Allianz Care health insurance for expats in the Gulf and Europe

Allianz Care builds its international plan from three core levels with matching out-patient and dental modules, and it is one of the few insurers that lets you choose how your medical history is underwritten. IPMIEMEA explains how it fits the Gulf and Europe.

Core plan plus modules: how the structure works

Allianz Care is the international private medical insurance (IPMI) business of Allianz, one of the largest insurers in the world. Rather than selling a single all-in plan, it asks you to choose a core level first and then bolt on the modules you want. The one rule to remember is that the Out-patient and Dental modules must sit at the same level as the core plan you choose, so you cannot pair a Base core with Signature out-patient cover.

Allianz does not publish a single headline annual limit for each level in the material this page is based on; the exact benefit limits, and your area of cover, are confirmed when you quote. The area choice is worldwide or worldwide excluding the USA.

What sits in the core and what sits in a module

• Core plan: inpatient and day-patient hospital treatment and surgery.
• Out-patient module: consultations, diagnostics and therapies outside hospital.
• Dental module: dental treatment at your chosen plan level.
• Servicing: the MyHealth app handles claims and documents, backed by a 24/7 multilingual helpline.

Because out-patient cover is a separate module, the first question is whether you want day-to-day cover at all or are happy to pay for GP visits yourself and insure the large events. Our guide to inpatient versus outpatient cover walks through that decision.

A genuine choice of underwriting basis

Most insurers underwrite one way. Allianz Care offers a choice, which is the main reason it comes up so often for people with medical history. The options:

Full medical underwriting (FMU)

You answer Allianz's application, which has 20 health questions. Allianz assesses your history and tells you before you buy what is covered, excluded or loaded, so you have certainty from day one.

Moratorium

No health questions at application. Pre-existing conditions carry a 24-month waiting period and can become eligible once you have gone two continuous years without symptoms, treatment or advice for them.

Continued personal medical exclusions (CPME)

For people switching from another insurer. The personal exclusions you already have are carried across unchanged, with no fresh underwriting of new conditions.

Switch terms

Moving from a prior plan onto broadly equivalent terms. Switch terms must be properly maintained; if they lapse, Allianz may revert to full medical underwriting.

Which basis is right depends on what is in your history. Someone with a stable, treated condition may prefer the certainty of FMU; someone with a clean recent record may prefer the speed of moratorium. Our guide to pre-existing conditions compares the bases, and a regulated adviser confirms the terms before you commit.

Pre-authorisation and claims rules

Allianz is clear about process, and the rules have teeth, so it pays to know them before you need treatment.

• Pre-authorisation is required for inpatient and high-cost treatment. The Table of Benefits flags which items need it.
• If you skip required pre-authorisation and the claim is later found eligible, Allianz pays 80% of inpatient benefits and 50% of other benefits.
• Emergencies do not need authorisation in advance, but you must tell Allianz about the admission within 48 hours.
• Out-patient and dental claims are generally reimbursed through the MyHealth app.
• Invoices should be submitted within 60 days of discharge unless special arrangements are in place.

Using Allianz Care from the Gulf or Europe

Allianz's two published areas, worldwide and worldwide excluding the USA, both include every IPMIEMEA country. For an expat in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Bahrain who flies home to the United Kingdom or Germany for part of the year, worldwide excluding the USA covers the whole pattern. The source material does not describe a Europe-only or regional area for Allianz Care, so if a narrower area matters to you, compare it with insurers that publish one; our guide to Europe regional versus worldwide cover explains the trade-off. Plan currency is not stated in the material behind this page, so confirm it at quote.

Gulf residents generally need a locally compliant policy, usually provided through the employer, before an international plan is relevant. Allianz Care is typically bought as a top-up to that local cover, or by people the local scheme does not include, such as some dependants and self-employed residents. Check the current rule in your emirate or state and read our guide to mandatory Gulf health insurance and top-up cover. The underwriting choice is particularly useful for a mid-career expat who has picked up a condition while abroad and now wants a plan that will follow them to Spain or Portugal on retirement.

Who Allianz Care suits

A strong fit if you want a global insurer behind the plan, a clean core-plus-modules structure, and above all a choice of underwriting basis. If there is anything in your medical history, choosing between FMU, moratorium and switch terms can change what is covered from the first day. The 48-hour emergency notification and the 80/50 rule for missed pre-authorisation reward people who read the process and follow it.

Worth comparing if you want the lowest entry price, or if you would rather buy one all-in plan than assemble core and modules. The two most common alternatives are Cigna Global and IMG Global; see Cigna vs Allianz and Allianz vs IMG, or ask Nomi to price all three for your details.

Frequently asked questions

This page is general information, not personal or medical advice, and is based on Allianz Care plan documentation; exact terms, limits and underwriting are confirmed by the insurer at quote. Prices are indicative. Allianz and the Allianz logo are trademarks of Allianz SE.