SCFHS licence for Saudi Arabia: the 2026 step-by-step guide

Saudi Arabia is hiring healthcare professionals at a scale no other GCC market matches — and every one of them must pass through the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). The pathway is more structured than the UAE’s, with a formal classification step that trips up many first-time applicants. Here is how it works in 2026.

The five steps

• Mumaris+ registration — create your account on the SCFHS portal and open a classification request.
• DataFlow PSV — primary source verification of your degree, licence, and experience certificates, submitted through Mumaris+.
• Professional classification — SCFHS assesses your qualifications and assigns your title (e.g. Resident, Specialist, Senior Registrar, Consultant — or the nursing/pharmacy/allied equivalents). Your classification drives your job title and salary band in the Kingdom, so getting it right matters enormously.
• Prometric exam — the Saudi licensing exam for your profession (some senior classifications and Western-board holders are exempt).
• Professional registration & licence — final registration once you have a Saudi employer, activating your right to practise.

Costs at a glance

Realistic total for the mandatory stages: US$680–850, excluding translations, attestations and any exam preparation.

Where applicants lose the most time

• Wrong classification request — applying for a title your documents can’t support leads to downgrades or rejections that are hard to reverse.
• Incomplete experience letters — SCFHS is strict about format, dates, signatures and stamps.
• DataFlow mismatches — names, dates or institutions that differ between documents trigger insufficiencies.
• Exam scheduling — seats in busy test centres (India, Pakistan, Egypt, Philippines) fill quickly.

UAE vs Saudi: can I hold both?

Yes. Many professionals hold a DHA or DOH licence and add an SCFHS classification (or vice versa) — DataFlow reports can often be transferred between regulators, saving both time and verification fees. If you’re weighing both markets, we’ll map the fastest combined route in a free consultation.

FAQ