Medical Typing in Dubai and the Visa Medical: What Each Step Is
Medical typing in Dubai is the clerical step — getting your medical fitness application submitted — and the visa medical is the test itself. Dubai Health publishes the test, the documents and the prices. It does not publish the phrase “medical typing” at all, which is worth knowing before you pay for it.
This guide separates the two, prints Dubai Health’s own package prices and turnaround times, and marks clearly where a figure comes from the authority and where it does not. Our UAE visa service handles the submission and the appointment; our guide to typing centres and document clearing in Dubai explains what a typing centre is and why so much runs through one.
Who has to take the medical
Dubai Health’s medical fitness exam service page, last updated 26 March 2026, puts it broadly: “In line with the Cabinet Resolution No. (75) of 2022, all individuals applying for or renewing their UAE residency visa can use this service to issue their Medical Fitness Certificate.”
The federal portal adds the age line on its medical test page: “A residence visa requires applicants who are 18 and above to undergo a medical test to prove that they are medically fit.” That page carries no updated date and says nothing else — not what is screened, not what happens if you fail, not where to go.
What the test actually involves
Dubai Health publishes the journey in five stages:
- “Application submitted through Salem Portal”
- “Visit a Medical Fitness Center with the required documents”
- “Health check at the Medical Fitness Center – Blood collection – Chest X-ray”
- “Vaccinations (only for certain profession categories)”
- “Notification of results via SMS or email”
A blood sample and a chest X-ray, then. Dubai Health does not name the conditions tested for; the federal portal does, on a different page.
What the test screens for
The list is published on the federal portal’s preparing to work page, updated 24 September 2026. Quoted as written:
“As per Cabinet Resolution No. 5 of 2016, amending provisions of the Cabinet Decree No. 7 of 2008, expatriates entering the UAE for work or residence must undergo the following medical tests:”
- “HIV/AIDS test: mandatory for all residency applicants (new or renewal).” “Residency is denied or not renewed for positive cases.”
- “Hepatitis B test”
- “Pregnancy test for domestic workers (maids, nannies, drivers, and similar roles)”
- “Leprosy test: conducted for new applicants and upon renewal.” “Residency is denied or not renewed for positive cases.”
- “Syphilis test”
- “Tuberculosis (TB) test.” “For cases of drug-resistant TB, the individual will be treated in the UAE until recovery.” “Once cured, residency may be renewed.” “Exceptions are granted for old or active TB cases, specifically for first-time residency applications.”
Those are the federal portal’s words and its outcomes. We have no basis to add to them or to interpret them.
If any of this concerns you personally, ask the authority that decides. The test and its result are the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s or your emirate’s health authority’s; the residency decision that follows is ICP’s or GDRFA’s. They are the only ones who can tell you how a particular result is treated in a particular case. We cannot, and neither can anyone quoting us.
What to bring
Four items, quoted from the same page:
- A completed registration form
- “Original and valid Emirates ID or passport”
- A recent passport-sized photo with a white background
- An e-visa copy
There are “21 Medical Fitness Centers located throughout Dubai”, and the published list includes centres at Al Quoz, Al Karama, DIFC, JAFZA, Dubai Airport and Al Lusaily.
The prices, from Dubai Health’s own schedule
These are the published package prices. The schedule carries no date, no version and no validity period, and it states that “The institution may change these prices in line with the public interest.” Read it yourself before budgeting.
| Package, as named | Price | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Fitness Examination Service | AED 270 | 24 working hours |
| Medical Fitness Examination Service for Domestic Workers | AED 320 | 24 working hours |
| Premium Medical Fitness Examination Service | AED 700 | 6 working hours |
| Premium Medical Fitness Examination Service for Domestic Workers | AED 750 | 6 working hours |
| Medical Fitness Examination Service for VIPs | AED 1,020 | 2 working hours |
| Medical Fitness Examination Service at Salem Innovative Center | AED 700 | 30 minutes |
Published alongside it: delivery time is counted during official working hours, and a pregnancy test for domestic workers is an extra AED 50.
