Checked 25 September 2026. From circulars DHP/2025/03, DHP/2025/19 and DHP/2025/24 (scanned documents, read from the page images), DHP's Guidelines for Pharmacists and the qualifying-exam page. DHP issues new circulars without notice; check its circulars page.
Three DHP circulars in 2025 changed who has to sit Qatar's pharmacist exam. DHP/2025/03 introduced the new National Pharmacy Qualifying Exam from 1 May 2025. DHP/2025/19, in November, listed the international exams that exempt a candidate. And DHP/2025/24, on 30 December, annulled six older circulars — including the one behind the popular belief that a master's degree exempts you. This guide lays out what each says.
DHP circulars DHP/2025/19 and DHP/2025/24; DHP qualifying-exam page.
The three 2025 circulars
| Circular | Date | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| DHP/2025/03 | 24 Apr 2025 | Introduces the NPQE with updated content and references from 1 May 2025; makes it mandatory for pharmacist licensing |
| DHP/2025/19 | 26 Nov 2025 | States that all practitioners must pass the Prometric exam, and lists the exams that exempt from it, by profession |
| DHP/2025/24 | 30 Dec 2025 | Updates the registration and licensing policy; sets experience rules for Qatar and overseas graduates; limits exam exemptions; annuls circulars 01/2016, 11/2018, 19/2020, 24/2020, 15/2022 and 13/2023 |
Exams that exempt a pharmacist (DHP/2025/19)
| # | Exam |
|---|---|
| 1 | NAPLEX — North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination |
| 2 | PEBC — Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada |
| 3 | OSPAP — Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme (UK) |
| 4 | OPRA — Overseas Pharmacists Readiness Assessment |
| 5 | CAOP® — printed as "Competency Assessment of Overseas" (most likely the Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists; confirm with DHP) |
The circular adds two conditions: the qualifying exam "must be valid", and "any exam must be verified by a verification company" — "no exam will be accepted without a verification report after the date 01-01-2026". No Gulf licence and no Indian registration is on the list: a DHA, SCFHS or Oman pass does not exempt you, and neither does State Pharmacy Council registration.
Who is exempt by status (DHP/2025/24)
| Group | Exempt from the qualifying exam? |
|---|---|
| Qataris | Yes |
| Offspring of Qatari women | Yes |
| Graduates of public and private universities and higher-education institutions in Qatar | Yes |
| Everyone else, including pharmacists recruited from India | No (unless holding an exam listed in DHP/2025/19) |
Circular DHP/2025/24 §3: "Exemptions apply only to the following categories from the qualifying exam for all healthcare professions". It took effect on the date it was issued.
What happened to the master's exemption
DHP's own Guidelines for Pharmacists (September 2025) still show two rows marked "Exempted from prometric": a bachelor's plus a master's in a pharmacy-related field (Pharmacist), and a bachelor's plus a master's in clinical pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacist). Both rows are footnoted to circular 13/2023. Three months later, DHP/2025/24 annulled 13/2023 and said exemptions apply "only" to the three status groups above. Read together, the master's exemption no longer has a circular behind it.
Where other pages get this wrong
A master's degree is not a safe route around Qatar's pharmacist exam any more.
Commonly published instead: "If you have an M.Pharm, you don't need to take the Qatar Prometric."
The exemption in DHP's September 2025 table rests on circular 13/2023, which circular DHP/2025/24 (30 December 2025) annulled, limiting exemptions to Qataris, offspring of Qatari women and graduates of Qatar institutions. Until DHP says otherwise in writing, plan on sitting the NPQE.
The same circular annulled 15/2022, which DHP's table cites for a pharmacy-technician exemption. It does not change the table's technician row, which lists no qualifying exam, but it is one more reason to check the current position with DHP rather than an older summary.
What this means for an Indian pharmacist
For almost everyone trained in India, the practical answer is simple: you will sit the NPQE. The five exempting exams belong to the licensing systems of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, and most Indian-trained pharmacists will not hold one. The status exemptions are for Qataris, the children of Qatari women and graduates of Qatar's own institutions. And the master's-degree route that coaching notes still advertise rests on a circular that no longer exists. Budget your time and money for the exam rather than for an exemption.
| When | Rule |
|---|---|
| Before May 2025 | Older blueprint and references; exemptions under circular 13/2023, including master's rows |
| 1 May 2025 | NPQE with updated content and references (DHP/2025/03) |
| 26 Nov 2025 | List of exempting international exams (DHP/2025/19) |
| 30 Dec 2025 | Circular 13/2023 annulled; exemptions limited to three status groups (DHP/2025/24) |
| 1 Jan 2026 | Exempting exams accepted only with a verification report |
The circulars in date order of effect. DHP/2025/24 took effect on the date it was issued.
Attempts
| Rule | What DHP says |
|---|---|
| Number of attempts | "Applicants can sit for the qualifying exam for 5 consecutive times whatever the gap between each attempt." |
| Waiting period | None stated — "whatever the gap" |
| After five fails | "An additional attempt" can be granted "if a clear justification is provided" (Qualifying Examination Policy 7.5.4) |
| Score rounding | After all five attempts, the best score can be rounded up if it is only 3 marks short of the pass mark (policy 7.6) |
| Validity of a pass | Three years (policy 7.5.1); an evaluation submitted within one month of expiry needs no new exam |
| When to sit | Before applying for evaluation; not required during a supervised-training period, but it must be completed before the evaluation application |
Qatar from the DHP qualifying-exam page; UAE from the unified PQR §1.5.4; Saudi from SCFHS's licensure-exam page (its applicant guide says up to four a year).
