Facility license renewal in Dubai: the full 2026 process
A clinic in Dubai renews its facility license through the Renew Facility License (RFL) service on the Sheryan portal: a delegated facility representative uploads a renewed trade license, pays the fee and any outstanding fines, and the regulator reviews it in an average of 1 working day. Renewal opens 90 days before expiry. A general clinic pays AED 5,000 for 1 year and a specialty clinic AED 6,000. A license not renewed within 6 months of expiry is treated as cancelled.
Pricing
| Procedure / Item | Range | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| General clinic, general dental clinic or school clinic — active facility license renewal | AED 5,000–AED 12,500 | AED 5,000 |
| Specialty clinic — active facility license renewal | AED 6,000–AED 15,000 | AED 6,000 |
| Polyclinic (multiple specialties) — active facility license renewal | AED 15,000–AED 37,500 | AED 15,000 |
| Community/retail pharmacy — active facility license renewal | AED 7,500–AED 18,750 | AED 7,500 |
| Hospital under 50 beds, day surgery centre, fertility centre or convalescence house — active facility license renewal | AED 20,000–AED 50,000 | AED 20,000 |
| Hospital 50 to 100 beds — active facility license renewal | AED 30,000–AED 75,000 | AED 30,000 |
| Hospital over 100 beds — active facility license renewal | AED 40,000–AED 100,000 | AED 40,000 |
| Add-on license (mobile unit, telehealth or home healthcare) — per add-on per year | AED 2,000–AED 2,000 | AED 2,000 |
| Inactive facility license renewal | AED 500–AED 2,000 | AED 1,000 |
| Late renewal penalty, active facility license — per month | AED 500–AED 8,000 | AED 1,000 |
| Professional license renewal — physician or dentist (full-time) | AED 3,000–AED 7,500 | AED 3,000 |
| Professional license renewal — nurse, midwife, allied health or TCAM (full-time) | AED 1,000–AED 2,500 | AED 1,000 |
The note beside each fee gives its source. Check the current fee with the issuing authority before you pay. All amounts in AED. Last reviewed October 2026.
How facility license renewal works
Dubai's health regulator renews facility licenses only through the Sheryan portal. Its licensing manual says applications sent by email or on paper are not accepted. The service is Renew Facility License, code RFL. It is separate from Renew Professional License (RPL), which renews the license of each clinician.
Only a delegated healthcare facility representative can apply. The steps on the RFL service page are: log in, select the renewal service, fill in and submit the online application, pay the fee and any outstanding professional and facility fines, receive an application reference number, and wait for the regulator's review. If the request is approved, the renewed facility license is issued. The published average processing time is 1 working day.
Renewal opens 90 days before the license expires. The RFL service is not available for a license that does not expire within the next 3 months, or for a license that is cancelled or revoked.
Draft applications that stay inactive for more than 3 months are cleared from the account. A reminder goes to the registered email 15 days before this happens.
The hard limit is 6 months after expiry. The RFL service cannot be used for a license that has been expired for more than 6 months, and the licensing manual says such a license is considered cancelled. A cancelled facility license cannot be reissued: the facility must apply as a new facility and meet all new-facility requirements.
Fee schedule by facility type
The RFL service page publishes the renewal fee for each facility type. An active license can be renewed for 1, 2 or 3 years, and the 2-year and 3-year fees cost less per year than repeated 1-year renewals.
Outpatient facilities: a general clinic, general dental clinic or school clinic pays AED 5,000 for 1 year, AED 8,750 for 2 years and AED 12,500 for 3 years. A specialty clinic pays AED 6,000, AED 10,500 and AED 15,000. A polyclinic (multiple specialties) pays AED 15,000, AED 26,250 and AED 37,500. A community or retail pharmacy pays AED 7,500 for 1 year.
Hospitals and day facilities: a general or specialty hospital with fewer than 50 beds pays AED 20,000 for 1 year, and so do day surgery centres, fertility centres and convalescence houses. A hospital with 50 to 100 beds pays AED 30,000. A hospital with more than 100 beds pays AED 40,000 for 1 year, AED 70,000 for 2 years and AED 100,000 for 3 years.
Add-on licenses for a mobile unit, telehealth or home healthcare cost AED 2,000 each per year. The add-ons offered depend on the facility type. A specialty clinic with telehealth and home healthcare add-ons pays AED 6,000 plus AED 4,000, or AED 10,000, for 1 year.