Notice what is not in that table. The schedule lists package names and prices, not package contents. What separates the AED 270 service from the AED 700 one is, on the published evidence, the turnaround — 24 working hours against 6. Anything more than that is somebody’s description, not Dubai Health’s.
Where “medical typing” actually fits
Nowhere, officially. The phrase does not appear on the Dubai Health page or the federal portal page.
What is published is step one: “Application submitted through Salem Portal”. Medical typing is the market’s name for having that submission done for you — your details keyed in, the form completed, the package selected and the fee paid — usually at a typing centre, which is the same kind of office that types visa and labour applications.
Two things follow from that, and they are the practical heart of this page. A typing charge is a service charge, not a government fee, and it sits on top of the package prices above. And because the published route is a portal, the submission is something you can do yourself; paying for it buys convenience and someone else’s familiarity with the form, not access.
Our guide to Emirates ID renewal covers the step that usually follows the medical, and the family visa document checklist covers where the medical sits in a dependant’s file.
What is not published anywhere official
- What happens on a positive result other than HIV, leprosy or tuberculosis. The federal portal publishes outcomes for those three and not for hepatitis B or syphilis.
- What each package contains. Only names, prices and turnaround times are published.
- Which profession categories require the vaccinations mentioned in stage four.
- Any exemption above the age of 18. The federal portal gives the floor and no ceiling.
- Any official use of the term “medical typing”, or any published typing fee. Typing charges are commercial and vary by office.
- Whether the certificate has a validity period, and how long results stay valid for a visa application.
- Whether the AED 50 pregnancy test is optional or required for domestic workers.
Our advice — practical guidance, not a rule
Marked as advice because no official page prescribes it.
- Separate the two bills in your head before you pay either. The package price is Dubai Health’s and is published. The typing charge is an office’s and is not.
- Pick the package by turnaround, not by its name. “Premium” is published as 6 working hours against 24. If you are not in a hurry, that is what you are paying AED 430 for.
- Take the original Emirates ID or passport, not a copy. The requirement says original and valid, and it is the commonest reason a trip is wasted.
- Check the centre list before you travel across Dubai. There are 21, and the nearest one to you is rarely the one you were told about.
- Do not plan around a price you were quoted last year. The schedule is undated and says prices may change.
- If someone quotes you a disease list or a fail-and-you-are-deported outcome, ask where it is published. We looked, and it is not on the authority’s pages.
If you would rather not key the form in yourself, our UAE visa desk submits the application, books the appointment and tells you the published package price separately from our own charge, so you can see which is which.
Frequently asked questions
What is medical typing in Dubai?
It is the market’s name for having your medical fitness application submitted for you, usually at a typing centre. The published process is that the “Application submitted through Salem Portal”; no authority publishes the term “medical typing” or a typing fee.
How much is the visa medical test in Dubai?
Dubai Health publishes AED 270 for the standard service with results in 24 working hours, AED 700 for the premium service in 6 working hours, and AED 1,020 for the VIP service in 2 working hours. Domestic worker packages are AED 320 and AED 750.
What does the UAE visa medical test include?
Dubai Health publishes a health check at the centre, blood collection and a chest X-ray, with vaccinations for certain profession categories only. The federal portal lists the tests themselves under Cabinet Resolution No. 5 of 2016: HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, leprosy, syphilis, tuberculosis, and a pregnancy test for domestic workers.
What documents do I need for the medical fitness test?
A completed registration form, your “Original and valid Emirates ID or passport”, a recent passport-sized photo with a white background, and an e-visa copy.
How long do medical fitness results take in Dubai?
24 working hours for the standard package, 6 working hours for premium, 2 working hours for VIP and 30 minutes at the Salem Innovative Center. Delivery time is counted during official working hours, and results come by SMS or email.
Who needs a medical test for a UAE residence visa?
Everyone applying for or renewing a residence visa, under Cabinet Resolution No. 75 of 2022. The federal portal states that applicants “who are 18 and above” must undergo it.
Can I do the medical fitness application myself?
The published route is the Salem Portal, so the submission is not restricted to an agent. Paying a typing centre buys convenience and familiarity with the form, not access to a step you could not otherwise reach.