Health insurance is mandatory for a UAE residence visa. Immigration authorities do not issue or renew a residence permit without valid cover in place, the employer or sponsor usually arranges it, and the basic government package is priced at AED 320 per year (u.ae, October 2025).
Is health insurance mandatory for a UAE residence visa?
Yes. Since 1 January 2025, employers are required to purchase a health insurance policy as a prerequisite for applying for the issuance or renewal of residency permits for private sector employees and domestic workers (u.ae, 2025).
The requirement is not yet uniform across the country. The system operates on a mandatory basis in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and it extends to private sector workers in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. A source describing the mandate as already active in all seven emirates is running ahead of the government's own position.
One carve-out matters and it is easy to miss. The mandate does not apply to work permits issued before 1 January 2024 that remain valid. Those permits become subject to the mandate when the residency permit comes up for renewal (u.ae, 2025). A worker on an older permit is compliant today and needs cover at the next renewal, when most people are caught unprepared.
The wider legal framework sits in our guide to UAE health insurance law, and our guide for expatriate residents covers the broader picture.
What each emirate requires
Each emirate sets its own minimum package and its own rules on who must hold cover.
Abu Dhabi. Employers and sponsors are responsible for providing health insurance for their employees and their families, specifically one spouse and three children under 18 (u.ae, 2025). The Department of Health regulates the sector.
Dubai. Employers must provide cover for their employees, and sponsors must arrange cover for their resident dependants (u.ae, 2025). The Dubai Health Insurance Corporation regulates insurers, third party administrators, brokers and providers, and the minimum benefit package is the Essential Benefits Plan.
Sharjah. The Department of Health Insurance at the Sharjah Health Authority oversees coverage for UAE nationals, extended to all Sharjah citizens since January 2020 (u.ae, 2025). The private sector mandate sits in its extension phase here rather than fully in force.
Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Ajman's government covers its own employees, and across all four the private sector mandate is announced rather than complete. Anyone arranging a permit in the Northern Emirates confirms the current position with the employer or the relevant authority rather than assuming either way.
What does health insurance for a residence visa cost?
The basic insurance package costs AED 320 per year (u.ae, October 2025). That figure comes from the scheme the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation launched for private sector employees and domestic workers, and it sets the floor rather than the market rate.
Three factors move the price above that floor.
Who is being covered. A worker on the basic scheme and a non-working parent on a residence visa are different underwriting propositions, and the parent case is by a wide margin the more expensive. Dependants of a worker on the scheme access the same benefits and pricing as the worker, as specified in the policy (u.ae, 2025).
Age. The basic package covers individuals aged between 1 and 64. Anyone over 64 completes a medical disclosure form and attaches recent medical reports (u.ae, 2025), and insurers price cover at that age individually.
How much cover is bought. The basic package satisfies the visa. A plan with a wider network, a higher annual limit or lower co-payments costs more, and for many households the difference is worth paying.
Two mechanics are worth knowing before purchase. The policy runs for two years, and the insurer refunds the second-year premium if the visa is cancelled (u.ae, 2025).
For what health cover costs across the UAE market generally, outside the visa minimum, our guide to health insurance costs covers what residents pay.
See Health Protect Plans 5 coverage tiers from Regional to Worldwide. Compare benefits and costs.
What the mandatory minimum covers, and what it does not
The basic package covers treatment, with co-payments at every stage. The detail below comes from the UAE government portal and it is the part of the decision most buyers never see before they pay.
Element | What the basic package provides |
|---|---|
Inpatient care | 20% co-payment, capped at AED 500 per visit and AED 1,000 a year including medications. Above the cap the insurer covers 100% of treatment costs |
Outpatient care | 25% co-payment, capped at AED 100 per visit. No co-payment on a follow-up for the same condition within 7 days |
Medications | Co-payment capped at 30%, with an annual cap of AED 1,500 |
Chronic conditions | No waiting period |
Age range | Ages 1 to 64. Over 64 requires a medical disclosure form and recent medical reports |
Network | 7 hospitals, 46 clinics and medical centres, 45 pharmacies |
Policy term | Two years, with the second-year premium refundable on visa cancellation |
All figures: u.ae, updated October 2025, sourcing the MoHRE scheme announcement of December 2024.
Read that network line carefully. Seven hospitals and 46 clinics across a country of this size describes a compliance product rather than a healthcare plan, and the price reflects that. For a young worker who rarely visits a doctor, the basic package is a sound purchase. For a family with a chronic condition or a preferred hospital, the co-payments and the network are the reason to look at a wider plan.
The package does not stop being valid because it is basic. The package stops being sufficient when the household's actual medical use exceeds what a 46-clinic network and a 20% inpatient co-payment comfortably absorb.
How to get cover for a visa application or renewal
Four steps, and the first one decides the other three.
