EHS Residency Programmes: Training in the Northern Emirates

Specialties offered

The EHS page lists residency programmes in:

• Family Medicine
• Paediatrics
• ENT (Otolaryngology)
• Emergency Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Anaesthesia & ICU
• Psychiatry
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Programmes last four to five years. If your intended specialty is not on this list, check whether DoH Abu Dhabi or Dubai Health offers it, since the three authorities publish different programme lists. The page does not name the training hospitals or the number of seats per programme; confirm these with EHS. Compare with other authorities on our residency specialties page.

Eligibility

• MBBS from an accredited medical school (EHS directs applicants to check the World Directory of Medical Schools).
• Completed internship.
• Less than five years since graduation and less than four years since internship.
• No more than a 12-month break from clinical practice.
• A pass in EMREE offered by NIHS. No minimum score above the pass mark is stated.
• Non-UAE graduates: TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS Academic 6 or OET C+ (minimums).
• No nationality restriction is listed.

The 12-month limit on breaks from practice is stricter than Dubai Health (“typically” 24 months) and DoH (three years). See our eligibility comparison.

How to apply

1. Register on the EHS digital services portal.
2. Complete the residency application.
3. Attach your documents.
4. Pay the AED 600 fee.

Registration opens each March and EHS says review takes four weeks. Acceptance of your application does not guarantee a seat: interviews and seat availability decide. The page we checked does not publish a detailed document list or interview dates, so check the portal when registration opens. Our applications guide lists documents commonly requested by the other authorities, which is a useful starting point.

How EHS differs from DoH and Dubai Health

What to expect after you apply

EHS says applications are reviewed within four weeks. Accepted applicants then move to interviews, and offers depend on interview performance and seat availability. The page we checked does not publish interview dates, a rank list stage or a start date, so watch the portal and your email after registration. Because other authorities run their own cycles in parallel (in the last published cycles, Dubai Health applications ran from 19 February to 31 March and DoH applications from 1 to 31 March), many candidates apply to EHS alongside them. Dubai Health describes a cross-match across UAE health authorities and entities, under which a candidate ranked by more than one chooses one place.

Before you register: our checklist

• Confirm your medical school is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.
• Count the months since graduation, since internship and since you last practised clinically; the 12-month break limit catches some applicants out.
• Make sure your EMREE result is a pass and within its validity of up to two years.
• If you graduated outside the UAE, have your TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or OET result ready.
• Prepare scanned copies of your degree, internship certificate, passport and exam transcript before registration opens in March.
• Have a payment method ready for the AED 600 fee.

This checklist is our suggestion; follow the portal’s instructions where they differ. If anything on the EHS page is unclear, contact the residency team by email before registration closes rather than after you have paid the fee.

Interviews

EHS says interviews decide, together with seat availability, but does not publish the interview format or weighting. Our residency interview guide gives general preparation advice that applies to any structured interview, clearly labelled as our own guidance.

What this means for your EMREE preparation

EHS asks for a pass rather than a set score, but every attempt appears on your EMREE transcript and the exam FAQ warns that more retakes reduce the chance of being considered by the health authorities. If you are also applying to Abu Dhabi or Dubai, prepare for the higher bar those authorities use. Results are valid for up to two years, so one strong result can support applications to several authorities. See our EMREE study guide.

EHS contact for residency: [email protected]; telephone 400-14-007-000 (as printed on the EHS page).

By the EMREE UAE editorial team · How we write and check content