Gulf specialist and consultant years count from the specialty certificate, not the internship
The UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman count a specialist's or consultant's experience from the specialty certificate: for Specialist the UAE's PQR asks 3 years after a Tier 3 certificate and NHRA 1 year after Tier 2 or 3 years after Tier 3; for Consultant the PQR asks 2 years after Tier 1 or 5 years after Tier 2, and NHRA 2 years or 4 years.
Checked 23 Oct 2026 · DHA ↗
- Who it affects
- Doctors in New Zealand, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman
UAE (unified PQR): years after the certificate
| Specialist | Consultant | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | None | 2 years |
| Tier 2 | None | 5 years |
| Tier 3 | 3 years | Cannot attain the title |
Bahrain (NHRA): years after the certificate
| Specialist | Consultant | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | None | 2 years |
| Tier 2 | 1 year | 4 years |
| Tier 3 | 3 years | Cannot attain the title |
What it means for you
The UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman count a specialist's or consultant's experience from the specialty certificate, so the plan now asks for that year instead of guessing from the internship; New Zealand's no-test route needs English as a first language as well as an English-medium degree; Bahrain's specialist route says plainly that the general licence is for Bahrainis; Oman's plan shows which boards consultancies say are exempt.
Years after the specialty certificate
Every Gulf regulator counts a specialist's or consultant's experience from the specialty certificate, not from the internship: the UAE's unified PQR (three years after a Tier 3 certificate; two or five for the consultant title), Qatar's DHP (one, two or three years after the degree by category, inside the five-year total), SCFHS (three years for a consultant), NHRA (one or three years for a specialist, two or four for a consultant) and Oman's ministry (three years at level 3; six or twelve for a consultant). The plan used to approximate this with years since the internship, which could tell a doctor with a new certificate that every step was met. It now asks for the year on the certificate, counts from it, and leaves the step open with "Add the year of my specialty certificate" until it has one.
New Zealand's no-test route
The Medical Council's September 2026 policy accepts an English-medium degree from Australia, the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada or South Africa only for someone who speaks English as a first language. The plan now asks both, so a UK graduate whose first language is not English sees the IELTS or OET step.
Bahrain
NHRA's January 2024 requirements, now snapshotted, mark the Resident general licence "for Bahrainis only"; a non-Bahraini needs an exemption from the Supreme Council of Health. There is still no general practitioner route for overseas doctors, and the specialist route's first step now says so instead of leaving the closed door unexplained.
Oman's levels
The ministry's procedure does not say which boards sit at level 2 and which at level 3. Two consultancy pages agree that UK CCT, American and Canadian boards and the Australasian and UK fellowships are recognised without the exam, and that Indian MD, MS and DNB, the Arab Board and the Egyptian Fellowship are examined after three years. That is shown as a note on the specialty step, marked as unconfirmed by OMSB; the plan still asks which level OMSB gave.
What to do next
Tell us where you trained, your English and the countries you want, and we show which steps you have left in each, with every fee and how long it takes.
Sources
- UAE Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), April 2025 edition ↗
- NHRA: Physicians Qualifications Requirements (PQR), version 3.1, November 2023, last update January 2024 ↗
- DHP (Qatar): Guidelines for Physicians ↗
- SCFHS: Professional Classification Manual for Health Practitioners, 5th edition (1430H, 2009), hosted by King Saud University ↗
- Oman Ministry of Health, DGPHE: SOP of licensing and assessing medical category (physicians), version 03, November 2025 ↗
- Medical Council of New Zealand: Policy on English language requirements (revised November 2025, updated September 2026) ↗
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