ACLS Renewal
An AHA ACLS Provider card lasts two years, and it expires at the end of the month shown on it. Renewing is quicker than the first course, and in Abu Dhabi you can do most of it online through HeartCode ACLS and then spend only a short hands-on session with an instructor at our centre on Al Reem Island.
The short answer
Book your ACLS renewal a month before the card expires. Complete HeartCode ACLS online, attend a hands-on skills session with an AHA instructor, pass the skills tests, and a new two-year ACLS Provider eCard is issued. Keep your BLS current too — ACLS assumes it.
Aim for four weeks before the expiry month. Hospitals and clinics in the UAE often check life support cards before rotas are published and before a licence or privileges are renewed, and a card that expires on the last day of the month is still expired on the first day of the next one. Booking early also gives you time to refresh your BLS if that is due at the same time — see the BLS renewal guide.
AHA cards do not have a grace period for practice: once expired, you are not currently certified. You can still book straight onto an ACLS course and be recertified — there is no penalty beyond the gap — but check with your employer whether you can work in your role until the new card is issued. If both BLS and ACLS have lapsed, book both; many people do them on consecutive days.
The things that trip up experienced providers are rarely the headline algorithms. They are the details: compression fraction and pause length, the exact order of the tachycardia pathway, doses you rarely give, and the post-arrest targets. The ACLS algorithms guide and our note on the pretest, exam and Megacode are a good half-hour refresher.
AHA eCards can be verified on the AHA eCard site using the code on the card. Keep your eCard login details; if you lose the card, it can be re-sent from there.
Other life support and first aid courses: BLS Course · PALS Course · First Aid Course · Training calendar
Every two years. The AHA ACLS Provider card is valid for two years and expires at the end of the month of issue.
No. Once the expiry month has passed, the card is expired. You can still recertify by booking a course.
Yes, in practice. HeartCode ACLS is adaptive, so providers who know the material move through it faster, and the skills session is shorter than a full classroom course.
Often yes, depending on the schedule. Ask us when you book and we will line the sessions up.
AHA eCards can be retrieved and verified on the AHA eCard website. If you trained with us, contact us and we will help.
Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island. HeartCode blended ACLS, classroom ACLS and on-site group sessions for hospitals and clinics, with a two-year AHA ACLS Provider eCard on completion.
See ACLS dates and register Classroom ACLS course Group booking enquiry
What we teach follows the awarding body and the UAE health authorities. For the definitive position on a course or licensing question, these are the places to check.
Last reviewed by the training team at Safety First Medical Services, an American Heart Association training centre at Addax Office Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Call +971 55 761 9841 or email training@safetyfirstmed.ae.