Healthcare property hub
Dubai's healthcare property specialist
For clinician-investors, dental and medical groups and healthcare investors who want to buy or sell a licensed clinic, polyclinic or healthcare premises in Dubai. Both tracks, DLD and DHA, run by a dentist who is also a RERA broker.
Licensed clinics and polyclinics in Dubai change hands on a dual track: the premises or lease through the DLD, the licence and business through the DHA (Sheryan) and the DET. Valuations are commonly expressed as a multiple of EBITDA (typically 3 to 5 times for established polyclinics) or of revenue for small practices; every deal is different. A seller-side process typically takes 4 to 8 weeks to a signed letter of intent; a buyer's acquisition typically 30 to 60 days. Last reviewed 22 October 2026. Everything below is written for the person signing, not for the brochure.
Who is this for?
- The clinician-investor. A UK or US dentist or doctor who wants to own the practice, not only the home, and would rather buy a licensed, trading clinic than build one from a shell.
- The group. A dental or medical group entering Dubai or adding a branch, with a board that wants a process, a timeline and a due-diligence file.
- The seller. An owner of a clinic or polyclinic who wants a confidential exit at a defensible valuation, without staff, patients or insurers learning of it from a listing site.
- The investor. A healthcare investor or HNWI who wants a licensed asset with audited income, and understands that the medical director, not the investor, must be licensed.
Why does a clinic need a specialist broker?
A clinic is two assets with one name. The premises or the lease is real estate, registered with the Dubai Land Department and transferred at a trustee office with the 4% fee. The licence and the business are regulated by the Dubai Health Authority on Sheryan and by the Department of Economy and Tourism on the trade licence. A general property broker can move the first; a business broker can move the second; neither tends to understand the clinical file, the NABIDH connection, the insurance panels or the medical director's continuity letter. I read the clinical file as a dentist and run the property as a broker.
What does the dual-track process look like?
Source: Dubai Land Department; DHA Sheryan; Department of Economy and Tourism; rulebook v1.1, reviewed 22 October 2026. A diagram of the sequence, not a promise of timing.
View as table
| Track | Stage |
|---|---|
| Start | Letter of intent and NDA |
| DLD track: premises | Form F, title deed and NOC |
| DLD track: premises | Trustee transfer or lease assignment |
| DLD track: premises | 4% DLD fee paid; Ejari if leased |
| DHA and DET track: licence | DHA initial approval; medical director |
| DHA and DET track: licence | Licence-holder amendment, Sheryan |
| DHA and DET track: licence | DET trade licence and MOA amendment |
| Completion | Escrow release and completion |
DLD track: the premises
Freehold premises transfer with a Form F, title deed, NOC and the 4% DLD fee at a trustee office; or, for leased premises, a lease assignment with the landlord's NOC and a new Ejari. Source: Dubai Land Department.
DHA track: the facility licence
DHA initial approval that the buyer is eligible to hold the facility licence, the incoming medical director's credentials, and a licence-holder amendment on Sheryan. The outgoing medical director issues a continuity-of-care letter.
DET track: the company
Amendment of the memorandum of association and the trade licence to the new shareholders at the Department of Economy and Tourism, with UBO registration.
Escrow and simultaneous closing
Funds held in escrow until the DLD transfer and the DHA amendment are both satisfied, then released. Manager's cheques for the property component, the business component with 5% VAT where applicable, DLD fees and brokerage.
What does a transaction look like, in order?
Seller side, typically 4 to 8 weeks to a signed letter of intent.
- Weeks 1 to 2: pre-audit. Three years of accounts reconciled to bank statements, DHA good standing confirmed on Sheryan, trade licence and practitioner permits checked for at least six months' validity, end-of-service (gratuity) liability calculated, equipment calibration certificates gathered.
- Week 3: valuation. Business and property valued separately; the business on normalised EBITDA, the property on comparable DLD transactions.
- Week 4: confidential marketing. A written information memorandum goes to pre-qualified buyers under NDA. No public listing.
- Weeks 5 to 6: negotiation and letter of intent. Price, structure (property and business components), staff retention, lease assignment, licence transferability.
- Weeks 6 to 8 and beyond: the buyer's due diligence, then the dual-track closing.
Buyer side, typically 30 to 60 days.
- Qualification: proof of funds (a sensible rule is liquid capital of around 30% of the intended transaction value), regulatory eligibility, a named medical director.
- Sourcing: most good clinics never reach a listing site; they move through broker networks under NDA.
- Due diligence, around 30 days: the 30-point checklist across clinical and regulatory, financial and operational, legal and asset.
- Approvals: DLD, DHA and DET processed concurrently.
- Settlement and the first 30 days: utilities, continuity-of-care letter, staff town hall, insurer notifications, patient communication, a day-30 audit.
How are clinics valued?
Licensed clinics and polyclinics in Dubai change hands on a dual track: the premises or lease through the DLD, the licence and business through the DHA (Sheryan) and the DET. Valuations are commonly expressed as a multiple of EBITDA (typically 3 to 5 times for established polyclinics) or of revenue for small practices; every deal is different. On a polyclinic, the adjustments that move the multiple are: audited rather than management accounts; the share of revenue from insurance panels versus cash; whether the owner is also the main revenue-producing clinician; the lease term remaining; staff gratuity liability; equipment age and calibration; and any open DHA findings. On a small single-chair practice, the business is often valued on revenue because the profit walks out with the principal. Property is always valued separately, on DLD comparables. I set out the method in how dental clinics are valued in Dubai.
