Going abroad as a nurse in October 2026: stay safe, stay legal

If you are a nurse in India or the Philippines thinking about a job abroad, or a family member helping someone make that move, this week's Gulf news may have unsettled you. Here is what happened, who to call, a checklist that works for any country, and what official regulators in five destinations say about getting started.

This week in the Gulf

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said Jazan and Najran airports were targeted on 5 October and three people were slightly wounded; the Houthis said they had targeted sites across southern Saudi Arabia (Gulf News, 6 Oct 2026; Arab News, 6 Oct 2026).

Further attacks followed on 6–7 October, according to the Saudi aviation authority: at Abha airport, 2 people were killed and 28 injured; at Riyadh's King Khalid airport, 1 was killed and 8 injured. The injured included a Filipino resident (Express Tribune, quoting the authority; Gulf News, 8 Oct 2026). Across 5–7 October, that is three killed and 39 injured, including the three slightly wounded on 5 October.

On 8 October the Indian Embassy in Riyadh advised Indians to "remain alert and vigilant, stay indoors as necessary" and not to share or repost videos; the 24x7 Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra helpline is 8002471234. Air India, Air India Express and Akasa suspended Riyadh flights until 10 October, and IndiGo until 9 October (Mint, 8 Oct 2026). Flight status may have changed since, so check with your airline. Philippine Airlines also cancelled Manila–Riyadh flights, and on 8 October the Houthis claimed further strikes on Riyadh airport; Saudi civil defence said debris from an intercepted missile damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex (Gulf News, 8 Oct 2026).

For Filipino workers: after Houthi drone and missile attacks targeting Riyadh on 18–19 September, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it was monitoring Filipino workers and that none had been reported hurt. That 21 September statement listed its Migrant Workers Offices in Saudi Arabia and its hotline: 1348 within Metro Manila, (02) 1348 elsewhere in the Philippines, or +632 1348 from overseas (SunStar, 21 Sep 2026).

If you are already in Saudi Arabia, follow your embassy's advice. If you are about to travel, there is no need to panic, just good reason to keep your documents and contacts in order.

A reminder from Ranchi

For many nurses, the bigger everyday risk is a fake job.

According to allegations reported by India Today (2 Oct 2026), a BSc nurse from Ranchi paid an agent ₹15,000 after seeing a job advertisement on social media. On arrival in the UAE her passport was allegedly taken. She was allegedly pressed to sign documents in Arabic, and later told they recorded an AED 12,600 loan she must repay before returning home. She was allegedly made to do household work instead of nursing. Her father filed a police complaint in Ranchi on 29 September, and an FIR has been registered.

She trusted an offer that looked real, as many hopeful nurses do. Every offer deserves to be checked through official channels.

The same day, the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) reminded jobseekers that employers must use the ministry's approved job offer form with a serial number and barcode, verifiable via the ministry website, smart app or contact centre on 600590000 (Gulf News, 2 Oct 2026).

Your safe-and-legal checklist

These steps come from official guidance and work anywhere. A printable one-page version is in our red-flags checklist.

1. Use only a registered or licensed recruiter. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) says to ask for the agent's original Registration Certificate issued by the Protector General of Emigrants, to deal only with agents whose registration is valid, and not to deal with sub-agents. Registration can be checked on the eMigrate portal. In the Philippines, the DMW's directory of licensed recruitment agencies shows each agency's licence status (for example "Valid License" or "Expired").
2. See the paperwork before you pay. MEA advises asking for the Demand Letter and Power of Attorney from the foreign employer, reading the contract carefully, paying by demand draft or cheque, and taking a receipt. MEA says an agent's service charge cannot be more than ₹20,000 per emigrant (MEA's guidance also says no more than 45 days' wages, up to that ₹20,000).
3. Verify the job offer itself. In the UAE, check private-sector offers with MOHRE. Elsewhere, confirm the employer through official channels before you resign or travel.
4. Start your licence with the regulator yourself. Each destination below has an official regulator. Australia's, for example, says its Self-check cannot be completed by a third party or agent on your behalf.
5. Travel on the right visa. MEA says your visa should match the category you were recruited for, and treats being told to go on a tourist visa and "convert" it later as grounds for a complaint.
6. MEA says ECR passport holders and nurses travelling for work to 18 designated countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, must obtain emigration clearance through the eMigrate system. For nurses this applies whatever their passport category: the Indian Embassy in Riyadh says nurses require emigration clearance irrespective of their educational qualifications. Check on eMigrate or with your Protector of Emigrants before you travel.
7. Keep your passport, and copies of everything. MEA's guidance: do not part with your passport at any cost, keep photocopies of all its pages, carry a copy of your signed contract in English, and do not sign any other employment contract or any blank paper.
8. Save the numbers before you fly: your embassy, your migrant-worker helpline and your destination's labour ministry.

Destination by destination

The route timeline lists the official steps for each destination in order, and the country-fit checker helps you see which destinations fit your profile today.

Gulf: Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar

Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) lists services including Professional Classification and Registration, Professional Practice Licensure Exams Eligibility, and checking request status in Mumaris+. Its call centre is 920019393.

UAE. The UAE's health regulators (MOHAP, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority and the Sharjah Health Authority) share one set of Professional Qualification Requirements, each assessing applicants within its own jurisdiction. In Dubai, the DHA's Sheryan portal starts with a Self-Assessment Tool, then primary source verification by Dataflow and, where required, a computer-based test by Prometric. A DHA registration is valid for one year, and a healthcare facility needs to activate it into a licence before you can practise.

