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The medical test for a residence visa is required for every applicant aged 18 and over, new or renewing. In Dubai the official charges are AED 270 for a result in 24 hours, AED 700 for 6 hours, and AED 1,020 for 2 hours. Smart Salem returns a result in about 30 minutes for AED 700. You give a blood sample and have a chest X-ray, and the result goes to your visa file.
No medical result, no residence. It sits between the entry permit and the Emirates ID in almost every visa, so the timing matters.
Official Dubai fees
| Tier | Result in | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | 24 hours | AED 270 |
| VIP | 6 hours | AED 700 |
| VIP | 2 hours | AED 1,020 |
| Smart Salem | About 30 minutes | AED 700 |
| Pregnancy test, domestic workers | Added to the package | AED 50 |
Source: Dubai Administrative Resolution No. 66 of approving charges for medical fitness, checked . These are package prices.
Typing centres and visa agencies that book the test for you add their own service charge. The fee above is what the medical centre itself charges.
Outside Dubai
These are Dubai charges. We have not verified the prices in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or the northern emirates, and an older federal document with category prices could not be opened on an official site. Ask the centre in your emirate for its fee when you book.
Who needs the test
- Every residence applicant aged 18 and above. u.ae sets this rule for the residence visa as a whole.
- Renewals too. GDRFA's renewal pages list an approved medical exam for applicants over 18.
- All sponsor types: employees, spouses and adult children, parents, retirees, students and property owners.
Children under 18 do not take it. A child who turns 18 during the visa takes it at the next renewal.
Golden visa holders are not exempt. The Dubai Land Department golden and retiree packages include a medical examination of AED 700 inside their totals.
What happens at the centre
Dubai Health describes two parts: a blood sample and a chest X-ray. Some professions also need vaccinations as part of the process. The test itself is quick. The tier you pay for decides how fast the result comes back, not how the test is done.
We do not list the conditions screened here. The full list sits in a federal document we could not read on an official page, and we would rather not repeat it secondhand. Dubai Health and the centre can tell you what is checked for your visa type.
Dubai Health runs 25 medical fitness centres across the emirate under the Salem name, including Al Quoz, Al Karama and DIFC. Results arrive by SMS or email.
What to bring
- Registration form (filled at the centre or by the typing office)
- Original Emirates ID, or your passport if you have no ID yet
- Photo on a white background
- Copy of the e-visa or entry permit, or the renewal application
Check that the name and passport number on the form match your visa file. A mismatch can stop the result linking to the application.
Steps and timing within the visa
- The entry permit or renewal application is issued or opened.
- You take the medical.
- The result reaches the file, by the tier's deadline.
- You give Emirates ID biometrics.
- GDRFA or ICP issues the residence.
If you entered on an entry permit, ICP gives 60 days from entry to finish the residence steps. Book the medical in the first week so a retest or a lost result does not push you close to that line.
Ways a medical holds up the visa
- Name spelled differently on the form and the e-visa.
- The test taken before the entry permit was issued, so there is nothing to link it to.
- A domestic worker sent without the pregnancy test added.
- Paying the 24-hour tier the day before a deadline.
- Using an old result for a new application.
If a result comes back unfit, the official pages we read do not explain what happens next or how to appeal. Ask Dubai Health directly.
Where this fits
The medical is one line in the cost of every residence. See it alongside the other fees on visa renewal in Dubai, the UAE residence visa guide, and the Emirates ID for residents page. Insurance is a separate requirement, covered on health insurance for a residence visa. For a new job, the order of steps is on the UAE work visa process.
Official sources
- Dubai Administrative Resolution No. 66 on medical fitness charges: fee tiers and result times.
- Dubai Health medical fitness exam: what happens, documents, centres, results.
- u.ae general provisions for residence: medical for applicants 18 and over.
- GDRFA residence renewal: medical exam among renewal documents.
- DLD golden visa for investors: medical inside the package.
Checked . Fees can change, so confirm at the centre before you pay.
