UAE Visa Medical 2026 – Tests, Fees, Results & Medical Fitness Centers

AGE 18 AND ABOVE

Medical fitness is part of new residence and residence renewal

The UAE Government's current residence guidance says applicants who are 18 years old or above must undergo a medical test to prove medical fitness before a residence visa is issued. The same requirement applies to adult family members being sponsored for residence.

Dubai Health's current service is expressly for people applying for or renewing UAE residency. EHS likewise provides the service for new and renewal residence cases. Abu Dhabi's DoH standard requires visa screening for applicants seeking residence for work, study or residence purposes and for certain short work/business missions.

Children under 18 are generally outside the standard adult residence medical-fitness requirement. If an immigration or health authority requests a test for a special case, follow that specific instruction rather than relying only on the age rule.

THE TEST IS ABOUT COMMUNICABLE-DISEASE FITNESS

What does the UAE visa medical test check?

UAE Government health guidance states that expatriates seeking work or residence must satisfy the country's communicable-disease fitness rules. HIV and tuberculosis are specifically identified in the national guidance.

The exact blood tests depend on the person's occupation. Abu Dhabi's current DoH screening standard states that blood testing can include HIV, hepatitis B/C for certain job categories, syphilis for certain job categories and pregnancy testing where applicable. The same standard includes chest X-ray to rule out pulmonary tuberculosis.

Dubai Health's current residence medical journey includes blood collection, chest X-ray and vaccinations for certain profession categories. This is the current operational service journey even though older summaries online may describe the Dubai screening differently.

Do not assume that every applicant receives every possible laboratory test. The screening package is selected according to residence status, occupation and the health authority's rules.

YOUR JOB TITLE CAN CHANGE THE MEDICAL PACKAGE

Domestic workers, salons, food handling and healthcare can have extra screening

The UAE's general health guidance identifies additional screening for specified worker categories. These include nursery workers, domestic workers such as housemaids, nannies and drivers, food handlers and workers in restaurants/cafes, salon and beauty-centre workers, health-club workers and some healthcare-related roles.

For these categories, additional syphilis and/or hepatitis B testing can apply. Separate national guidance also lists mandatory hepatitis B vaccination for several occupational groups such as childcare/nursery staff, domestic workers, salon/beauty/health-club workers and healthcare-facility workers.

EHS pricing reflects this occupation-based approach. Its current service divides applicants into Category A for general employees/workers, Category B for private drivers, nannies, housekeepers, nursery supervisors and housemaids, and Category C for beauty-parlour, salon, fitness-club, spa and healthcare-facility workers.

If your job title is wrong on the application, the wrong screening package can be created. Ask the employer/typing center to correct the profession before the test rather than trying to persuade the medical center to ignore the immigration/employment record.

DUBAI HEALTH • SALEM

Dubai visa medical: documents, centers, prices and result speeds

Dubai Health's current Medical Fitness Exam service is completed through the Salem system and its network of Medical Fitness Centers. The service page lists 21 centers and current facility pages show additional Salem locations operating across Dubai, including Al Quoz, Al Nahda, Bur Dubai, Al Garhoud, Al Rashidiya, Al Muhaisnah, JAFZA, AXS, Smart Salem centers and others.

Current required documents are the completed registration form, original valid Emirates ID or passport, a recent passport-size photo with white background and the e-visa copy.

The current Dubai journey is: submit through Salem, attend the center, complete the required blood collection/chest X-ray/vaccination steps, then receive notification of the result by SMS or email. Dubai Health's medical-fitness system is integrated with residence processing so applicants should not treat a paper printout as the only proof that matters.

Several Dubai centers have extended hours. Current facility pages show 24/7 clinic hours at Al Yalayis DIP and Abu Hail, while Al Nahda and Al Quoz operate long daily schedules. Always check the live center page before travelling because working hours can change.

VISA FIT MEDICAL RESULT ONLINE – DUBAI

How to check your Dubai medical fitness result

Dubai Health's current medical-fitness service provides an online status-tracking route after the examination. The service also sends result notification by SMS or email.

Dubai Health's medical-fitness standards state that the Salem system integrates with laboratory/X-ray systems and GDRFA, and that the Fit or Unfit certificate is submitted to GDRFA for visa processing.

If you paid for a 24-hour, 6-hour, 2-hour or 30-minute package, remember that the stated time is a published service time under normal conditions. A case that needs clinical review, repeat imaging, repeat sample or another authority decision can take longer.

If the expected period has passed, use Dubai Health's tracking route or call 800 60 rather than paying an unknown third party to 'release' the result.

ABU DHABI VISA MEDICAL

Abu Dhabi uses DoH-approved visa screening providers

Abu Dhabi's Department of Health visa-screening standard requires adult residence applicants to use an approved visa-screening healthcare provider. The current standard process is registration, physical examination, blood withdrawal and chest X-ray.

For a new Abu Dhabi visa screening, an applicant should have the original passport plus entry permit or residence document. For renewal, Emirates ID is used in the applicant identification process. If the visa is issued from another emirate, the DoH standard also requires valid health insurance for screening in Abu Dhabi.

Capital Health Screening Centre is a current DoH-approved provider operating branches including Al Jazira, Mussafah, Al Ain, Al Jimi Mall, Al Dhannah, Yas Island and ICAD.

Capital Health's current packages are AED 250 Standard, AED 350 Fast Track and AED 500 VIP. Its published result times are within 48 hours, within 24 hours and same day respectively. Some locations may offer different operational arrangements, so book/check the live branch before visiting.

VISA FIT MEDICAL RESULT – ABU DHABI

Your result is linked to ICP; status can be checked with the transaction number

Capital Health's current result service lets applicants check the Visa Medical status using the transaction number printed on the screening receipt.

