UAE expat group medical insurance is employer-arranged medical cover for expatriate employees working in the United Arab Emirates, and since 1 January 2025 providing health insurance has been mandatory for private-sector employees and domestic workers across all seven emirates. The obligation sits with the employer or sponsor: cover must be in place as a prerequisite for issuing or renewing an employee’s residence permit, and the cost cannot be passed on through salary deductions. Dubai and Abu Dhabi have operated mandatory employer schemes for years, while the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) basic health insurance scheme extends the requirement to Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Employers therefore face two related decisions in 2026: meeting the local mandate in each emirate where staff hold visas, and deciding whether a UAE-only policy is enough for employees who travel, relocate or need treatment options beyond the local network.
Elev8 Insurance acts as an independent broker, not an insurer, regulator or government agency. The rules summarised here are set by UAE federal and emirate-level authorities and can change; the official schemes and the insurer’s policy wording are the controlling sources. Employers should confirm the current requirements for each employee’s visa location before buying or renewing cover.
UAE employer health insurance rules by emirate (2026)
| Where the visa is issued | Who the employer must cover | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Employees | The employer provides at least the required local benefits. Family members are insured by their sponsor, which for dependants’ visas is usually the employee. |
| Abu Dhabi | Employees and their families | Employer cover extends to the employee’s spouse and up to three children under 18. |
| Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah | Private-sector employees and domestic workers | Covered by the federal basic health insurance scheme from 1 January 2025, with a basic package priced at AED 320 per year and an annual cover limit of AED 150,000. |
The mandate is enforced through immigration: a compliant policy is checked when an employee’s residence permit is issued or renewed. In practice this means the requirement reaches each employee at their next visa event, and cover dates should be aligned with permit dates so renewals are not delayed.
Who must provide health insurance in the UAE?
Employers are responsible for insuring their private-sector employees, and sponsors are responsible for insuring domestic workers. The employer pays the premium in full; recovering the cost through salary deductions is prohibited. Free-zone and mainland arrangements can differ in the details of the applicable scheme, so employers with mixed workforces should confirm which regulator and minimum-benefit rules apply to each visa before renewing.
What does the MOHRE basic health insurance scheme include?
The federal basic scheme is a safety-net package for private-sector employees and domestic workers in the emirates that previously had no mandate. Its published terms are:
- Premium: AED 320 per year per insured person.
- Annual cover limit: AED 150,000.
- Inpatient care: 20% co-payment, capped at AED 500 per visit and AED 1,000 per year; amounts above the cap are covered in full.
- Outpatient care: 25% co-payment, capped at AED 100 per visit.
- Medications: 30% co-payment, capped at AED 1,500 per year.
- Policy validity: two years, with the second-year premium refundable if the visa is cancelled.
- Purchase route: the DubaiCare network or other approved suppliers.
The basic package sets a floor, not a ceiling. Employers can buy richer cover, and many do for professional and internationally mobile staff, as long as the policy meets the applicable local minimum.
Do UAE employers have to cover dependants?
Obligations differ by emirate. In Abu Dhabi, employer cover extends to the employee’s family: a spouse and up to three children under 18. In Dubai, the employer’s duty covers employees themselves, and family members are insured by their sponsor, usually the employee. Under the federal basic scheme in the other emirates, the mandate covers employees and domestic workers, and family cover remains the sponsor’s decision. Many international employers extend dependant cover voluntarily as part of the benefits package; our expat family insurance guide explains what that typically involves for relocating households.
Is a local UAE policy enough for an expat team?
A compliant local policy satisfies the visa requirement and pays for care inside its UAE network, and for staff who live and are treated only in the UAE it may be all that is needed. It is not designed for cross-border working: cover is limited geographically, provider networks stop at the border, and the policy does not follow an employee who relocates. The basic scheme in particular is a safety-net product with strict co-payments and an AED 150,000 annual limit rather than a comprehensive medical plan.
Employers with regional roles, rotating staff or relocating families therefore usually pair local compliance cover with international group medical insurance, which adds cross-border provider networks, medical evacuation options and continuity when staff move between countries. The business insurance gateway summarises related employer cover, and employers that already hold an international policy can request an independent policy review before renewal rather than starting again from scratch.
UAE group cover checklist for employers
- Map where every employee’s residence visa is issued; the mandate applies emirate by emirate.
- Confirm each policy meets the local minimum benefits for that emirate.
- Check dependant obligations in Abu Dhabi: a spouse and up to three children under 18.
- Budget for the employer to pay premiums in full; salary deductions are prohibited.
- Align policy start and renewal dates with residence-permit issue and renewal dates.
- Decide which employee groups need international group medical cover above the local minimum.
- Keep joiner, leaver and location records consistent across payroll, PRO services and the insurer.
- Re-verify the current rules before each renewal cycle; schemes and minimums can change.
UAE employer health insurance FAQs
Can an employer deduct UAE health insurance costs from an employee’s salary?
No. The employer or sponsor bears the cost of the required cover, and deducting the premium from wages is prohibited under the scheme. Because the requirement applies when residence permits are issued or renewed, the premium should be budgeted as a standard employment overhead rather than passed to staff.
Is health insurance required to obtain or renew a UAE residence visa?
Yes. Since 1 January 2025, holding compliant health insurance has been a prerequisite for issuing or renewing the residence permits of private-sector employees and domestic workers across the UAE. Employers should align policy start and renewal dates with permit dates so that visa processing is not delayed by a lapsed policy.
Does a UAE group policy cover employees outside the UAE?
Local mandatory plans are built around treatment inside the UAE and generally provide little or no routine cover abroad. Employees who travel for work, split time between countries or relocate mid-assignment usually need an international group medical plan alongside local compliance cover; the international group medical insurance guide compares how those programmes are structured.
Plan compliant cover for a UAE-based team
Use the international group medical insurance guide to structure benefits, underwriting, claims and renewals for a globally mobile team, then book an international insurance consultation to map UAE compliance cover and international benefits in one brief.
Last updated: August 25, 2026. Prepared and reviewed by the Elev8 Insurance brokerage team. Coverage, eligibility, underwriting, benefits and premiums vary by insurer, policy and jurisdiction.
Sources: Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation — The Basic Health Insurance Scheme and launch announcement (16 December 2024); UAE Government portal — Getting a health insurance. Requirements verified on August 25, 2026.
