DHA licence for Indian pharmacists and dentists.

The steps are the same as for any applicant

DHA's order is: Sheryan account and self-assessment, meet the PQR, obtain a positive primary source verification (PSV) result, and pass the assessment if required. PSV and the exam can run at the same time. The full list, with the India notes, is on the main India page.

Pharmacists

We read these pages on 16 October 2026. The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) publishes the Pharmacy Act, 1948, which defines a Central Register kept by PCI and registers kept by State Councils, and PCI lists the state pharmacy councils with their contact details. DHA's Licensing Manual says the same licensing authority that holds your registration must issue the good standing certificate. We found no PCI page explaining a good standing letter or any step for a foreign regulator, so whether PCI or your state council issues it for your registration: confirm on the council's site.

DHA's PQR (table 18.27) asks a Pharmacist for a BSc in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy and two years of experience after qualification in the related field. Experience with pharmaceutical companies or as a sales representative is not accepted. The Pharmacist exam is 150 questions in 3 hours, including registration time, at 60 percent, with 14 content areas listed and no weights. The PQR's pharmacist exam equivalency table lists certain countries' licences, and India is not among them.

Dentists

The Dental Council of India has been replaced by the National Dental Commission (NDC), which says it was "established under the NDC Act, 2023". Its site links a National Dental Register, the Dentists Act, 1948 and a list of state dental councils. It also publishes a FAQ for a No Objection Certificate for transferring registration between Indian states. That FAQ is about moving between states, not about applying abroad, and it says the NDC's NOC does not by itself give registration in the new state. DHA's Licensing Manual says the same licensing authority that holds your registration must issue the good standing certificate. We found no NDC page about a good standing letter for a foreign regulator, so whether the NDC or your state dental council issues it for your registration: confirm on the council's site.

DHA's PQR (table 10) asks a General Dentist for a BDS, DMD, DDS or equivalent, a one-year internship and two years of clinical experience. The General Dentist exam is 150 questions in 3 hours, including registration time, at 60 percent, with 12 content areas and no weights.

For specialists, the PQR's recognised dental specialty table lists the Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) for India in its Tier 3 column. In the PQR a Tier 3 qualification asks a non-UAE specialist for three years of experience after qualification, and for consultants the Tier 3 cell says "Cannot attain the title", with a footnote for people enrolled before June 2017. Read the table yourself, because the columns are hard to read in the PDF, and DHA decides each case.

What differs from the nurse and doctor routes

Pharmacists and dentists sit different exams from nurses and doctors, with their own pass scores. Pharmacists are filed under Allied Healthcare in DHA's guideline. Dentists, like physicians, must have completed an internship, and DHA asks for it to be at least 12 months after the degree. If you did not complete one, the PQR asks for two more years of experience.

Neither route has a published sample question set from DHA. Meddex has pharmacist and dentist questions but no full mocks for these roles yet, which the profession pages explain.

Protect yourself

Start from official portals only.