Source: Dubaiesque rulebook v1.1 (clinic brokerage claim), 22 October 2026. Small practices are valued on revenue instead; no multiple is published here.
View as table
| Asset | Range |
|---|---|
| Established polyclinics, normalised EBITDA | 3 to 5x (indicative, every deal is different) |
Where are clinic premises in Dubai?
- Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC). The purpose-built free zone next to Oud Metha: hospitals, polyclinics and consulting suites, licensed by the DHCC authority rather than the DHA. Strong referral networks; free-zone company structure.
- Healthcare City Phase 2. The newer extension on the creek side at Al Jaddaf, with purpose-designed medical buildings and the same regulator as DHCC.
- Business Bay. Mainland, DHA-licensed, with medical-fit commercial towers along Marasi Drive and the canal; dense residential catchment and office workers. My own desk is here.
- Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim. The villa-clinic corridor along Jumeirah Road and Al Wasl Road, home to many of Dubai's established dental and aesthetic practices; premises are often converted villas with zoning for clinic use.
- Dubai Science Park. Al Barsha South; laboratories, pharma offices and clinics in a mainland community with medical zoning, close to Dubai Hills and the Al Khail corridor.
- The suburbs. JVC, Al Furjan, Dubai Hills, Arabian Ranches and Dubai South all have retail-podium clinic units serving a growing residential catchment.
The DHA-approved premises page explains what makes a unit licensable: the DHA Health Facility Guidelines, civil defence, FANR for radiology, MEP, parking and zoning.
Request a confidential clinic brief
Buying or selling, the first step is the same: a short call under confidentiality, then a written brief. No listing is published without a RERA permit, and no clinic appears on this site unless it is genuinely for sale.
The 30-point clinic due-diligence checklist, free
The checklist I use before a letter of intent: ten clinical and regulatory points, ten financial and operational, ten legal and asset, with a weighted scorecard. Free with your email; the due-diligence page explains every point.
Questions people ask
How is a clinic sold in Dubai?
Licensed clinics and polyclinics in Dubai change hands on a dual track: the premises or lease through the DLD, the licence and business through the DHA (Sheryan) and the DET. Valuations are commonly expressed as a multiple of EBITDA (typically 3 to 5 times for established polyclinics) or of revenue for small practices; every deal is different. In practice that means two closings running in parallel: a DLD transfer or lease assignment, and a DHA licence-holder amendment with a DET trade-licence change. I coordinate both; the clinic's lawyer and auditor do their parts.
How long does a clinic sale take?
Seller side, 4 to 8 weeks from instruction to a signed letter of intent is typical when the documents are ready: two weeks of pre-audit, a week of valuation, two to three weeks of confidential marketing, then negotiation. A buyer's acquisition, from qualification through 30 days of due diligence to approvals and settlement, typically runs 30 to 60 days. Neither is a promise; the DHA, DLD and DET set the pace of approvals. Reviewed 22 October 2026.
How is a clinic valued?
Commonly as a multiple of EBITDA, typically 3 to 5 times for established polyclinics with audited accounts, insurance panels and a stable clinical team, or as a multiple of revenue for small single-practitioner practices where profit depends on the owner. Property is valued separately from the business. The valuation article goes through the adjustments.
Who can own a clinic in Dubai?
A licensed healthcare facility needs a DHA-approved medical director and a DET trade licence; foreign ownership of mainland companies has been widely permitted since 2021, with the structure checked at the time. The owner does not have to be a clinician, but the medical director must be licensed. Free-zone clinics in Dubai Healthcare City are licensed by the DHCC authority instead of the DHA.
Do you publish clinic listings?
Not without a RERA permit, and never a clinic that is not genuinely for sale. Clinic sales are confidential by nature: staff, patients and insurers should not learn of a sale from a website. Enquire and, after an NDA, I share a written brief.
What does the buyer pay you?
Clinic transactions are charged at 2% of transaction value plus VAT, with a minimum by agreement, and the fee is confirmed in writing before any work starts. Which party pays is agreed in the mandate. Advisory work outside a transaction is by written retainer only.
Does buying a clinic give me a Golden Visa?
Only the DLD-assessed value of real property counts toward the AED 2 million threshold. If the deal includes freehold premises valued at AED 2 million or more in your name, the property route applies; the business, goodwill and equipment do not count. A 10-year renewable UAE Golden Visa is available to owners of property valued by the DLD at AED 2 million or more. Since the February 2026 ICP circular, mortgaged and off-plan properties can qualify on the DLD-assessed value with no minimum paid-in amount; a bank NOC is required for mortgaged property. Rules change; eligibility is confirmed at the time of application.
Can a UK dentist buy a clinic before being DHA-licensed?
Yes, as an owner, provided the facility has a licensed medical director. To practise in it you need your own DHA licence; many buyers run the two processes in parallel. See the dentists page for the licensing route.
Figures are indicative, dated and sourced where shown; they are not advice and not a guarantee. Dubaiesque is a broker, not a tax, legal, immigration or financial adviser. Take independent advice before you commit.
In this section
Clinics for sale
How buying and selling works, seller preparation, buyer qualification, NDA.
Clinics for saleTalk to a dentist who brokers clinics
Thirty minutes under confidentiality, a written brief within 48 hours.