Physiotherapy clinic licence in Dubai, rooms and therapists
DHA licenses the centre and each physiotherapist separately, and the centre cannot see a patient until both are in place.
- Usual route
- Usually mainland
- Extra approval
- DHA facility
- Timeline
- Months
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A physiotherapy clinic licence in Dubai has two halves: the trade licence from DET and a facility licence from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). DHA issues the facility licence inactive. It goes live after the final inspection, once DHA-licensed physiotherapists are added. Home visits, occupational therapy and speech therapy each need more.
- Covers
- Outpatient physiotherapy assessment, treatment and rehabilitation
- Not covered
- Inpatient rehab, spa massage, gym training and speech therapy
- Premises
- A clinic unit with dedicated one-to-one treatment rooms
- Timeline
- Months, set by fit-out, inspection and therapist licences
What a physio centre can offer
The activity covers assessing and treating patients in your own centre. Patients can book directly. Others arrive with a doctor's referral.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by Spa and massage centre
- Covered by Gym and fitness centre
- Covered by Home healthcare
- Covered by a second allied health activity
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Founders often plan occupational therapy for year two, and adding it later means another DHA approval, so we settle the service list first.
Where a physio clinic is licensed
Most centres treat the public from a mall or community unit. That points to a DET licence, with a DHA facility licence behind it.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in and referred patients in the city | Mainland (DET) | DET issues the trade licence and DHA licenses the treatment facility |
| Patients inside a healthcare free zone | Free zone | That zone has its own health regulator, which licenses the facility and staff |
| Sports clubs and companies under contract | Either route | The licensed centre still carries the clinical care wherever sessions happen |
A free zone company treating mainland patients needs a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Fees paid by individual patients sit outside QFZP qualifying income.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Physiotherapy clinic licence approvals
DHA issues the facility licence first, in an inactive state. It goes live after the final inspection. Licensed physiotherapists have to be attached to it by then, because the facility licence alone treats no one.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
- Facility licence applicationDubai Health Authority (DHA)
The licence
- Trade licenceDET
Alongside the licence
- Physiotherapist professional licencesDHA
- Fit-out to DHA designDHA
After the licence
- Final inspection and activationDHA
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We start the therapists' licences while the unit is being fitted out.
Which services fit one physiotherapy licence?
Tick what you plan to offer in the first year. The heaviest item shows what it adds beyond the physiotherapy activity.
DHA's standards place home treatment under home healthcare rules, so we add that approval to the plan when visits are on your list.
Tick every service on your first-year list
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| The physiotherapy activity and your DHA facility licence | |
| The physiotherapy activity and your DHA facility licence | |
| A second allied health activity, with therapists licensed in that profession | |
| A second allied health activity, with therapists licensed in that profession | |
| DHA home healthcare approval for treating patients at home | |
| A separate spa or gym licence, because that work sits outside healthcare | |
| A separate spa or gym licence, because that work sits outside healthcare |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
What banks see in a physio centre
Bank viewStandard; card payments, insurer settlements and fit-out costs
Banks treat a physiotherapy centre as a standard healthcare business once the DHA facility licence is live. Income comes from card payments and insurer settlements. Those settlements arrive weeks after treatment. The questions come early, when fit-out and equipment orders leave the account before any patient pays. We put the lease, the DHA approval and the equipment quotes into the account file together.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Where physio centre setups lose time
Choosing a unit before the room plan
DHA expects dedicated rooms for one-to-one sessions and a design that suits rehabilitation work. A unit that cannot be split that way costs a second fit-out or a second lease.
Leaving therapist licences until the end
The facility licence stays inactive until licensed physiotherapists are added to it. That catches many founders. A finished centre with therapists still waiting on their DHA licences cannot treat anyone.
Promising home visits from day one
Treatment at home runs under DHA's home healthcare standards, with its own permission. Patients booked for home sessions before that approval arrives have to come to the centre.
Questions about a physiotherapy centre licence
A question about your plan? Describe your physiotherapy centre plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a physiotherapy clinic licence cost in Dubai?
Do physiotherapists need a DHA licence in Dubai?
Can a foreigner open a physiotherapy clinic in Dubai?
Can I open a physiotherapy clinic in a free zone?
Related pages
IndustryClinic and healthcare business setupA clinic license in Dubai is two licences: the DHA facility licence and one for every practitioner.
ActivityHome healthcare licence in DubaiClinical care at home needs a DHA licence and a medical director, while personal care at home is a separate permit.
ActivityAesthetic clinic licence in DubaiInjectables and medical lasers belong in a DHA-licensed clinic, and your treatment menu sets which doctors the clinic needs.
Will your unit pass DHA's room rules? Check it before the lease is signed
Fifteen minutes with a senior advisor on your services, your unit and your therapists. You leave with the activity, the route and the order of the DET and DHA steps.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written quote before any work starts