The provider states that DoH visa-fitness medical reports are linked with ICP for visa processing and are not generally issued as ordinary digital reports by email. In other words, immigration linkage is more important than downloading a PDF.

If the result is not available after the published package time, contact the screening provider. Capital Health currently uses 800 77 for support.

EMIRATES HEALTH SERVICES (EHS)

Federal residence medical screening outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Emirates Health Services provides the Examination of Medical Fitness for Residency Visa through residency screening centers and public health centers. This route is relevant across the EHS-served Northern Emirates, including Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

The current EHS process starts with UAE Pass, application/appointment booking and payment, followed by attendance at the screening center. The service includes required radiology/medical review steps and sends the examination result via email and SMS.

EHS currently publishes a service-completion duration of 24 hours for the report/result under normal processing.

For new residence cases, a passport-type photo plus valid passport are part of the core documentation. For renewal, EHS states that the Emirates ID is required.

TELL THE SCREENING TEAM IF YOU MAY BE PREGNANT

Pregnancy can change how chest X-ray screening is handled

Pregnancy is handled according to the authority's screening standard and occupation category. UAE Government guidance states that female domestic workers are subject to pregnancy testing as part of the relevant residence-fitness rules.

Abu Dhabi's DoH standard includes a specific pregnancy/X-ray pathway. Where pregnancy is confirmed or clearly apparent, the chest X-ray can be postponed to within two months after the expected delivery date under the DoH screening flow.

Do not conceal a known or possible pregnancy before radiology. Tell the screening staff so they can apply the authority's required pathway. The center—not an online article—should decide whether imaging is performed, postponed or handled under another approved process.

TB RULES ARE MORE NUANCED THAN 'PASS OR FAIL'

Residence renewal can involve conditional fitness and treatment for tuberculosis findings

UAE Government guidance says tuberculosis is part of the communicable-disease residence screening framework. It also explains an important renewal rule introduced through the federal health-fitness regulations.

For residence renewal, the government guidance states that resident expatriates undergo TB screening and that some people with TB-related findings can receive a conditional fitness certificate and a one-year residence visa while undergoing treatment in the UAE.

Do not assume from an old chest X-ray scar or previous history that the outcome will automatically be 'unfit'. The health authority evaluates the actual screening result under the current rules.

If your result requires follow-up, use the official center/health-authority pathway. Do not try to obtain a second unofficial certificate from another emirate to bypass an existing medical file.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE TEST?

A straightforward fit result moves into the residence workflow; flagged cases go for review

When the applicant satisfies the relevant communicable-disease screening requirements, the medical fitness result is released and linked to the immigration process. In Dubai, Salem sends the certificate to GDRFA. In Abu Dhabi, the DoH-approved screening workflow sends the result to ICP. EHS also issues the result electronically.

An abnormal or positive screening result does not always lead to an instant final immigration decision at the reception desk. Depending on the finding and category, the center can require confirmatory testing, physician evaluation, public-health referral, treatment or another authority decision.

Capital Health's current FAQ states that an applicant who does not pass the screening will be notified by the doctor and advised on the next steps.

Do not use a commercial 'medical report editing' service or submit a report from an unapproved clinic. UAE residence medical fitness must come through the approved screening system.

TWO DIFFERENT SERVICES

Residence medical fitness is not the same as occupational health screening

A residence medical fitness certificate proves fitness under the UAE's communicable-disease rules for immigration. Occupational health screening assesses fitness for a specific job and can include nursing assessment, vital signs, doctor evaluation and other job-specific tests.

Dubai Health states that some professions require Occupational Health Screening in addition to the Medical Fitness Exam. To reduce repeat visits, Dubai Health introduced Unified Health Screening, allowing eligible applicants to complete both sets of tests in one appointment at participating centers.

Do not pay for an occupational-health package simply because your employer says 'medical'. Ask whether the requirement is residence medical fitness, occupational health, or both.

SEARCH TERM CONFUSION

A 'UAE medical visa' can also mean a patient treatment entry permit—this page is not about that

UAE Government immigration information uses the term medical visa for foreign patients entering the country for treatment under sponsorship of a licensed medical establishment.

That patient entry permit is completely different from the medical fitness test required for a residence visa. In Dubai, patient treatment entry permits can be issued for 90 or 180 days depending on the route, while Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates use ICP patient-treatment services.

If you are coming to the UAE as a patient rather than applying for residence, use the patient/companion entry-permit rules instead of booking a Salem or residence visa medical fitness test.

PREPARE ONCE, AVOID A RETURN VISIT

What to take to your visa medical appointment

USE AN APPROVED CENTER

Where can you do the UAE visa medical?

Dubai applicants should use Dubai Health/Salem Medical Fitness Centers or another current Dubai Health-approved medical fitness location listed on the official service.

Abu Dhabi applicants should use DoH-approved visa-screening providers. Capital Health currently lists branches at Al Jazira, Mussafah, Al Ain, Al Jimi Mall, Al Dhannah, Yas Island and ICAD.

Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah applicants can use the EHS medical fitness/residency screening network where applicable to their federal residence file.

A center that offers ordinary laboratory tests is not automatically authorised to issue a UAE residence medical fitness result. Check the authority's current service-location list before paying.

AFTER THE MEDICAL

Medical fitness is one step—not the final residence approval

Once the medical fitness result is accepted and linked, the residence process still includes the other steps that apply to your case, such as Emirates ID issuance/renewal, immigration residence issuance and employment/work-permit procedures.

UAE Government guidance for recruitment explains that employers complete medical fitness, Emirates ID and residence procedures as part of the employment/residency journey. The Work Bundle can integrate several of these steps for private-sector employment cases.

If your medical result is fit but the residence application is still pending, check the immigration/employer/Emirates ID stage rather than repeating the medical test unnecessarily.