You must possess a medical degree or employ a director with the appropriate qualifications in order to open a private clinic in Dubai. All personnel at all levels must also be fully certified in the UAE. Besides, the international diplomas are not automatically accepted in the UAE and are subject to the procedure of certification in the UAE, with the possible need to pass local exams. Besides, all the certified medical personnel must know English.

As to the premises for clinics or medical offices, there are very strict requirements in terms of the size, finishing, utility areas, equipment, etc. Besides, each type of medical institution has its own requirements.

For this reason, opening a clinic or any other medical institution in other format in the UAE requires considerable training and sufficient financial reserves. Besides, it is required to obtain a large number of all the possible approvals and certifications.

However, medical services are highly demanded in the UAE due to the fact that the majority of the population in the UAE is very concerned about health and spends significant money on it.

This can be, for example, a private clinic, which provides the UAE residents with a specific set of medical services in the field of dentistry, cosmetology, urology, or gynecology, or a full-fledged medical center. It is not a secret that people today are very concerned about maintaining their physical health and increasingly often apply to the medical institutions in order to receive the appropriate services. Therefore, the consumer demand grows every year. Private clinics and medical institutions are particularly relevant in the United Arab Emirates, where the standard of living is significantly higher than on average in the world.

Current practice shows that health centres with various range of services are highly demanded in Dubai and other Emirates of UAE. Furthermore, a project pay back time is the relatively short time. For example, if you plan to open a dental office in Dubai, the investment payback period can be 2-3 years. Moreover, specialized economic zones, where all the necessary conditions are provided for such a professional activity, are created on the territory of the Emirate of Dubai.

If you plan to open a private clinic in Dubai, it would be wiser to pay attention to the Dubai Healthcare City specialized zone. Here you will have the opportunity to receive a variety of benefits and opportunities for business in addition to the availability of the professional infrastructure and the necessary equipment.

How to open a company in the Dubai Healthcare City and what are the advantages of jurisdiction

First of all, the Dubai Healthcare City UAE is a free trade zone with a special economic status, which provides certain benefits and additional corporate opportunities for private business. The main strategic purpose of this administrative unit is ensuring high international standards in the field of medical care and attracting the leading international organizations and experts in the various fields into the region. The economic zone contributes to the active development of the national health care system.

The private foreign business can count on the following corporate opportunities and benefits:

• Preferential customs and tax regime;
• Possibility of the foreign ownership of business, without the involvement of the local agents, and sponsors;
• Total freedom of actions when distributing the gained income and withdrawing the assets beyond the jurisdiction;
• Possibility to make use of the highly qualified personnel.

One must obtain the appropriate government license in the Center for planning and quality control before opening a company in the Dubai Healthcare City. As to the legal form of the future legal entity, it can be:

• Representative office of the foreign company;
• Branch office of the local company that is already registered in the UAE;
• International company with limited liability.

If you are considering a possibility to open a private clinic in Dubai, we are ready to share our best practices and many-years’ experience with you. While working with us you can count on the competent legal support both in the process of registering a company and in the course of the future commercial and economic activities. Use the “contact us” form, and learn about all the advantages of the free economic zones for business in the United Arab Emirates.

• Checked / Updated: 07.25.2022
• Published on: 01.21.2016
• Author: Vlad Burtynsky