English language test named
Dentists: No English language test named
Paramedics and allied health: No English language test named

🇴🇲 Oman: Ministry of Health

Nurses: No English language test named
Doctors: No English language test named
Pharmacists: No English language test named
Paramedics and allied health: No English language test named

🇰🇼 Kuwait: Ministry of Health

Nurses: Able to speak and write in English; no test or score is named
Doctors and dentists: No English language test named
Pharmacists: No English language test named

Where a test is asked: the UK, Ireland and Australia

🇬🇧 United Kingdom: NMC, nurses	OET B in listening, reading and speaking and C+ in writing, or IELTS Academic 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: GMC, doctors	IELTS 7.5 overall with 7.0 in each part, or OET grade B in each of speaking, listening, reading and writing, in the same test and the most recent sitting
🇮🇪 Ireland: NMBI, nurses	OET B in three parts and C+ in the other, or IELTS 7.0 overall with 7.0 in three parts and 6.5 in the other, from one sitting
🇮🇪 Ireland: IMC, doctors	IELTS 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each part, or OET grade B in each module in a single sitting within the last two years
🇦🇺 Australia: Ahpra, every profession	OET 350 in listening and writing and 360 in reading and speaking, or IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing

What it means for you

Is the licensing exam in English?: In the UAE, yes: healthcare professionals must pass the Authority's examination to obtain a licence; all examinations are conducted in English.
Can I register in the UK without a test?: Sometimes. For the NMC, a nurse's English is accepted without a test when the pre-registration programme was taught and examined in English in a majority-English-speaking country, or after one year of recent practice in a majority-English-speaking country.

What to do next

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Sources

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