Checked 25 September 2026. Regulators revise these rules often (the UAE Unified PQR was re-issued in April 2025; DHA's exam guideline in September 2026). Kuwait publishes very little officially — its figures are reported. Check each regulator before applying.
Indian nurses looking at the Gulf usually ask the same thing: which licence is the most reachable for me? The answer turns on four facts about you — your qualification (B.Sc. or diploma), your years of experience, whether you already have a job offer, and how many attempts you can afford — and on rules that differ more between countries than most agency advice admits. This comparison is built from each regulator's own documents.
The comparison
| Regulator | Exam (provider) | Format | Pass mark | Min. experience | Diploma as RN? | Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia — SCFHS | SNLE (Prometric) | 200 MCQ, 2 × 120 min | Scaled 500 (200–800) | 1 year (non-Saudis) | BSN for SNLE; diplomas sit the Technician exam | Up to 4 a year |
| Dubai — DHA | CBT (Prometric) | 150 MCQ, 3 hours | 50% | None required (gap rules apply) | No — RN needs a 3-year B.Sc.; a diploma of 18+ months gives "Assistant Nurse" | 3 across all UAE regulators, +1 final |
| Abu Dhabi — DOH | CBT (Pearson VUE) | Not published | Not published | Unified PQR (as DHA) | Unified PQR (as DHA) | Shared UAE cap |
| Northern Emirates — MOHAP | Unified PQR | Not verified | Not verified | Unified PQR (as DHA) | Unified PQR (as DHA) | Shared UAE cap |
| Qatar — DHP | Qualifying exam (Prometric) | 150 MCQ, 3 hours | 50% | 2 years after RN registration | Yes — 3-year diploma after 12 years of school | 5 |
| Kuwait — MOH | Prometric | Not published | Not published | Not published (reported 2–4 years) | Not published | Not published (reported 3 a year) |
| Oman — OMSB | Omani Examination for Nurses (Pearson VUE) | 100 MCQ, 2.5 hours | Not published | Not published (reported 2 years B.Sc. / 3 years diploma) | A separate nursing-diploma exam exists | No maximum stated (Pearson VUE) |
| Bahrain — NHRA | Bahrain Nursing Licensure Exam (Prometric) | 2.5 hours | 50% (nursing, midwifery, allied — 2022 booklet) | 1 year, incl. 6 continuous months in the last 3 years | Yes — diploma of 3+ academic years | 4 within 3 years |
Where other pages get this wrong
Abu Dhabi (DOH) exams are delivered by Pearson VUE, and Oman's nursing exam moved exclusively to Pearson VUE — not Prometric.
Commonly published instead: Blog posts that call every Gulf nursing exam "the Prometric exam".
Pearson VUE lists DOH exams booked through TAMM, and announced in 2023 that OMSB exams moved to Pearson VUE exclusively. Saudi (SCFHS), Dubai (DHA), Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain use Prometric; SCFHS also lists Pearson VUE for its classification exams.
Saudi SNLE uses a scaled score (500 on 200–800), not a percentage, so it is not on this chart. DOH, MOHAP, Kuwait and Oman do not publish a pass mark.
The four questions that decide it
1. Do you have a B.Sc. or a diploma?
- The UAE (DHA, DOH, MOHAP) requires a three-year full-time B.Sc. for the Registered Nurse title; diploma holders of 18+ months are licensed as Assistant Nurse.
- Qatar and Bahrain accept a three-year diploma (Qatar: after 12 years of school; Bahrain: at least three academic years) for RN.
- Saudi Arabia routes diploma holders to a separate Nursing Technician exam.
2. How much experience do you have?
- UAE: none required under the April 2025 Unified PQR — but a gap from practice of more than 3 years adds training, and non-UAE nationals with a gap of more than 5 years cannot apply.
- Saudi: at least 1 year. Bahrain: 1 year, including 6 continuous months within the last 3 years. Qatar: 2 years after registration (3 for an associate degree).
3. Do you already have a job offer?
- Qatar: not for the evaluation — since circular DHP/2024/22 (12 Sep 2024) a nurse can apply for evaluation without an employer; the licence itself needs a Qatar employer and residence ID.
