One country, four doors

A licence from one authority does not permit practice in another emirate, and an examination pass for one authority cannot be used in another's application. If you pass the Dubai examination and then decide on Abu Dhabi, you begin that part again.

This is why the order matters: decide the city, then the authority, then prepare for that authority's examination. Deciding in that order saves months and a considerable amount of money.

Dubai, through DHA. The fastest and most international environment, with a large private sector and patients from everywhere. Highest cost of living, highest competition, most opportunity.

Abu Dhabi, through DOH. Deeper hospital systems, a stronger public sector and a more structured environment. Well suited to doctors who want systems and stability rather than pace.

Sharjah, through SHA. Considerably lower living costs, a large South Asian community, and a short journey to Dubai. Often the practical choice for a doctor moving with family.

The Northern Emirates, through MOHAP. Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The lowest fees, the least competition, and a genuinely unhurried pace of life.

Each authority publishes a self assessment tool that tells you which title you qualify for: general practitioner, specialist or consultant. Use it before paying a single fee. It takes twenty minutes and it prevents the most common and most expensive error, which is applying for the wrong title and having the file rejected after weeks of waiting.

Assemble your documents and check that the name is identical on every one. Then begin Primary Source Verification through DataFlow, for the specific authority you have chosen. Verification completed for one authority does not automatically serve another.

Start verification first and prepare for the examination while it runs. These two things are meant to happen at the same time.

Once your file is accepted you receive an eligibility number and book the examination. It is a computer based examination of clinical multiple choice questions, in English, covering internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology.

The format is 150 single best answer questions in three hours, and the published pass score is sixty per cent. Aim for at least seventy per cent in your mock examinations to give yourself a comfortable margin.

Passing the examination makes you eligible for the licence. It does not by itself allow you to work. The licence is activated when a licensed facility employs you and completes its part of the process, and your residence visa follows from that employment.

Plan for this gap. Many doctors pass, then spend several weeks in applications and interviews. Beginning conversations with employers while your file is processing shortens that period considerably.

There is no personal income tax on your salary. The variable that matters most is the emirate, because housing is the largest expense and it differs sharply between Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Look closely at the whole package rather than the basic figure. Housing allowance, annual flights, medical insurance for dependants, education allowance for children and end of service benefits often decide whether an offer is genuinely strong.