The salary is the number everyone quotes, but a general practitioner costs a clinic more than the monthly line. The licence route sets the start date, and the employer carries the visa and insurance costs. Here is how to budget before you open the search.
Talk to usThe Dubai Salary Index 2026 covers 155 roles. For a GP doctor it lists three levels in monthly gross AED. The full table is open data: see the press and data page or download the files at https://tlnt.ae/data/.
To practise in Dubai a doctor needs a Dubai Health Authority (DHA) licence. The route is DataFlow primary source verification, the DHA assessment, the licence itself and then linking the doctor to your clinic.
By law the employer carries the work permit and visa costs and cannot deduct them from the doctor's pay. The usual lines are listed in our cost of hiring guide:
A doctor without a licence is a cost with no patients until the licence is linked to your clinic. Plan the budget for the weeks of verification, and keep the clinic schedule realistic: a licensed doctor can start in weeks, an unlicensed one takes longer. Our guide on the DHA licence for a GP with a Russian or CIS degree shows what to prepare.
Decide the level first, then check whether you need a licensed doctor now or can wait for the licence. We help find and assess candidates and give a market view of the package; the employer decides and employs the doctor directly. See the role page for a GP doctor with the salary and timeline.
In the Dubai Salary Index 2026 an entry GP is 15,000 - 20,000 AED a month, an experienced GP 22,000 - 28,000 AED, and a senior GP or one with a patient base 30,000+ AED.
The employer. Under UAE labour law work permit and visa costs cannot be deducted from the employee's pay, and health insurance is mandatory in Dubai.
For a doctor who already holds a DHA licence the full cycle is usually 2-4 weeks. Without a licence it is longer: the DataFlow check alone takes about 15 working days, plus the DHA exam.
A free review in WhatsApp: we look at your numbers and tell you honestly what we would do.
Message on WhatsApp