- Dubai: no — you can pass the exam first; the registration certificate (valid a year) is activated by a licensed facility that employs you.
- Saudi: classification can be applied for from outside the country; registration needs a valid Saudi residence ID.
4. How many attempts can you afford?
- UAE: the Unified PQR sets a cap shared across DHA, DOH, MOHAP (and SHA) — three attempts plus a final one — and DHA's assessment manual adds its own rules for repeat attempts.
- Qatar: five. Bahrain: four within three years. Saudi SNLE: up to four a year, one per window.
Find your best starting point
Which Gulf licence fits your profile?
A practical rule of thumb from the table: if you have a B.Sc. and little experience, the UAE rules are the most accommodating; if you have a three-year diploma, Qatar and Bahrain are the RN routes; Qatar's evaluation no longer needs an employer, though its licence does. Saudi Arabia sits in the middle — one year of experience, and a separate exam for diploma holders.
Country profiles
Saudi Arabia — SCFHS
- Classification first (from India), then the exam, then registration once employed. B.Sc. nurses sit the 200-question SNLE; diploma holders a 150-question Technician exam.
- At least one year of experience for non-Saudis; SNLE pass is a scaled 500; up to four attempts a year.
United Arab Emirates — DHA, DOH, MOHAP
- One shared rulebook, the Unified PQR (April 2025): a three-year full-time B.Sc. for RN, no minimum experience, and a three-attempt cap shared across the regulators.
- DHA: 150 questions, 3 hours, 50%, Prometric, USD 240 (DHA guideline). DOH: Pearson VUE, booked through TAMM. A licence from one exempts you from the others' exams.
Qatar — DHP
- 150 questions, 3 hours, 50%, Prometric; five attempts.
- Two years' experience after RN registration; a three-year diploma is accepted; since September 2024 the evaluation can be applied for without an employer, while the licence needs a Qatar employer and residence ID. A pass is valid three years. NCLEX-RN is listed as exempting (circular DHP/2025/19, with a valid result verified by a PSV company), but circular DHP/2025/24 says exam exemptions apply only to Qataris, children of Qatari mothers and Qatar graduates — confirm with DHP.
Kuwait — MOH
- Prometric delivers the exam, with centres globally (Prometric). The Ministry publishes little else officially: experience (reported 2–4 years), attempts and fees are agency reports only.
Oman — OMSB
- The Omani Examination for Nurses: 100 questions, 2.5 hours, USD 200, Pearson VUE worldwide; Pearson VUE lists no maximum number of attempts. A separate exam exists for nursing-diploma holders.
Bahrain — NHRA
- Bahrain Nursing Licensure Examination, 2.5 hours, Prometric; the NHRA 2022 booklet sets 50% for nursing, midwifery and allied professions (60% for other professions); four attempts within three years.
- One year of experience including six continuous months in the last three years; a diploma of at least three academic years accepted; a pass is valid five years.
| Regulator | How long a pass counts |
|---|---|
| Qatar — DHP | 3 years |
| Bahrain — NHRA | 5 years |
| Dubai — DHA | Registration certificate valid 1 year from the result, to be activated by an employer |
| Saudi — SCFHS | Not stated for the SNLE; the Mumaris FAQ says a classification over a year old must be redone before registration |
Recognition between countries
| If you already hold | It helps with |
|---|---|
| A licence from one UAE regulator | The other UAE regulators — exempt from their exam (Unified PQR) |
| A passed DHA, DOH, Qatar or Oman RN exam, or Saudi Nurse Specialist | Bahrain lists these as accepted, but states its exam exemption for Bahraini/GCC nationals with a valid GCC licence — confirm with NHRA for other nationalities; Saudi Nurse Technician is not accepted |
| A valid NCLEX-RN result | Qatar — NCLEX-RN is listed as exempting (circular DHP/2025/19, with a valid result verified by a PSV company), but circular DHP/2025/24 says exam exemptions apply only to Qataris, children of Qatari mothers and Qatar graduates — confirm with DHP |
Every regulator requires primary-source verification of your documents; where the regulator names the company, it is DataFlow. Doing verification once does not transfer between countries automatically, although DHA accepts reports already completed for DOH, SHA or MOHAP.
