International health insurance in the UAE

The UAE runs on private healthcare and employer-arranged insurance. IPMIEMEA explains what that basic cover usually leaves out, how international health insurance fills the gap, and how to compare plans from the Gulf before you buy.

How healthcare works for expats in the UAE

The United Arab Emirates has a large private hospital sector and a public system that is mainly aimed at nationals. As an expat you will use private clinics and hospitals for almost everything, from a GP visit to surgery. Standards in the main private hospitals are high, and so are the bills. Nobody expects you to pay those bills from your own pocket; the system assumes you are insured.

Two things shape an expat's cover. The first is the insurance your employer provides. The second is what you add on top. This page is about the second, and about understanding the first well enough to know whether you need it.

International private medical insurance (IPMI) is the usual way to add that extra layer. It is a private plan that pays for treatment within an agreed area of cover, which can be the Gulf region, worldwide excluding the USA, or worldwide. Because it is not tied to one emirate, one employer or one hospital network, it stays with you if any of those change.

The employer insurance requirement, in general terms

In general terms, the UAE requires residents to hold health insurance and places the duty to arrange it on employers for their employees. The rules were introduced emirate by emirate, so the detail still differs between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates, including the minimum level of cover and who is responsible for dependants. Many employers cover only the employee, and the sponsor is then expected to arrange cover for the family.

Three practical points follow from this.

• Your employer plan may be a basic one. The minimum cover required by law is deliberately modest. It often restricts you to a defined network of clinics, carries low annual limits and may exclude treatment outside the UAE.
• Your residence visa is linked to insurance. Expect to show proof of a compliant policy at visa issue and renewal. An international plan on its own may or may not be accepted for this purpose. Some insurers issue a locally compliant policy; others do not.
• Rules change. Confirm the current requirement for your emirate with your employer, your visa agent or the relevant health authority before you rely on any plan, including the ones described here.

Our guide to Gulf mandatory insurance and top-up cover explains how the two layers fit together across the region.

Why expats in the UAE add international cover

Most expats who buy international cover in the UAE already hold an employer policy. They buy it for one or more of these reasons.

• Choice of hospital. Basic employer plans often use a restricted network. An international plan with direct billing at the hospitals you would actually choose removes that restriction.
• Higher limits. A serious illness, such as cancer treatment or a long stay in intensive care, can exceed the annual limit on a basic plan. International plans typically carry much higher limits.
• Cover outside the UAE. Expats travel to see family, work across the Gulf and take holidays in Europe or Asia. Employer plans may stop at the border, or cover emergencies only. An international plan covers you throughout its area of cover.
• Dependants. Where the employer covers the employee only, a family plan is needed anyway. One international family plan is often simpler than a basic local plan for each person.
• Continuity. Employer cover ends when the job does. An individual international plan is yours. It renews each year regardless of where you work, and most are designed to be kept for life.

Travel insurance is not a substitute for any of this. It is designed for emergencies on short trips, not for living somewhere. For a fuller comparison of the three types of cover, read our guide to international health insurance in EMEA.

The decisions that change your cover

Plans look similar at a glance. The differences that matter sit in a handful of choices. Settle these before you compare prices, because each one changes the quote.

If you are unsure how much outpatient cover you need, our guide to inpatient versus outpatient cover walks through the trade-off.

Pre-existing conditions and underwriting

Every international insurer asks about your medical history, and the answer determines what is covered. There are two main approaches.

• Full medical underwriting. You declare your history up front. The insurer may accept a condition, exclude it, or cover it with a loading. You know where you stand from day one.
• Moratorium underwriting. No questionnaire. Conditions you had in the years before the start date are excluded automatically, and may become covered later if you go a set period without symptoms, treatment or advice for them.

If your employer plan already covers a condition, ask whether an international insurer will match that cover when you move. Some will consider continued cover on switch terms; most will not do so automatically. Our guide to pre-existing conditions explains the options in detail, including what a moratorium does and does not do.

Be accurate when you declare. A claim that touches an undeclared condition is the most common reason a claim is turned down.

Insurers worth reading about first

Most of the insurers on our insurer pages offer cover for UAE residents, and Nomi quotes them side by side. A few are worth reading first.

• APRIL UAE is designed for the UAE specifically, with separate Dubai and Abu Dhabi benefit schedules and emirate-specific minimum-cover terms. If you want one policy to satisfy the local requirement and provide international cover, start here.
• Cigna Global, Allianz Care and Now Health WorldCare are modular international plans used widely across the Gulf. Compare them on area of cover, outpatient options and direct billing.
• Bupa Global publishes its plan limits in pounds sterling, which suits British expats who expect to return to the UK.

Two of our side-by-side pages, Cigna versus Allianz and Allianz versus IMG, are a quick way to see how modular plans differ.

How to prepare a comparison

A good comparison takes about ten minutes of preparation. Have these ready.

1. Your employer plan's benefit summary, so you know exactly what you are topping up.
2. The names, ages and nationalities of everyone to be covered.
3. Where you expect to travel in the next year, and where you would want serious treatment to happen.
4. Your medical history, including anything you have been treated or advised on in the past few years.
5. A decision on excess: none, modest or high.

For a sense of how premiums for UAE residents compare with other countries, the HealthiNomad Premium Index publishes a country table. Our cost guide explains what drives the number for you.

Frequently asked questions

This page is general information, not personal or medical advice. Prices are indicative and confirmed by the insurer at underwriting. For advice on your situation, speak to a regulated broker.