UAE cuts professional qualification approval time from 60 to 10 days

Dubai: The UAE’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has introduced a sweeping overhaul of its accreditation service for institutions offering professional qualifications, significantly reducing processing times and procedural requirements as part of the government’s “Zero Bureaucracy” initiative.

The updated service allows training providers accredited by the National Qualifications Centre to renew approval to offer recognised professional qualifications under an outcomes-based assessment framework. The ministry said the changes are designed to simplify procedures, raise efficiency and improve the overall user experience.

According to figures released by the ministry on its official X account, the time required to complete the service has been cut from 60 days to just 10 days, an improvement of 84 per cent. 

The number of procedural steps has been reduced from 76 to four, while required visits have been cut from 10 to a single visit. Data entry fields have fallen from 20 to five, and the number of supporting documents required has been reduced from 20 to four.

The reforms are part of a drive to eliminate unnecessary steps and requirements across public services, with the aim of “zeroing” non-essential procedures and conditions. The ministry said the programme seeks to make government services faster, clearer and more accessible for institutions and individuals alike.

The overhaul builds on earlier reforms under the same initiative, including updates to the recognition system for foreign higher education qualifications and improvements to the licensing and academic programme accreditation processes for higher education institutions.