Practise it, don't just read it
Whichever country you choose, the exams test the same core — fundamentals, adult, maternal-child and management. The library quizzes follow those areas.
The ProSyllabus SCFHS nursing library has eight topic quizzes that map onto the SNLE blueprint: Fundamentals (20%) — Fundamentals of Nursing and Pharmacology for Nurses; Adult Nursing (40%) — Medical-Surgical Nursing and Critical Care and Emergency Nursing; Maternal-Child (30%) — Maternal and Newborn Nursing and Pediatric Nursing; plus two cross-cutting quizzes, Infection Prevention and Control and Professional Practice, Ethics and Patient Safety, useful across sections. The fourth blueprint section, Nursing Management and Leadership (10%), has no dedicated quiz yet. Each has worked explanations for every option.
Which Gulf country is easiest for nurses to get a licence?
It depends on your profile. Under the April 2025 UAE Unified PQR, B.Sc. nurses need no minimum experience and can sit the DHA exam before getting a job. Qatar and Bahrain accept a three-year diploma for the RN title, while the UAE does not.
What is the passing score for the DHA nursing exam?
DHA's computer-based test guideline gives a pass mark of 50% for its 150-question, 3-hour exam, while noting that DHA may change the pass score.
Can GNM nurses work in the UAE as registered nurses?
Not as Registered Nurses under the Unified PQR, which requires a three-year full-time B.Sc. A diploma of at least 18 months leads to the Assistant Nurse title. Qatar and Bahrain accept a three-year diploma for RN.
Is the Oman nursing exam conducted by Prometric?
No longer. Oman Medical Specialty Board exams moved exclusively to Pearson VUE, announced in 2023. The Omani Examination for Nurses has 100 multiple-choice questions in 2.5 hours.
How many attempts are allowed for Gulf nursing exams?
Under the UAE Unified PQR, three attempts shared across the UAE regulators plus a final one; Qatar allows five; Bahrain four within three years; Saudi Arabia's SNLE up to four a year. Kuwait does not publish its rule officially.
Do I need a job offer to take the Qatar nursing exam?
Not for the evaluation: since circular DHP/2024/22 (12 Sep 2024) a nurse can apply for evaluation without an employer. The licence itself needs a Qatar employer and residence ID.
Does passing one Gulf nursing exam count in another country?
Sometimes. A UAE licence exempts you from the other UAE regulators' exams, Bahrain lists passed DHA, DOH, Qatar and Oman RN exams and the Saudi Nurse Specialist classification as accepted, but states its exam exemption for Bahraini and GCC nationals with a valid GCC licence. Most other combinations need their own exam.
More in this series
Sources
- official — UAE Unified PQR, April 2025 (DHA Sheryan)
- official — DHA computer-based test guideline
- official — DHA Professional Assessment manual (May 2025)
- official — Pearson VUE — DOH Abu Dhabi
- official — Qatar DHP guidelines for nurses
- official — Qatar DHP qualifying examination
- official — Qatar DHP circular DHP/2024/22 — evaluation without employer (12 Sep 2024)
- official — Qatar DHP circular DHP/2025/19 — exams that exempt (26 Nov 2025)
- official — Qatar DHP circular DHP/2025/24 — registration and licensing policy update (30 Dec 2025)
- official — Prometric — Kuwait MOH
- official — OMSB Omani Examination for Nurses booklet
- official — Pearson VUE — OMSB exclusive partnership (2023)
- official — Prometric — NHRA Bahrain
- official — NHRA nursing professional qualification requirements
- official — SNLE Applicant Guide, September 2025 (SCFHS)
- official — SCFHS professional classification requirements
- official — Nursing Technician Blueprint 2024 (SCFHS)
- official — Mumaris+ FAQ (SCFHS)
- official — Qatar DHP qualifying examination policy (v04)
- official — NHRA licensure examination booklet (2022)
- reported — Kuwait nursing licence requirements (agency report)
- reported — Oman nursing experience requirement (agency report)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
