If you hold a professional registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), you renew it every two years, and each renewal asks for a set number of continuing professional development (CPD) hours, often called CME hours. The number depends on your professional category. A technician needs half the hours a specialist needs, and a doctor needs more than either. This guide gives the published figures, explains what happens when you fall short, and sets out a simple way to spread the hours across the two years.
How the registration cycle works
SCFHS states in its Mumaris Plus FAQ that professional registration is valid for two years. When the period ends, you apply for re-registration (renewal) through Mumaris Plus, the SCFHS platform where practitioners request all of the Commission's services. Completing the CPD hours for your category is one of the re-registration requirements.
The timing matters too. According to the same FAQ, you can apply for re-registration three months before your registration ends, and a fine is issued if you have not renewed within 31 days after the end of the registration period. SCFHS does not state the fine amount on that page, so check Mumaris Plus for the current figure. If your registration ended more than a year ago, the FAQ says you apply for a new professional registration rather than re-registration. Our guide to registration vs re-registration covers that difference in more detail.
CPD hours required by professional category
The SCFHS professional re-registration requirements page lists the hours per registration cycle as follows:
- Technicians: 20 hours
- Specialists: 40 hours
- Pharmacists: 40 hours
- Doctors: 60 hours
Consultants are not given a separate figure on that page or in the FAQ. If you are classified as a consultant, check the requirement shown in your Mumaris Plus account or read the SCFHS classification and registration regulations before you plan. The same applies if your category is unusual or recently changed: the figure in your own Mumaris Plus record is the one that counts for your renewal.
What happens if you are short of hours
SCFHS has a published fallback. If you have not completed the required CPD hours, your registration can be renewed for one year instead of two. The re-registration requirements page says this one-year renewal is available once.
That makes it a safety net, and you should not plan around it. A one-year renewal still leaves you with a shorter window before the next renewal, and you cannot use the option a second time. SCFHS does not publish, on the pages we checked, whether hours missed in one cycle have to be made up in the next. If that question applies to you, ask SCFHS through Tawasul rather than relying on a general answer.
Which activities count toward the total
Not every course or certificate adds hours. The SCFHS FAQ sets out some rules worth knowing before you spend time or money:
- The activity has to relate to your field, either your specialty or core healthcare skills. Self-development courses unrelated to your medical specialty are not accepted.
- Degrees and qualification certificates, including diplomas, master's degrees and PhDs, are not counted as CPD hours.
- For accredited activities inside Saudi Arabia, the provider records your attendance on Mustamir, the SCFHS CPD platform, and the hours then show in Mumaris Plus. You do not upload these certificates yourself.
- Hours from activities outside the Kingdom, or from accredited websites, are added through the CPD hours recognition service in Mumaris Plus.
- Hours can be refused if you were not in the activity's target group, or if you were classified but not yet registered when you attended.
The FAQ also mentions SCFHS eCore e-learning programmes on core skills, which count toward the requirement up to a limit (the FAQ gives this as up to 12 hours, or up to 50% of the CPD requirement). Because the wording is not fully consistent, confirm how much eCore counts for you in Mumaris Plus.
For the step-by-step side, see our Mustamir guide, how to check your CPD hours in Mumaris Plus, and how to claim hours from external courses.
How to plan the two years
Hours are easiest to miss when they are left to the last few months, when shifts, exams or travel can get in the way. A plan that spreads the work across the cycle is easier to keep.
1. Confirm your number
Open Mumaris Plus, check your professional category and your registration end date, and note the hours already recorded for this cycle. If you were reclassified during the cycle, for example from specialist to a higher category, check which requirement now applies.
2. Work out the gap
Subtract the hours already showing from your requirement. Then add a margin. An activity can be refused, or a provider can be slow to confirm attendance, and you do not want to discover that in the final weeks.
3. Spread the hours out
Divide the remaining hours by the months left before you can apply for renewal (three months before your registration ends). A doctor starting a new cycle with no hours needs 60 hours across roughly 21 months, which is under three hours a month. A technician needs 20 hours over the same period. Small, regular amounts are easier to fit around clinical work than a block at the end.
4. Check that hours appear
After each activity, check Mumaris Plus to make sure the hours were recorded. If hours from an activity inside the Kingdom are missing, the FAQ says to contact the provider first, then raise a Tawasul ticket with the provider's name, the activity approval number and the activity date.
5. Apply on time
Apply for re-registration from three months before your registration ends, with your other documents ready. The requirements page lists an employment letter issued within the previous three months, your national ID or Iqama, and a medical report if you are over 65. For the full renewal process, read our SCFHS license renewal guide.
Earning the hours online with Mulhim
Mulhim is an SCFHS-accredited CME provider (provider No. AC10000415). Each course is worth 5 CME hours, runs online and is self-paced, so you can fit it around shifts. You get a certificate for each course, and the hours are sent to Mumaris Plus.
The 5-hour unit makes the arithmetic simple. A technician's 20 hours is four courses. A specialist or pharmacist needs eight courses for 40 hours, and a doctor needs twelve for 60. You can pick individual accredited courses one at a time, or buy a CME bundle of 20, 30 or 40 hours if you prefer to cover a block of the requirement in one purchase. Mulhim has more than 100 courses and over 150,000 learners, and offers a free accredited course about once a month.
Organisations covering a whole team can look at institutional CME pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CME hours does SCFHS require per registration cycle?
SCFHS lists 20 hours for technicians, 40 for specialists, 40 for pharmacists and 60 for doctors for re-registration. Registration is valid for two years. Consultants are not listed separately, so check your Mumaris Plus account or the SCFHS regulations.
What happens if I do not complete my CPD hours before renewal?
SCFHS allows your registration to be renewed for one year instead of two if the hours are not complete. This one-year renewal is available only once.
When can I apply for re-registration?
From three months before your registration ends. SCFHS issues a fine if you have not renewed within 31 days after the registration period ends.
Do online CME hours count toward the SCFHS requirement?
Yes, when the activity is SCFHS-accredited and related to your field. Mulhim courses are accredited under provider No. AC10000415, each is worth 5 CME hours, and the hours are sent to Mumaris Plus.
Do diplomas or a master's degree count as CPD hours?
No. The SCFHS FAQ states that degrees and qualification certificates, including diplomas, master's degrees and PhDs, are not recognised as CPD hours.
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