An inactive facility license costs AED 500 to AED 2,000 to renew, depending on the facility type. The licensing manual says an inactive license can be renewed for one year only.
These are facility fees only. Each clinician's professional license renewal is paid separately, and Knowledge and Innovation Fees are added at checkout. Check the RFL service page before you pay, because the schedule can change.
What to prepare before submitting on Sheryan
For an active facility license, the RFL service page lists two documents: a valid trade license, and a copy of the accreditation certificate if the facility is accredited. The prerequisite is a renewed trade license. The licensing manual adds that the facility must make sure all of its healthcare professional licenses are active before it pays for renewal, and that all financial penalties must be cleared first.
A checklist to run 90 days before expiry:
Renew the trade license first, so that the renewed copy is ready to upload. Check that the facility name on the health facility license matches the trade name; the manual says the two should match. Check every clinician's professional license in Sheryan and renew any license that expires before the facility license. Check the facility account for outstanding fines and pay them. If the facility is accredited, have the current certificate ready. A compounding pharmacy also needs a valid GMP certificate from the Emirates Drug Establishment at the time of renewal.
The manual says a facility must operate within its approved scope of service, specialties, staffing and location. If you added services, specialties or add-ons since the last renewal, use the Amend Facility License service for them.
Late penalties and the 6-month hard deadline
The RFL service page lists a monthly penalty for late renewal of an active license. The amount depends on the facility type: AED 500 a month for a first aid unit or nursery clinic, AED 1,000 for a general clinic, AED 1,200 for a specialty clinic, AED 1,500 for a pharmacy, AED 3,000 for a polyclinic, and up to AED 8,000 for a hospital with more than 100 beds. The licensing manual says all financial penalties must be cleared before the license is renewed.
For example, a specialty clinic that renews for 1 year two months after expiry would pay AED 6,000 plus two months at AED 1,200, or AED 8,400, before Knowledge and Innovation Fees. Late professional licenses add their own penalties: the RPL service page lists AED 600 a month for a physician or dentist and AED 200 a month for a nurse, allied health or TCAM professional.
While the facility license is expired, the facility should not provide health services and its licensed professionals should not practise. The manual says practising under an expired facility license is a violation for both the facility and the professionals.
After 6 months without renewal, the license is considered cancelled and the RFL service is no longer available. A cancelled license cannot be reissued, so the facility must apply through the New Facility License service and meet every new-facility requirement again.
Operators with several Dubai facilities should keep one expiry calendar for facility and professional licenses, with reminders at 90 and 60 days before each expiry.
NABIDH compliance and inspection readiness
NABIDH is Dubai's health information exchange platform. The regulator's NABIDH policies apply to the healthcare facilities it licenses. Its licensing manual requires a new facility to show an electronic medical record (EMR) system that meets the NABIDH Minimum Data Set, connectivity requirements and other NABIDH standards, and to provide an approval email for tested NABIDH connectivity, before the license is activated.
The RFL service page does not list a NABIDH document for renewal. Keep the connection working all year anyway. If you change EMR or clinic management software, confirm that the new system meets the NABIDH standards and that its connection is tested before you switch.
The manual says the regulator's inspectors may inspect a facility at their discretion once its license is active. If non-compliance is found, the facility may be fined. All outstanding facility fines must be paid before the facility can renew, amend, relocate or cancel its license. A facility can ask to pay fines of AED 20,000 or more in instalments; the regulator decides whether to approve the request.
Staff licensing is checked at renewal. The manual says the facility must make sure all of its healthcare professional licenses are active before it pays for renewal. Review every clinician's license expiry date in Sheryan at least 60 days before the facility renewal date.
Professional license renewal strategy for multi-year periods
Both the facility license and the professional licenses of its clinicians can be renewed for 1, 2 or 3 years, and the longer periods cost less per year.
For physicians and dentists, the RPL service page lists AED 3,000 for 1 year, AED 5,000 for 2 years and AED 7,500 for 3 years. Three 1-year renewals cost AED 9,000, so a 3-year renewal saves AED 1,500 per physician. For a clinic with 8 physicians, that is AED 12,000 over 3 years.
For nurses, midwives, allied health and TCAM professionals, the fees are AED 1,000 for 1 year, AED 1,500 for 2 years and AED 2,500 for 3 years. The 3-year option saves AED 500 per clinician against three annual renewals.