Qatar. The Ministry of Public Health's Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) says practitioners should complete primary source verification with an approved provider before applying for registration or evaluation.

Germany

The federal portal Anerkennung in Deutschland says nursing (General nurse, German: Pflegefachperson) is regulated, so your qualification must be recognised. There are two procedures: an assessment of equivalence, then authorisation to use the professional title, which also checks personal aptitude, medical fitness and German (level B2 on the North Rhine-Westphalia page we checked). You can apply from abroad, and if differences are found you can usually complete a compensation measure such as an adaptation period or knowledge test.

United Kingdom

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register shows who can practise as a nurse in the UK. Unless you hold a qualifying European qualification, you take the NMC's Test of Competence: a multiple-choice computer-based test (CBT) and a practical exam (OSCE), passed within two years of each other. The NMC also checks English language, health and character, and requires a face-to-face ID check at a test centre.

Australia

Nurses must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA); Ahpra assesses applications on its behalf. Everyone starts with the Self-check. If you are placed in Stream B, you also complete an outcomes-based assessment; for registered nurses that is the NCLEX-RN multiple-choice exam, then an OSCE held in Adelaide or Melbourne. The NMBA advises against irreversible decisions, such as resigning or moving, until your registration is approved; registration and visas are separate processes.

New Zealand

The Nursing Council of New Zealand says you must first verify your documents with TruMerit, including evidence of 1,800 hours of post-registration nursing experience. All applicants have a criminal history check, and some need a competence assessment. The Council says it has no role in recruitment, and that demand is currently lower than before except in some specialities, such as mental health and addiction. Separately, Health NZ announced on 25 September it would recruit an extra 380 full-time-equivalent (FTE) frontline staff, including nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, by 30 June 2027, including 94 FTE emergency staff described as "largely nurses" (Kaitiaki, 29 Sep 2026).

Staying licensed once you are there

Qatar. From 1 October 2026, nurses, pharmacists and allied health practitioners need at least 40 CPD points per two-year cycle, including at least 20 Category 1 points and at least 20 from Categories 2 and/or 3, with a minimum of 20 points per year. CPD is a condition of licence renewal (Al Sharq, 5 Oct 2026; Lexis Middle East, Circular DHP/2026/38).

United Kingdom. The NMC's annual registration fee rose from £120 to £143 on 1 October 2026. If you do not pay on time, the NMC says, your registration lapses automatically and you cannot practise until readmitted.

A note from B&M Global Solutions

B&M Global Solutions trains nurses, as well as IT, finance and medical candidates. We do not place nurses abroad ourselves; placement abroad goes through licensed recruiting agents (RAs).

Whoever you speak to, including any agent we may introduce you to, use the checks in this guide. Ask for the licence number. Look it up yourself. Keep your passport. A good opportunity will still be there after you have checked it.

Sources

1. Gulf News, report on Jazan and Najran airport attacks, 6 Oct 2026.
2. Arab News, report on Najran and Jazan airport attacks, 6 Oct 2026.
3. Express Tribune, report on Houthi attacks on Saudi airports, quoting the Saudi aviation authority, 8 Oct 2026.
4. Gulf News, live report on Saudi airport attacks and aftermath, 8 Oct 2026.
5. Mint, Indian Embassy in Riyadh advisory, 8 Oct 2026.
6. SunStar, report on DMW monitoring of OFWs in Saudi Arabia, 21 Sep 2026.
7. India Today, Ranchi nurse Dubai job scam report, 2 Oct 2026.
8. Gulf News, report on UAE MOHRE warning about fake job offers, 2 Oct 2026.
9. Ministry of External Affairs (India), Emigration Abroad for Employment.
10. Ministry of External Affairs (India), Recruiting Agents (RAs).
11. Ministry of External Affairs (India), Complaints against Recruiting Agents (FAQ).
12. eMigrate (Government of India), list of registered recruiting agents.
13. Embassy of India, Riyadh, FAQs on ECR and non-ECR.
14. Ministry of External Affairs (India), Clarification regarding registration of non-ECR passport holders travelling for work to 18 ECR countries, 3 Jan 2020.
15. Department of Migrant Workers (Philippines), Licensed Recruitment Agencies.
16. Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Services guide and home page (call centre)
17. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR).
18. Dubai Health Authority, Sheryan "Get Registered" service description.
19. Qatar Ministry of Public Health, Department of Healthcare Professions, Primary Source Verification.
20. Al Sharq, Qatar MOPH CPD requirements, 5 Oct 2026.
21. Lexis Middle East, Circular DHP/2026/38, 6 Oct 2026.
22. Anerkennung in Deutschland (Federal Government portal), recognition procedure for General nurse (Pflegefachperson), example: North Rhine-Westphalia.
23. Nursing and Midwifery Council, Register as a nurse or midwife if you trained outside the UK.
24. Nursing and Midwifery Council, Test of Competence for nurses and midwives.
25. Nursing and Midwifery Council, Search the register.
26. Nursing and Midwifery Council, Paying your annual fee.
27. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Completing the Self-check.
28. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Information for registered nurses (examinations).
29. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Immigration and employment in Australia.
30. Ahpra, Register of practitioners.
31. Ahpra, Contact us.
32. Nursing Council of New Zealand, Internationally qualified nurses.
33. Nursing Council of New Zealand, Public Register.
34. Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand, report on emergency nurses' response to Health NZ's staffing announcement, 29 Sep 2026.

Official web pages were checked on 9 October 2026. Rules and contact details can change; always confirm with the official source before acting.

General information only, not legal or immigration advice. Confirm every step with the official source.