Establish who is responsible. For a private sector employee, the employer purchases the policy. For a domestic worker, the sponsor does. For a dependant, the sponsor does. For anyone self-sponsored, including many freelancers and investors, the individual arranges their own.
Buy before the visa application, not alongside it. The policy is a prerequisite for the permit application, so cover in place unlocks the process rather than travelling through it in parallel.
Check the policy meets the emirate's minimum. A plan bought in one emirate does not automatically satisfy another emirate's package requirement.
Keep the certificate with the visa paperwork. The insurance certificate and the Emirates ID application travel together through the process.
At renewal the sequence repeats. A worker whose permit predates 1 January 2024 encounters the requirement for the first time at that renewal.
Cover for dependants, domestic workers and parents
Sponsorship obligation decides who pays, and the four cases behave differently.
Employees. The employer buys the policy. Under the national scheme, dependants of a covered worker access the same benefits and pricing as the worker themselves (u.ae, 2025).
Domestic workers. The sponsor buys the policy, on the same footing as an employer. Domestic worker cover became a residency-permit prerequisite on 1 January 2025.
Spouse and children. In Abu Dhabi the employer or sponsor obligation explicitly extends to one spouse and three children under 18 (u.ae, 2025). In Dubai the sponsor covers resident dependants. Our guide to family health insurance sets out how household cover is structured, and a newborn is added within 30 days of birth.
Parents. The expensive case, and the one households plan for least. A non-working parent on a residence visa falls outside the worker scheme, frequently sits above the 64 age threshold, and insurers price the cover individually on medical disclosure. Anyone sponsoring a parent gets a quote before committing to the visa timeline rather than after.
Compare Individual Plans MyHEALTH and Health Protect: flexible options for individuals and families.
Visit visa insurance is not residence visa insurance
A visit visa and a residence visa require different products, and one does not substitute for the other.
Visitor cover runs short-term and centres on emergency treatment for a defined stay. Residence visa cover runs as an annual or two-year policy meeting a specific emirate's minimum benefit package. A visitor policy presented for a residence permit does not satisfy the requirement, and the gap surfaces at the worst moment, when a visit visa is converting to residence.
Anyone moving from a visit visa to a residence visa arranges residence-standard cover as part of that conversion.
Arranging residence visa cover with HAYAH
HAYAH, a UAE-licensed life and health insurance provider regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE, writes individual and family health cover through MyHEALTH and Health Protect, and group cover for employers.
The sponsorship case established earlier decides the route. An employer covering a workforce buys group cover. An individual covering themselves, a dependant or a parent buys an individual plan, where the sum insured and the network are the two decisions that matter most.
Cover that satisfies a visa and cover that suits a household are not always the same purchase. An advisor confirms which plan meets the emirate's minimum for the specific case before an application is filed.
Contact Us Speak with a HAYAH advisor about your coverage needs.
Holders of a long-term residence permit follow a related but separate set of requirements, covered in our guide to golden visa health insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Is medical insurance required for a UAE residence visa?
Yes. Since 1 January 2025, employers must hold a health insurance policy before applying for the issuance or renewal of residency permits for private sector employees and domestic workers (u.ae, 2025). The system operates on a mandatory basis in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and extends to the Northern Emirates.
How much does health insurance for a UAE residence visa cost?
The basic insurance package costs AED 320 per year (u.ae, October 2025). That figure sets the floor. Cover for a non-working dependant or a parent over 64 carries individual pricing and costs considerably more, and a plan with a wider network or lower co-payments costs more again.
Who pays for health insurance, the employer or the employee?
The employer purchases the policy for private sector employees, and the sponsor purchases it for domestic workers and for resident dependants. Anyone self-sponsored arranges their own cover. In Abu Dhabi the obligation extends explicitly to one spouse and three children under 18 (u.ae, 2025).
Can you renew a UAE residence visa without health insurance?
No. Valid cover is a prerequisite for renewal, not a document filed afterwards. Workers holding permits issued before 1 January 2024 encounter the requirement for the first time at their next renewal (u.ae, 2025).
Does a visit visa need the same health insurance as a residence visa?
No. Visitor cover runs short-term and centres on emergencies, while residence visa cover meets an emirate's minimum benefit package over an annual or two-year term. A visitor policy does not satisfy a residence permit requirement.
Sources and regulatory references
The Official Portal of the UAE Government. Getting a health insurance. u.ae, updated 28 October 2025.
Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Health insurance package for private sector employees and domestic workers, December 2024.
Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Health Insurance Corporation. Essential Benefits Plan.
Abu Dhabi Department of Health. Health insurance requirements for employees and dependants.
Central Bank of the UAE. Insurance Licensing Register.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or insurance advice. Health insurance regulations, costs, and plan terms change regularly. Always verify current requirements with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DoH), or a licensed insurance advisor before making coverage decisions. HAYAH Insurance Company P.J.S.C. is licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates under registration number 083.