Health Insurance in the UAE: It is illegal not to have health insurance within the UAE, although emirate-by-emirate differences exist with regard to who offers the coverage and what that coverage entails. Generally, it is the duty of employers and sponsors to offer and finance health coverage to their employees and, in most instances, their dependents. The regulations vary in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the northern emirates so significantly that workers and sponsors are aware of their duties.
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Employers Hold Primary Responsibility
In the UAE, it is a legal obligation of employers to cover employees through health insurance. This is a requirement for sponsors of domestic workers, including housemaids or drivers.
- Employers usually finance and organize the insurance policy as a prerequisite to the issuance or renewal of a residency visa.
- Dependents are also often covered by employers, though the benefits and coverage differ across emirates and across company policies.
Abu Dhabi: Coverage for Employees and Families
Employers and sponsors in Abu Dhabi are required to insure their employees and often their direct families, including one spouse and three children under 18 years of age.
- Those whose monthly income is less than AED 5,000 or less than AED 4,000 with a housing allowance qualify to use a basic product policy under the Department of Health provisions.
- Families having more than three children or willing to have a more comprehensive plan may purchase the supplementary insurance to have extended coverage.
This is a system that keeps low-income workers and their families in a position to access basic healthcare services at reasonable costs.
Dubai: Mandatory Health Insurance Since 2014
In January 2014, Dubai came up with the Dubai Health Insurance Law, which requires all sponsors to offer health insurance.
- The Essential Benefits Plan (EBP) should be offered by the employers to the employees at an average cost of AED 550 to AED 650.
- In case the employer is only covering the employee, it is on the sponsor to cover the dependents (spouse, parents, or children).
- Coverage helps assure access to basic healthcare services so that the financial burden on an individual or family is decreased.
Northern Emirates: New Mandatory Scheme
By January 2025, health insurance will apply to all workers in the northern emirates, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah, in the domestic worker segment and the entire private sector.
- The new system is an extension of the compulsory schemes that are already in force in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
- In December 2024, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) introduced the Health Insurance Scheme, which was prepared in collaboration with the Federal Authority of Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), and major insurance companies.
- Dependents are eligible for the same benefits and pricing as the insured worker, and a price for the dependent based on the policy terms.
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How to Purchase a Policy
Before an employer applies for or renews the residency permit of a worker, he or she is required to obtain health insurance with an accredited insurer. Purchasing of policies can be done by way of:
- The DubaiCare Network, where the prices are competitive and the treatment costs are low.
- The Insurance Pool website or business service centers that are approved throughout the UAE.
DubaiCare is especially appealing to employers because it offers low premiums and limits long-term healthcare costs in comparison with out-of-pocket payments.
The Bottom Line
Wherever you are in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, or the northern emirates, the burden of securing and sustaining health insurance is on the employers and sponsors. Although the coverage rates vary by emirate, the overall objective of the UAE is evident: everyone living in the country, workers and their families, should have access to healthcare, and it serves to help companies cope with the expenses effectively.
In the UAE, employers and sponsors have a direct role in health insurance, which is why it is the foundation of the employment law and the social protection policy. Although Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the emirates of the North are organized differently and to varying degrees, the goal of the unification is still obvious: to ensure that every worker and dependent can receive necessary healthcare.