After You Pass the Prometric Exam: Job Offer, Licence Activation, Employment Visa, Medical Fitness Test, Emirates ID or Iqama, and First-Week Onboarding in the UAE and Saudi Arabia (2026)
Passing the exam is the middle of the journey, not the end. This guide walks through everything that happens next in the UAE and Saudi Arabia — accepting an offer, employer licence activation, the entry permit or work visa, the medical fitness test and what it screens for, Emirates ID or iqama, attestation, bank and insurance set-up, and what to expect in your first week — with realistic timelines and the documents to prepare now.
You have the score report and an eligibility letter. What happens between now and your first shift is a second process — run by the employer and the immigration authorities rather than the health regulator — and it has its own delays and document traps. Here is the sequence for the two biggest markets. For the exam and results themselves see the results guide.
Step 1: Get the offer
With a pass and eligibility letter in hand you are the candidate employers move fastest on. Upload both to your talent pool profile, apply on the jobs board, and prepare for the interview (interview guide). Read the offer letter for: basic salary vs allowances, housing (provided or allowance), probation length, contract term, notice period, flight and leave entitlement, and who pays licence activation and visa costs. Use the salary calculator to sanity-check the package.
Step 2: Licence activation by the employer
- UAE: the facility links your eligibility to a post in Sheryan (DHA), TAMM/DOH or the MOHAP portal and pays the licence fee; the licence is issued in one to three weeks (Sheryan guide).
- Saudi Arabia: professional registration with SCFHS is completed in Mumaris+ after the exam, and the employer then attaches you to the facility once the iqama is issued.
Step 3: The visa
UAE
- Employer applies for a work permit / entry permit through MOHRE (mainland) or the free zone (Dubai Healthcare City, for example). 1–3 weeks.
- You enter the UAE on the entry permit (or change status if already inside on a visit visa).
- Medical fitness test at a government centre — see below. 1–3 days for results.
- Emirates ID biometrics and application. The card arrives in 1–2 weeks; a digital ID is usable earlier.
- Residence visa issued electronically; passport no longer needs physical stamping in most cases.
Typical entry-to-residence time: 2–4 weeks. You may start work on the entry permit while the residence visa is processed if the employer's labour approval is in place.
Saudi Arabia
- Employer obtains a visa block / work visa authorisation and sends you the visa number.
- Document attestation: degree and marriage certificate (for family visas) attested by your foreign ministry and the Saudi embassy; many countries route this through a designated agency.
- Pre-departure medical at an approved centre (the Wafid / GCC-approved medical system) in your home country — required before the embassy issues the visa.
- Visa stamping via the embassy or its visa agency (Enjaz-linked). 1–3 weeks.
- Arrival, then iqama (residence permit) issued by the employer within 90 days; a further medical may be required in-Kingdom.
- Absher account activation, SCFHS registration linked to the employer.
Typical offer-to-arrival time: 6–12 weeks, longer if attestation is slow.
The medical fitness test
Both countries screen for infectious disease before granting residence. Expect a blood test and chest X-ray covering HIV, hepatitis B (and C in some categories), tuberculosis, and — for the Saudi pre-departure medical — additional tests such as syphilis, malaria and a general examination. A positive HIV result, active TB or (for some categories) hepatitis B leads to visa refusal; treated latent TB may be accepted with documentation. Pregnancy tests are not part of the standard UAE employment medical. Bring your passport, photos and the employer's medical request form; results are transmitted electronically.
Documents to prepare now
- Passport valid for at least six months (12 for Saudi Arabia is safer)
- Attested degree certificate (Saudi Arabia requires it; UAE employers increasingly ask)
- Passport-size photos with a white background
- Police clearance certificate — required by several UAE employers and by Saudi Arabia for some visa categories
- Marriage and birth certificates, attested, if family will join (family-visa thresholds by country)
- Original degree, registration and experience letters for the employer's own file
- Vaccination record: hepatitis B series, MMR, varicella, COVID-19, and an annual influenza jab — hospitals check on day one
First week: what to expect
- Hospital orientation: policies, infection control, fire safety, EMR training, BLS/ACLS validation (bring valid cards — many employers require AHA-accredited ones).
- Bank account opening (needs the Emirates ID or iqama; salary is paid through the Wage Protection System in the UAE).
- Health insurance card — mandatory in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia; the employer arranges it.
- Preceptorship on the unit, usually two to six weeks for nurses before independent assignment.
- Probation: three to six months. Keep your own copies of appraisals.
Common delays
- Attestation not started until after the offer — start it the day you receive eligibility.
- Name mismatches between passport, degree and eligibility letter (the same issue that trips DataFlow — see report statuses).
- Expired good-standing certificate at the activation stage — most regulators want one issued within six months (guide).
- Eligibility letter expiring during a slow visa process — request an extension before it lapses (validity rules).
Once you are licensed and working, plan for renewal and CME from month one (renewal guide).
Frequently asked questions
How long after passing Prometric can I start work in Dubai?
Typically two to four months: one to three weeks for the eligibility letter, then employer licence activation, a work permit, entry, the medical test and Emirates ID, each taking one to three weeks.
What does the UAE medical fitness test check?
A blood test and chest X-ray screening for HIV, hepatitis B and tuberculosis, with additional tests for some job categories. Results usually come within one to three days.
Do I need my degree attested for Saudi Arabia?
Yes. Degree certificates must be attested by your home foreign ministry and the Saudi embassy before the work visa is stamped. The UAE does not always require it but many employers ask.
Can I change employers after arriving on a GCC work visa?
Yes, subject to contract terms and notice. In the UAE the new employer transfers the licence and sponsors a new visa; in Saudi Arabia transfers run through the Qiwa system and may require the current employer's release during the first year.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.