What is the GP exam like?

150 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours, cut score 60%. Applicants can sit the qualifying exam up to 5 consecutive times whatever the gap between attempts.

Which exams exempt a GP?

IFOM Clinical Science Exam (minimum score 60), USMLE Step 2, PLAB Part 1, MCCQE Part 1, AMC MCQ, PRES Part 2 (MCQ), MRCGP Part 1 Applied Knowledge Test; valid as stated on the certificate, otherwise three years. From 1 January 2026 any exam used for an exemption (NCLEX-RN for nurses) must itself be verified; no exam is accepted without a verification report.

Can I be licensed as a consultant?

Consultant is not a DHP licence title; healthcare facilities may promote a DHP-licensed specialist to consultant after two years' post-degree experience for category 1, four for category 2 and six for category 3, with two peer-reviewed publications, two recommendation letters and a facility committee.

What if my experience falls short?

Overseas physicians with less than the required post-qualification experience, or whose category 3 experience is not from a government or training hospital, are not eligible for registration.

How long does DHP take?

The evaluation takes 25 working days and stays valid for 6 months.

What do I need for the licence itself?

QID with the employer as sponsor, the verification report, a Qatar police clearance, a medical report valid six months, a recognised CPR course, and a certificate of good standing covering the required experience and verified by the PSV company; reviewed in 15 working days.

Can I start work before the full licence?

DHP can issue a temporary licence: six months, non-renewable, bridging the gap to full licensing.

← Doctors in Qatar outcomeOS

🇶🇦 Qatar · Doctors

What do doctors need for a QCHP license in Qatar?

Qatar's Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP, formerly QCHP) licenses a General Practitioner trained abroad with a medical degree of at least six years, 60 months of clinical experience and a pass in its Prometric exam unless an accepted exam exempts you, and a specialist by the category of the postgraduate qualification; your employer in Qatar submits the application, so a job offer comes first.

Checked 23 Oct 2026 · QCHP ↗

What DHP asks of a General Practitioner

Medical degree	A minimum of six years of undergraduate medical degree; the internship can count towards the six years when the college programme is shorter. Bachelor's degree of medicine from a university listed in the IMED FAIMER Directory (now the World Directory of Medical Schools)
Experience	60 months of clinical experience, for applicants from overseas
Licence at home	Copies of valid medical registration licences accompanying the required years of work experience
Exam	Overseas applicants must pass the GP qualifying exam unless exempted; five exam trials are allowed; Qataris and offspring of Qatari women are exempt
Job offer	The evaluation is submitted and tracked through the employer representative's landing page, so a job offer comes first; Qatari ID with the employer as sponsor is needed for licensing

Specialists

Categories	Category 1 qualifications need one year of clinical experience after the postgraduate degree and no DHP exam; Category 2 need two years and no exam; Category 3 (anything not listed in categories 1 or 2) needs a certificate of structured postgraduate training of at least three years with a pass in the exit or board exam, three years of clinical experience after the degree in a governmental, semi-governmental or training hospital, and the DHP qualifying exam
Approved qualifications	Categories 1 and 2 list qualifications by conferring country, among them UK Royal College membership or fellowship with a CCST, American Board certificates, RCPSC and CFPC certificates, Australian and New Zealand Royal College fellowships, the Arab Board (GCC in category 1), Irish Royal College membership with CSCST, Indian DM, M.Ch and FNB, German, French, Dutch and other European specialist diplomas; the table is not exclusive and DHP may amend it
Total experience	60 months of clinical experience in all, including the years after the postgraduate degree
Specialty exam, Category 3 only	150 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours, cut score 65% for the 34 specialty exams (55% for sports medicine); 3 attempts

Fees

Step	Fee
DataFlow verification, doctors' packageWho pays varies	QAR 1,210
Prometric qualifying examWho pays varies	US$244

Good to know

What is the GP exam like?: 150 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours, cut score 60%. Applicants can sit the qualifying exam up to 5 consecutive times whatever the gap between attempts.
Which exams exempt a GP?: IFOM Clinical Science Exam (minimum score 60), USMLE Step 2, PLAB Part 1, MCCQE Part 1, AMC MCQ, PRES Part 2 (MCQ), MRCGP Part 1 Applied Knowledge Test; valid as stated on the certificate, otherwise three years. From 1 January 2026 any exam used for an exemption (NCLEX-RN for nurses) must itself be verified; no exam is accepted without a verification report.
Can I be licensed as a consultant?: Consultant is not a DHP licence title; healthcare facilities may promote a DHP-licensed specialist to consultant after two years' post-degree experience for category 1, four for category 2 and six for category 3, with two peer-reviewed publications, two recommendation letters and a facility committee.
What if my experience falls short?: Overseas physicians with less than the required post-qualification experience, or whose category 3 experience is not from a government or training hospital, are not eligible for registration.
How long does DHP take?: The evaluation takes 25 working days and stays valid for 6 months.
What do I need for the licence itself?: QID with the employer as sponsor, the verification report, a Qatar police clearance, a medical report valid six months, a recognised CPR course, and a certificate of good standing covering the required experience and verified by the PSV company; reviewed in 15 working days.
Can I start work before the full licence?: DHP can issue a temporary licence: six months, non-renewable, bridging the gap to full licensing.

What to do next

Tell us your degree, your experience and your postgraduate qualification, and we show whether DHP will license you as a GP or specialist and what is left, with each fee and how long it takes.

Sources

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