What is DataFlow verification?
Primary source verification is the check every GCC health authority runs before it will process a licence application. The verifier contacts the university, regulator and employers that issued your documents, directly, and confirms both the documents and the institutions. It takes 15-25 working days and you pay for it yourself.
What exactly is being verified?
The distinction that matters, and that most explanations skip: verification is not a check on you. It is a check on the institutions that vouched for you.
- Primary source verification
- Primary Source Verification. DataFlow contacts the institution that issued a document directly to confirm its authenticity, and verifies the institution's own accreditation.
- What it is not
- Not a criminal record check, not a background check on your employment conduct, not an English language assessment, and not an examination. Those are separate requirements that some authorities also impose.
- Why it exists
- Because a certificate is a piece of paper and a regulator licensing a clinician cannot rely on one. Going back to the issuing institution is the only check that cannot be defeated by a convincing forgery.
What does DataFlow cost?
This is the question with the least honest answer online, so here is ours, itemised by authority and dated. These are third-party fees paid by you, not by us.
| Authority | Verification fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DHA, Dubai | AED 1,150-1,500 | |
| DOH, Abu Dhabi | AED 1,100-1,400 | |
| MOHAP, northern emirates | AED 1,000-1,300 | |
| SCFHS, Saudi Arabia | SAR 1,200-1,800 | |
| QCHP, Qatar | QAR 1,100-1,500 | |
| Other authorities | USD 300-500 | Indicative range where the authority does not publish a specific fee. |
Sources: DataFlow fees by authority, DataFlow process and timelines
The costs people do not budget for
- Resubmission. 50 to 100 percent of the original fee. This is the expensive one, and it is the one most within your control.
- Expedited processing. 50-100% surcharge where the authority offers expedited processing. Available only where the authority offers it.
- Source country attestation. USD 50-200. Where the source country requires MOFA or embassy attestation before submission. See document attestation.
How long does DataFlow take?
15-25 working days from the date of payment and submission of a complete set of documents.
Read that starting point carefully, because it is where most published timelines mislead. The clock does not start when you create an account or upload a first document. It starts when the set is complete and paid for. A candidate who uploads six of eight documents in January and the remaining two in March started in March.
- Step 01
Submit a complete document set and pay
The clock starts here, not when you open the account. The published 15-25 working days runs from the date of payment and submission of a complete set of documents.
- Step 02
The verifier writes to each source directly
Your university, your regulator and each employer you listed are contacted independently of you. You are not asked to forward anything, and a document you supply is never treated as proof of itself.
- Step 03
Each source responds, or does not
This is where the time goes. A university registry that answers in a week and a former employer who has changed ownership twice produce very different outcomes from the same submission.
- Step 04
The report is issued to the authority
The report goes to the regulator you named. Without a positive report your licence application does not proceed, so this gates everything downstream.
Why do DataFlow reports get delayed or fail?
There are four documented causes, and they are not equally within your power to prevent.
- Within your control
Missing or incomplete documents
The most common cause and the most preventable. A set that looks complete to you may be missing an item the authority requires for your specific profession or title.
- Within your control
Inaccurate information at submission
A date, a name spelling or an institution name that does not match what the source holds will stall a check that would otherwise have cleared.
- Outside your control
Late response from the issuing authority
Registries and former employers respond at their own pace. An institution that has merged, closed or changed its records system is a common and unfixable delay.
- Outside your control
Unavoidable incidents such as strikes, natural disasters or conflict
Rare, but real. Where it happens there is no route around it and no service that can shorten it.
Which authorities require verification?
13 of the bodies we cover require primary source verification, including every GCC health authority and three engineering councils.
The full list of seventeen GCC regulators, with what each charges and requires, is on the licensing hub.
What documents get verified?
Anything the authority requires a source to stand behind. The exact set is set by your profession and target authority, but the pattern is consistent.
- Degree and postgraduate certificatesVerified with the awarding university registry, not with you.
- Academic transcripts
- Current professional registration or licenceVerified with the regulator that issued it.
- Experience certificatesVerified with each employer named. This is the slowest category, by some distance.
- Good standing certificate, where requiredSubject to its own expiry rule. See good standing certificates.
Do you need help with this?
Honestly, often not. You can open the account, upload the documents and pay the fee yourself, and plenty of people do that without difficulty. The process is designed to be used by applicants directly.
Where people come to us is the part before submission: establishing exactly which documents your profession and target authority require, checking that names and dates agree across every one of them, and dealing with an employer or registry that is not responding. Given a resubmission costs 50 to 100 percent of the original fee, that check has a straightforward economic case.
Read about verification support, or start with a free eligibility check to establish which authority you are actually applying to.
What else do people ask about DataFlow?
What is DataFlow verification?
Primary Source Verification. DataFlow contacts the institution that issued a document directly to confirm its authenticity, and verifies the institution's own accreditation. It is not a background check, a criminal record check or an English test. It confirms that the documents you have submitted are genuine and that the institutions behind them are accredited.
How long does DataFlow take?
Standard verification takes 15-25 working days from the date of payment and submission of a complete set of documents. Both halves of that sentence matter: the clock does not start when you open an account, and it does not start until the document set is complete.
How much does DataFlow cost?
It depends on the authority you are applying to. DHA runs AED 1,150-1,500, DOH AED 1,100-1,400, MOHAP AED 1,000-1,300, SCFHS SAR 1,200-1,800 and QCHP QAR 1,100-1,500. Where an authority does not publish a specific figure the indicative range is USD 300-500.
Why is my report taking longer than 25 working days?
The four documented causes are missing or incomplete documents, inaccurate information at submission, late response from the issuing authority, unavoidable incidents such as strikes, natural disasters or conflict. Only the first two are within your control, and they are the two that account for most overruns. A slow response from an old employer is common and there is no mechanism to accelerate it.
What happens if the report comes back negative?
The authority will not process your licence application. Without a positive DataFlow report, no GCC health authority will process a licence application. A resubmission costs 50 to 100 percent of the original fee, so an avoidable failure is expensive as well as slow.
Can I reuse a verification report for a second authority?
Often, yes, and it is the single largest saving available in a second application. The licence itself never transfers between GCC states, but the verification underneath it frequently can. Confirm with the second authority before assuming it, because the answer depends on what was verified and for whom.
Can I pay to speed it up?
Only where the authority itself offers an expedited route, and it is priced accordingly: 50-100% surcharge where the authority offers expedited processing. Nobody outside the authority can move you up a queue, and anyone offering to is selling something they do not have.
Do I need my documents attested before verification?
Sometimes. Where the source country requires MOFA or embassy attestation before submission, and that costs USD 50-200. Establish whether your source country requires it before you submit, because discovering it afterwards means starting the clock again.