If you are moving to Dubai for the long term, health insurance is not an option but a mandatory condition of living there legally. Since 2025 the rules have been tightened and now apply to all residents and their families. Let’s break down who pays, what is covered and how to insure your loved ones. This is part of the guide to medicine in Dubai; tourists need a different kind of insurance — that is covered in the guide to travel insurance.
Insurance Is Compulsory for Everyone
Since 1 January 2025 health insurance has become compulsory for all UAE residents — the requirement has been extended to all emirates. The policy must meet Dubai Health Authority (DHA) standards, and its presence is checked when obtaining and renewing a residence visa. Without valid insurance a visa will not be issued or renewed.
Who Pays
- The employer pays for the employee. The company is obliged to take out the policy at its own expense and has no right to deduct its cost from the salary — that is a violation carrying a fine.
- The sponsor is responsible for the family. A common misconception: “the employer will also insure my wife and children.” In most cases the employer covers only the employee, and the sponsor — that is, as a rule, the resident themselves — is responsible for a policy for the spouse, children and domestic staff (a nanny, driver, helper).
How to Insure Your Family
If the employer’s plan does not extend to your loved ones, the sponsor takes out a separate policy for each family member and member of the domestic staff. The key points:
- the policy must meet the minimum DHA requirements;
- it is tied to the process of obtaining/renewing the visa and the Emirates ID;
- insurance can be bought from licensed insurance companies; basic plans are more affordable, while extended ones give more clinics in the network and lower co-payments.
What a Basic Plan Covers
A minimum plan usually covers the essentials: a doctor’s appointment, basic tests, emergency care, hospitalisation where necessary, and medicines from a list. Extended plans add more clinics in the network, dentistry, optics, higher limits and a lower co-payment (the share you pay yourself). The specific contents depend on the insurer and the tariff — compare the clinic network and exclusions before buying.
The Clinic Network and Co-Payment
Resident insurance works on a network principle: treatment at partner clinics is paid directly by the insurer, and you contribute only a small co-payment. Outside the network you have to pay yourself and then seek reimbursement. So when choosing a plan, check whether the hospitals and clinics convenient for you near home are in the network — especially if you are choosing a district to live in permanently.
How much treatment costs without insurance and how far it pays for itself is covered in the guide to the cost of medical services in Dubai. For a family with children, full insurance is almost always more cost-effective than one-off payments.
