Private and concierge physician appointments in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar for GMC-registered doctors, retained by private families. Family medicine, longevity, retained physician and travelling appointments. This page covers the question every GMC-registered doctor asks first: what happens to my registration and licence to practise?
Two routes, two answers on your GMC licence
We place physicians in households through two routes, and they treat your GMC status differently.
1. Resident appointment through the family’s licensed entity. The family has, or establishes, its own licensed medical entity, and you join it, often as Medical Director. You are licensed by the Gulf regulator and practise there. The GMC’s guidance is that a doctor working wholly overseas for longer than twelve months does not need a licence to practise, because the licence confers rights in the UK only. Many doctors in this position keep their registration but give up the licence, which carries a reduced annual retention fee. Registration without a licence still binds you to Good medical practice. If you keep any UK contract, speak to that employer first.
2. Travelling physician, non-resident. You keep your UK or European registration, accompany the principal, and within the Gulf you coordinate care rather than treat. Doctors on this route usually continue practising in the UK between journeys, in which case the licence and revalidation stay exactly as they are. See The Clinician in Transit.
Which applies to you is a decision to make with the GMC and your own advisers before you commit; we set out the route for your case at the first conversation.
What the Gulf regulator will ask of your GMC record
Physicians are licensed by the DHA in Dubai, the DOH in Abu Dhabi, the SCFHS in Saudi Arabia and the DHP of the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar, after DataFlow primary source verification. Your title, consultant or specialist, turns on your training and registers; the Saudi route is set out in SCFHS and Mumaris Plus, and GMC Specialist Register in the GCC explains why it carries weight.
The GMC document is the Certificate of Good Standing. The GMC sends it only directly to another medical regulator, usually processes requests within ten working days, and each certificate is valid for three months from issue. Request it through GMC Online when the Gulf regulator is ready to read it, not before. See also Good Standing Certificates in the GCC.
We map this route with you and guide you through it; we do not submit applications, process DataFlow or sponsor visas. Care inside a residence runs through a licensed entity; see Who May Lawfully Treat Inside a Private Residence.
A household physician is judged on continuity, discretion and clinical autonomy. The registration question is settled first so that nothing else has to wait for it.
What households ask physicians to do
Family medicine and continuity of care for the principal and family across residences. See A Resident Physician for a Travelling Family Office.
Longevity and preventive medicine, coordinating specialist input rather than replacing it.
Retainer and sessional arrangements, where the family secures your time for a defined commitment. See the standing brief for retained concierge physicians.
The seven deployment models, Live-Out, Live-In, Rotational, Fixed-Term, Travelling, Locum and Sessional/Retainer, are compared in Live-In, Rota or Travelling? The contract is signed directly between you and the family or its licensed entity; we introduce and verify, and the family pays our fee.
Standing registers for physicians
- Dubai
- Abu Dhabi
- Riyadh
- Jeddah
- Eastern Province
- Doha, Qatar
- Locum cover for Private Families (2–12 weeks)
The Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Eastern Province and Doha pages list the named mandates open now, each with its own remuneration.
Questions GMC-registered doctors ask
Do I need to keep my GMC licence to practise?
It depends on the route. The GMC says a doctor working wholly overseas for more than twelve months does not need a licence, and many keep registration without it. A travelling physician who continues to practise in the UK keeps the licence. Confirm your position with the GMC before you decide.
How does the Gulf regulator receive my Certificate of Good Standing?
The GMC sends it directly to the medical regulator you name, usually within ten working days of your request. It is valid for three months from issue.
Can I work for a family without a Gulf licence?
Only as a non-resident travelling physician who coordinates care within the Gulf rather than treating there. A resident appointment requires a Gulf licence held through the family’s licensed entity.
Who employs me, and who pays your fee?
The family, or its licensed entity, under a contract you sign directly with them. We introduce and verify, and our fee is paid by the family.
Register confidentially
Send us your CV in confidence. Nothing is shared with a family without your agreement. See also our Private & Concierge Physicians practice and all current mandates.