Visas and paperwork
The UAE visa medical test: what's tested and what happens next
What the residence visa medical test checks, where and how to book it, the fees, how long results take, and what happens if something shows up.
7 min readUpdated 5 October 2026
Short answer
Who takes the test, and when
You take the test in the UAE, after you arrive on your entry permit. It's one of the steps to your residence visa, done around the same time as your Emirates ID fingerprints, and you take it again each time you renew. EHS and Smart Salem say applicants must be at least 18.
On an employment visa, your company's PRO usually books the appointment, and your employer pays: the labour law (opens in a new window) bars employers from charging workers the costs of recruitment and employment. The employment visa page shows where the test fits, and your first two weeks in Dubai puts it in order with the SIM, bank account and flat.
Your family takes it too. Family members you sponsor who are 18 or over must pass the same test before their residence visas are issued, says u.ae (opens in a new window). See the family visa page for the rest.
What is tested
The test is two things: blood samples first, then a chest X-ray. Take your passport and your entry permit. What the samples are checked for depends on the job on your visa, under Cabinet Resolution 7 of 2008 (opens in a new window):
- HIV: everyone, at the first residence visa and at every renewal.
- Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB): everyone arriving for the first time, from the chest X-ray.
- Leprosy: at the first residence visa and at renewal.
- Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis: only for set jobs, such as nannies and other domestic workers, nursery staff, barbers, beauty and gym workers, and health workers.
- Pregnancy: domestic workers only.
For a software engineer or any other office job, that means HIV, TB and leprosy. It isn't a general check-up: the centre looks for the conditions the resolution lists, not for anything else.
What makes you unfit, and what doesn't
At your first residence visa, you're declared unfit if the test finds HIV, pulmonary TB (active or old) or leprosy. HIV and leprosy found at renewal also mean the visa isn't renewed. The official English of the HIV clause is garbled, but the Ministry of Health's text and every other source read it as a refusal.
Hepatitis B or C and syphilis matter only for the jobs listed above. If you test positive for hepatitis in one of them, you can change the purpose of your visa application within 30 days. If you test negative, you're vaccinated against hepatitis B, in 3 doses. A positive hepatitis B result is confirmed with a PCR test before it counts.
What doesn't make you unfit: anything the resolution doesn't list. Hepatitis isn't tested for office jobs, and pregnancy is tested only for domestic workers. A resident's spouse, children and parents, diplomats and major investors are exempt from the first-visa TB rule.
These rules decide whether you can live in the UAE, so if you have a condition you're worried about, read the resolution itself (opens in a new window) and ask the medical centre before you resign at home. This guide is a summary, not medical or legal advice.
If your X-ray shows TB or old scarring
The chest X-ray looks for pulmonary TB. When it shows something suspect, DHA grades it as “minimal” or “moderate”. At a first residence visa, the resolution treats old TB as unfit, not only active TB, so scarring from TB you had years ago can matter.
A “fit” result is simply emailed. An “unfit” one isn't: your sponsor (for an employment visa, your employer's PRO) is asked to go to Al Muhaisnah Medical Fitness Centre in Dubai.
TB found when you renew is treated differently. You're fit as long as you're treated under DOTS (directly observed treatment), with your residence limited to 1 year. Miss 3 treatment visits in a row and you're declared unfit, and the residence isn't renewed.
If you know you've had TB, tell your employer's HR early and bring your treatment records: it's better to know where you stand before you leave your job at home.
Where to go in Dubai, and what it costs
In Dubai the test is done at DHA-approved medical fitness centres, including the Smart Salem centres; Gulf News counts more than 20 of them. Your PRO usually picks one. You pay for how fast you want the result:
| Service | Result in | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 24 hours | AED 270 (≈ ₹7,000) |
| Express | 6 hours | AED 700 (≈ ₹18,200) |
| VIP | 2 hours | AED 1,020 (≈ ₹26,500) |
| Smart Salem, fastest | 30 minutes | AED 700 (≈ ₹18,200) |
The standard charge includes a base fee of AED 250 (≈ ₹6,500) for the test itself. Gulf News reports a printing fee of AED 10 on top. These are the charges in DHA's resolution of 2021 and its 2022 catalogue (whose names we use; the 2021 resolution called the 6-hour service VIP), the latest official figures we found, so check the price when you book. Smart Salem (opens in a new window) lists its packages online.
In the northern emirates, Emirates Health Services runs the test: AED 250 (≈ ₹6,500) for employees plus printing, with results in 24 hours, and AED 50 for the vaccination some jobs need. See the EHS service page (opens in a new window).
How long the results take, and what happens next
- 1
The result
The standard service takes 24 hours. The faster packages take 6 hours, 2 hours or 30 minutes. Pay for speed only if a deadline is close. - 2
The certificate goes to GDRFA
A "fit" certificate is emailed to you and sent to GDRFA, Dubai's residency department, electronically. - 3
It doesn't last long
A fitness certificate is valid for 3 months, so take the test when the visa application is ready to go in, not weeks before. - 4
Emirates ID and the residence visa
Then come the Emirates ID and the residence visa. The whole employment visa usually takes 1–4 weeks from signing your offer.
The employment visa page has every step. Health insurance is a separate requirement: see health insurance in Dubai.
Do you need a medical in India or Pakistan first?
For the UAE, we found no official page that asks for a medical before you travel. The resolution has the test done in the UAE after you arrive. It does allow for an exam from a home country to be recognised, but says the test is still done again on arrival.
The pre-departure medicals that agents in India and Pakistan sell (GAMCA or Wafid) are for other Gulf countries, according to agent sites; there's no official UAE statement either way. If an agent says you need one for a UAE work visa, ask your employer before you pay. Moving to Dubai from India covers the papers you do need.
Sources
- UAE residence visa medical fitness test: requirements explained (opens in a new window), Gulf News, 12 November 2024
- Visa medical test (opens in a new window), Smart Salem, 29 September 2026
- Cabinet Resolution No. 7 of 2008 (medical examination of expatriates coming to work or live in the UAE), as amended (opens in a new window), UAE Legislation portal, 10 August 2022
- DHA services catalogue: medical fitness for residency (opens in a new window), Dubai Health Authority, 4 July 2022
- Examination of medical fitness for residency visa (opens in a new window), Emirates Health Services, 29 September 2026
- Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on employment relationships (opens in a new window), UAE Legislation portal, 29 July 2024
- Administrative Resolution No. 66 of 2021 approving the charges for medical fitness (opens in a new window), Dubai Health Authority, 18 July 2021
- Residence visa for family members (opens in a new window), u.ae, 24 September 2026
- Cabinet Resolution No. 75 of 2022 (opens in a new window), Ministry of Health and Prevention, 29 September 2026
This is guidance, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; check the official source and your employer before you act.