Almost every relocation guide tells you the same thing about the UAE medical test: you will be
screened for HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and syphilis. It is repeated so consistently that it reads
as settled fact.
It is not what the UAE Government actually says, and the difference matters to real people.
Here is what the UAE medical fitness test and the surrounding residency paperwork
genuinely require, checked against the government’s own published position in August 2026.
Correction one: two of those four screenings are occupation-triggered
The government portal’s position is narrower than the blanket version. Foreign nationals must be free
of communicable diseases “such as HIV and TB”. In addition, specific categories “should test
negative for syphilis and Hepatitis B”:
| Category required to test for syphilis and hepatitis B |
|---|
| Workers in nurseries |
| Domestic workers, including housemaids, nannies and drivers |
| Food handlers, and workers in restaurants and cafes |
| Workers in salons and beauty centres |
| Workers in health clubs |
If you are taking an office job, those two are not part of the standard screen. Female domestic workers
must additionally test negative for pregnancy.
Correction two: the chest X-ray is not a federal uniform
The portal is unusually blunt about this: “The emirate of Abu Dhabi screen foreign nationals to detect
pulmonary tuberculosis by a chest x-ray; however, the emirate of Dubai does not.”
So the same applicant, with the same job, gets a different test depending on which emirate is issuing
the visa. Guides that describe a single national medical protocol are describing something that does not
exist.
Correction three: a TB finding is not an automatic deportation
This is the correction that matters most to the people it affects, because the fear attached to it is
disproportionate.
Under a 2016 Cabinet Resolution, all resident expatriates undergo TB screening at renewal. Those found
with scars, active TB, or drug-resistant TB are issued a conditional fitness certificate and a
residence visa for one year, and must then undergo treatment in the UAE.
The “test positive and you are on a plane” framing is wrong for TB. It is a treatable finding handled
with a conditional permit. That framing does remain correct for HIV, and we are not going to soften that
— but the two are not interchangeable, and conflating them causes real distress.
The governing law is Federal Law No. 14 of 2014 on Combatting Communicable Diseases, with Cabinet
Resolution No. 33 of 2016 as its executive regulations. The UAE runs a Screening Programme for Residency
alongside a National Tuberculosis Control Programme and a National Programme on Prevention and Control of
HIV/AIDS.
Correction four: the good conduct certificate is moving again
The history most guides carry is accurate but frozen. A good conduct certificate was introduced on
4 February 2018 and suspended, effective 1 April 2018, “until further notice”. That suspension is the
fact preserved across thousands of pages.
As at August 2026, that appears to be changing. Corporate immigration advisories report that the
Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship and some emirate-level authorities have begun requiring a
Police Clearance Certificate — also called a Good Conduct Certificate — for new entry-permit
applications from nationals of a defined list of countries, with documentation rules that differ
by where the applicant is:
| Applicant’s situation | Reported requirement |
|---|---|
| Outside the UAE | Certificate from home country, attested by the UAE Embassy, then by UAE MoFA |
| Inside the UAE on a tourist visa | Same as above |
| Inside the UAE on a cancelled residence visa | Certificate must be issued within the UAE |
We are flagging this carefully rather than stating it as settled. The reporting is from a corporate
immigration provider working, by its own account, from information shared by free zone authorities — that
is circulars, not a published rule. It is not on the government portal or the identity authority’s site.
Treat it as a live development to check with your PRO or employer, not as law.
We are also deliberately not repeating the “45 countries, phased in two stages” version of this
story that circulates on visa-agent sites. It appears on no government source and in none of the
professional advisories we could verify.
What is actually required, start to finish
For a residence visa, applicants aged 18 and above must undergo a medical test to prove medical
fitness, pass a security check, and apply for an Emirates ID from the Federal Authority for Identity and
Citizenship.
For a dependant’s residence visa, the portal lists: a recent colour photo on a white background; a copy
of the dependant’s passport; the Emirates ID application receipt; a certified housing lease contract or
proof of ownership; a copy of the sponsor’s passport with valid residence permit; the sponsor’s job
contract; a medical fitness certificate for dependants over 18; the entry permit; an attested birth
certificate for children; the mother’s residence photo for a newborn; medical insurance or a health card;
and, for divorced women and widows, a divorce or death certificate plus proof of housing and of ability to
earn a living. Students need a certificate specifying the duration of study.
Our guides to UAE visa
types and to
family and dependant
visas cover which route applies to you, and
health
insurance is a separate obligation that runs alongside.
The Emirates ID rules people get caught by
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Biometrics | Anyone who has completed 15 years of age must complete fingerprint and signature procedures at an ICP service centre |
| Renewal window | Opens six months before expiry |
| Late renewal fine | AED 20 per day, capped at AED 1,000 |
| On visa cancellation | The Emirates ID is cancelled automatically |
| If lost | Report to ICP within 7 days |
| If details change | Notify ICP within one month |
Two further rules catch people who travel. A residence visa is nullified automatically after more than
180 continuous days outside the UAE, subject to a listed set of exemptions; a re-entry permit costs AED
100 per 30 days or less spent outside, and once approved the holder must enter within 30 days. Golden visa
and green residency holders are exempt from that service — our guide to the
Golden
Visa covers who qualifies. Overstay fines are now standardised at AED 50 per day across visit, tourist
and residence visas.
Full detail on the card itself is in our guide to
applying for, renewing and
replacing an Emirates ID.
Attestation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the UAE’s attestation authority and runs a documents attestation
service for individuals and businesses. For a foreign degree the reported sequence is attestation by the
issuing country’s foreign ministry, then the UAE embassy or consulate there, then UAE MoFA — with some
professions additionally requiring Ministry of Education attestation. Our guide to
document attestation walks
through the chain.
What we are not telling you
No fees, and no turnaround times. Medical fitness pricing varies by emirate and by service tier, and
the “results in 24 hours” and “AED X for VIP” figures that circulate are exactly the kind of number that
is fabricated, copied and then repeated until it looks authoritative. Book through the health authority in
your emirate and take the price it quotes.
The rest of this is stable, published and checkable. The medical test is narrower than its reputation,
the X-ray depends on your emirate, TB is treatable rather than disqualifying — and the good conduct
certificate is the one genuinely moving part, as at August 2026.
Primary sources, all from the UAE Government portal:
health
conditions for a UAE residence visa,
general
provisions for the residence visa,
Emirates
ID and
combatting
communicable diseases; plus the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’
attestation
service. The police clearance development is reported by the corporate immigration provider
Envoy
Global and is not, at the time of writing, published on a UAE government source. This article is
general information, not immigration advice.