Five attempts with no minimum gap is the most generous rule of the three main Gulf exams, but it is not a reason to sit unprepared: beyond the fifth, an extra attempt needs "a clear justification", and each attempt costs USD 244 (from 2026). The attempt, rounding and validity rules come from MOPH's 2018/2019 Qualifying Examination Policy, which is still linked from its evaluation page and was not among the circulars DHP/2025/24 annulled — though its master's-exemption clause is overridden by that circular.
Questions worth putting to DHP in writing
- If you hold a master's: does any exemption from the qualifying exam still apply after DHP/2025/24?
- If you hold an integrated Pharm.D: which scope will the evaluation consider — Pharmacist or Clinical Pharmacist?
- If you have failed before: how many of your five attempts remain, and what applies after the fifth?
- If you hold an exempting exam: which verification company, and is your result still valid?
DHP gives its registration contact on each circular (dhpregistration@moph.gov.qa).
Five attempts in practice
Five consecutive attempts "whatever the gap" sounds generous, and compared with the UAE's three it is. But each attempt is a Prometric booking at USD 244, DHP does not publish result timing, a further attempt after the fifth needs a justification, and a pass certificate is needed before the evaluation can even begin — so a string of attempts delays the whole licence. Treat the first attempt as the one that counts: sit it after at least one timed full-length mock at a clear margin above 60%.
Keeping up with circulars
DHP changes its rules by circular, and circulars reach its website before they reach coaching notes. The September 2025 guidelines were out of date on exemptions within three months. Check DHP's circulars page before booking the exam and again before applying for evaluation, and read the circular itself rather than a summary. Circular numbers carry the year and a sequence (DHP/2025/24 is the 24th of 2025), which makes a newer one easy to spot.
Practise it, don't just read it
Few candidates are exempt, so most will sit the NPQE. Topic quizzes are a quick check of readiness.
The ProSyllabus Qatar pharmacist library has topic quizzes for Pharmacology and Mechanisms of Action, Pharmaceutics and Dosage Forms, Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics, Therapeutics: Cardiovascular and Endocrine, Therapeutics: Infectious Disease and Antimicrobials, Pharmacy Practice, Dispensing and Patient Counseling, Drug Interactions, Adverse Effects and Toxicology and Pharmacy Law, Ethics and Qatar (QCHP) Regulations. Each question comes with an explanation.
Who is exempt from the Qatar pharmacist exam?
Holders of NAPLEX, PEBC, OSPAP, OPRA or CAOP (verified by a verification company), under DHP/2025/19; and Qataris, offspring of Qatari women and graduates of Qatar institutions, under DHP/2025/24.
Does an M.Pharm exempt me from the Qatar Prometric?
Not on current circulars. The exemption in DHP's September 2025 guidelines rested on circular 13/2023, which DHP/2025/24 annulled on 30 December 2025.
Does a DHA or Saudi licence exempt me from the Qatar exam?
No. DHP/2025/19 lists only NAPLEX, PEBC, OSPAP, OPRA and CAOP for pharmacists.
How many times can I take the Qatar pharmacist exam?
Five times, "whatever the gap between each attempt" — up to five sittings at any interval, not five back-to-back bookings. MOPH's Qualifying Examination Policy allows an additional attempt if a clear justification is provided.
Is there a rounding rule in the Qatar exam?
MOPH's Qualifying Examination Policy allows the best score to be rounded up if it is only 3 marks short of the pass mark — but only after all five attempts have been used.
Is OSPAP an exam?
OSPAP is the UK's Overseas Pharmacists' Assessment Programme, a postgraduate course for overseas pharmacists. DHP/2025/19 lists it among the qualifications that exempt a pharmacist from Qatar's Prometric exam.
Does DHP/2025/24 change experience requirements?
Yes, for some groups: Qataris and offspring of Qatari women graduating abroad are exempt from experience in pharmacy; offspring and spouses of residents need one year. It does not address pharmacists recruited from abroad, for whom DHP's table still asks two years.
What changed on 1 January 2026?
Under DHP/2025/19, no exemption exam is accepted without a verification report from a verification company after 1 January 2026.
More in this series
- Qatar pharmacist exam (NPQE): pattern and blueprint
- Qatar pharmacist eligibility: degree, experience, scope
- Qatar pharmacist licence: evaluation, verification, licence
- Qatar pharmacist exam: 8-week study plan
- Qatar pharmacist notice board — official updates
- DHA vs Saudi SPLE vs Qatar pharmacist exam compared
Sources
- official — Qatar DHP circular DHP/2025/19 — exams that exempt from the Prometric exam
- official — Qatar DHP circular DHP/2025/24 — update on registration and licensing policy
- official — Qatar DHP circular DHP/2025/03 — NPQE with updated content
- official — MOPH Qatar — Policy for Qualifying Examinations (2019; linked from the Application for Evaluation service)
- official — Qatar DHP circular DHP/2024/10 — qualifying examination fee
- official — Qatar DHP — Guidelines for Pharmacists (Sep 2025)
- official — Qatar DHP — qualifying examination
- official — Qatar DHP — all circulars
- official — UAE Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), April 2025 — §1.5 attempts
- official — SCFHS — Professional Practice Licensure Exams: attempts
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.
