Health Card and PIC Certificate in Dubai: Step by Step
To get your staff cleared to work in a Dubai restaurant, cafe or salon, you need two things: occupational health screening for every food handler or salon worker, and, for food businesses, a trained Person in Charge (PIC) with a food safety certificate. You can do both yourself. Screening costs AED 170 per food handler and AED 540 per salon or spa worker, per the Dubai Health Authority's fee list (2022), and reports take up to 15 working days. This guide walks through each step in plain English.
Note: Every fact here comes from official sources: the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dubai Municipality and UAE federal law. Fees are from DHA's service catalogue dated 4 July 2022. Screening is now carried out by the Dubai Academic Health Corporation, so confirm current fees and booking channels when you book. This guide covers Dubai only; Abu Dhabi has its own process.
Who Needs Health Screening?
Under Cabinet Decree No. 7 of 2008, as amended by Cabinet Resolution No. 5 of 2016, expatriate workers in certain job categories must be screened periodically for work-related health conditions (DHA Standards for Occupational Health Services, 2023). Two categories cover most restaurant and salon teams:
| Category | Roles covered (from the DHA standard) | Tests | Fee (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food handlers | Chefs, cooks, waiters, stewards, food and beverage attendants, bakers, pastry workers, juice, sandwich, coffee and tea makers, restaurant and cafe cashiers, dishwashers, catering workers, food handler trainees | Physical exam, stool test | AED 170 |
| Beauticians and spa workers | Barbers, beauticians, hairdressers and stylists, nail specialists, makeup artists, spa therapists, salon cashiers, cleaners, supervisors and trainees | Physical exam, blood tests including HIV and hepatitis B and C | AED 540 |
Fees: DHA Medical Fitness Centres Service Catalogue, updated 4 July 2022. DHA notes prices may be amended.
Salon owners, note the cashier and cleaner rows. Screening applies to the whole salon team, not just the people doing treatments.
Step 1: Get Your Company Documents Ready
Before you can book screening for staff as a company, have these ready. They are the documents DHA lists for company screening requests:
- Your trade licence
- Your establishment card
- Your employee list from MOHRE (the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation)
If you have not opened yet, your trade licence and establishment card come first. See our guides to opening a restaurant in Dubai and starting a salon in Dubai.
Step 2: Book the Screening
There are three ways in:
- Register your company on Salem, the online system for medical fitness and occupational health screening across Dubai. DHA's catalogue lists a subscription of AED 1,622.25 per user per year, so it suits businesses screening staff regularly.
- Use a typing centre that is already registered on Salem. This is the usual choice for a small team.
- Book at an occupational health screening centre. DHA's catalogue lists centres including Al Nahda Occupational Health Screening & Medical Fitness Center.
Where people get stuck: new staff starting work before their screening is done. Book screening as soon as visas are in progress, because reports can take up to 15 working days.
Step 3: Send Staff for Their Tests
Each staff member attends in person. Food handlers have a physical examination and a stool test. Salon and spa staff have a physical examination and blood tests, including HIV and hepatitis B and C. DHA lists a delivery time of 15 working days for company screening reports.
Step 4: Appoint and Train Your Person in Charge (Food Businesses)
Dubai Municipality requires every food establishment to appoint a responsible Person in Charge who has received food safety training and holds a certificate. In 2020 it was overseeing more than 72,000 PICs across the emirate (Dubai Municipality, 2020).
Your PIC is your hygiene supervisor, the person accountable for food safety day to day. Choose a supervisor or manager who is on site during opening hours, not an owner who is rarely there.
Where people get stuck: training with a provider Dubai Municipality does not recognise. Use FoodWatch to find an approved training centre (next step).
Step 5: Use FoodWatch for Training and Permits
FoodWatch is Dubai Municipality's digital food safety platform. According to Dubai Municipality's FoodWatch guide, your PIC can use it to (Dubai Municipality FoodWatch FAQ, 2019):
- Find an approved training centre. FoodWatch controls which trainers can be selected.
- Add food handlers and request their training. Log in as the PIC, go to food handler information, add each person's details and request training.
- Apply for Dubai Municipality permits online.
- Keep food safety records, such as cleaning and equipment maintenance logs.
Step 6: Keep Records Ready for Inspection
Keep each person's screening report, training record and your PIC's certificate on file, and rebook screening when it falls due, since the law requires periodic screening. Inspectors check how food safety is managed in practice, so records matter as much as certificates.
Checklist: Before Your First Day of Trading
- Trade licence, establishment card and MOHRE employee list ready
- Screening booked for every food handler (AED 170 each, 2022 fee)
- Screening booked for every salon or spa staff member (AED 540 each, 2022 fee)
- Screening reports received (allow up to 15 working days)
- Person in Charge appointed and certified (food businesses)
- Food handlers added and training requested on FoodWatch
- All records filed and ready for inspection
What Does This Cost for a Small Team?
For a cafe with 6 food handlers, screening comes to 6 × AED 170 = AED 1,020. For a salon with 5 stylists and therapists plus a cashier, it comes to 6 × AED 540 = AED 3,240. Both use the 2022 fees; confirm current prices when you book. Add PIC training fees from your chosen training centre.
These are small costs next to the rest of setup, but they sit on the critical path: staff cannot work until they are screened. For the full picture of licences and permits, see our Dubai food licence guide and cafeteria licence guide.