Part-time and trainee licenses cost AED 3,000 for physicians and dentists and AED 1,000 for nurses, allied health and TCAM professionals. The RPL page lists no 2-year or 3-year rates for them.
The case for a 3-year renewal is strongest for a stable, long-tenured clinical team.
The license period does not change the CPD obligation. The RPL service page requires each professional to meet the minimum annual CME/CPD requirements in the Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR). The regulator's CPD Guideline sets annual minimums of 40 CPD points for physicians and dentists, 20 for pharmacists and nurses, and 10 for allied health and TCAM professionals. RPL also requires valid medical malpractice insurance and no unpaid fines.
Common reasons a renewal is blocked
The RFL service page and the licensing manual point to five common blockers.
Timing. The service is not available until 90 days before expiry, and it is closed for a license that has been expired for more than 6 months.
Trade license. An active facility license cannot be renewed without a renewed, valid trade license. Renew it first, and check that the trade name matches the facility license name.
Staff licenses. The facility must make sure every healthcare professional license is active before it pays for renewal. A full-time professional license that has been expired for more than 6 months cannot be renewed through RPL, and unpaid fines also block RPL.
Outstanding fines. All facility fines and financial penalties must be paid before renewal. The RFL payment step collects the renewal fee together with any outstanding professional and facility fines, so check the account balance early.
Scope. The facility must operate within its approved scope of service, specialties, staffing and location. Use the Amend Facility License service for services added since the last renewal.
For questions, use the support email listed on the RFL service page.
Related Providers from the Directory
Related Directory Pages
A clinic in Dubai renews its facility license through the Renew Facility License (RFL) service on the Sheryan portal: a delegated facility representative uploads a renewed trade license, pays the fee and any outstanding fines, and the regulator reviews it in an average of 1 working day. Renewal opens 90 days before expiry. A general clinic pays AED 5,000 for 1 year and a specialty clinic AED 6,000. A license not renewed within 6 months of expiry is treated as cancelled. This guide is published by Zavis (https://www.zavis.ai) and covers healthcare services in the United Arab Emirates. Its sources are listed on this page. Last reviewed 2026-10-28.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I start a facility license renewal on Sheryan?
Renewal opens 90 days before the license expiry date. The RFL service on Sheryan is not available for a license that does not expire within the next 3 months. Starting early gives you time to renew the trade license, pay any fines and fix staff licenses before late penalties begin.
What documents does Dubai's health regulator require for an active facility renewal?
For an active facility license, the RFL service page lists a valid trade license and, if the facility is accredited, a copy of the accreditation certificate. The trade license must be renewed first. The licensing manual also requires all of the facility's professional licenses to be active and all fines to be paid before renewal.
What is the late penalty for not renewing on time?
The RFL service page lists a monthly penalty for late renewal of an active facility license. It ranges from AED 500 to AED 8,000 a month, depending on the facility type: for example AED 1,000 for a general clinic, AED 1,200 for a specialty clinic, AED 1,500 for a pharmacy and AED 8,000 for a hospital with more than 100 beds. All penalties must be paid before the license is renewed.
What happens if my facility license has been expired for more than 6 months?
The licensing manual says a facility license that is not renewed within 6 months of expiry is considered cancelled, and the RFL service is no longer available for it. A cancelled license cannot be reissued, so the facility must apply as a new facility and meet all new-facility requirements.
Does NABIDH non-compliance block my facility renewal?
The RFL service page does not list a NABIDH document for renewal. However, a tested NABIDH connection is a condition for activating a new facility license, and the NABIDH policies apply to licensed facilities. Keep your EMR connected and compliant with NABIDH standards for the whole license period.
Can I renew my facility license for 3 years instead of 1 year?
Yes. The RFL service page lists 1-year, 2-year and 3-year fees for active facility licenses, and the licensing manual says renewal can be for one, two or three years. For example, a general clinic pays AED 5,000 for 1 year, AED 8,750 for 2 years or AED 12,500 for 3 years. An inactive facility license can be renewed for one year only.
Why would a facility renewal be rejected even when I submitted all documents?
The common blockers are a trade license that has not been renewed, unpaid facility or professional fines, a clinician whose professional license is not active, and services outside the approved scope. Check all four in Sheryan before you start the RFL application.
Who can submit the facility license renewal on Sheryan?
According to the RFL service page, only a delegated healthcare facility representative can submit the renewal on Sheryan. Set up the delegation in the facility's Sheryan account before the renewal window opens.