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Short answer: health insurance is a legal requirement for every private-sector employee in the United Arab Emirates, and the premium is paid by the employer. The obligation applies regardless of the employee's nationality, job title or salary band, and it extends to domestic workers.
The rule did not arrive all at once. Abu Dhabi was the first emirate to make cover compulsory under Law No. 23 of 2005. Dubai followed with Health Insurance Law No. 11 of 2013, phasing the requirement in by company size until the roll-out completed in 2016. The northern emirates joined on 1 January 2025 through the MOHRE Basic Health Insurance Scheme. As of 2026, private-sector staff must be insured in all seven emirates.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) launched a basic health insurance package effective 1 January 2025 for private-sector employees and domestic workers in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The package became a prerequisite for issuing and renewing work and residency permits. Permits issued before that date were carried over until their first renewal, so by 2026 practically every active permit in those emirates falls within scope.
In Dubai, health insurance is regulated and enforced by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). In Abu Dhabi the competent body is the Department of Health (DoH). In the northern emirates the basic package runs through MOHRE. Financial soundness of insurers and product approvals fall under the insurance supervision mandate of the Central Bank of the UAE. In practice this means there is no single national policy standard, but minimum benefit sets that differ by emirate.
The emirate in which your company is licensed determines the minimum policy you must provide and the penalty you may face. The comparison below summarises the three regulatory regimes at a glance.
| Region | Regulator | Minimum Policy | Legal Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | DHA | Essential Benefits Plan (EBP) | Law No. 11 of 2013 |
| Abu Dhabi | DoH | Basic Product | Law No. 23 of 2005 |
| Sharjah, Ajman, UAQ, RAK, Fujairah | MOHRE | Basic Health Insurance Scheme | Federal scheme (01.01.2025) |
Premiums depend on the plan level, the employee's age, the salary band and the benefit limits. Health insurance in the UAE is priced annually; there is no standard monthly premium. Regulators publish the price of the statutory minimum packages, while premiums for higher tiers are set by quotation.
| Plan Type | Annual Premium | Who It Is For | Coverage Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOHRE Basic Package | AED 320 | Staff and domestic workers in the northern emirates | Policy valid for two years, ages 1 to 64 |
| Dubai EBP | AED 650 - 725 | Employees earning below AED 4,000 per month | Annual benefit ceiling of AED 150,000 |
| Enhanced Plan | AED 1,500 - 4,000 | Mid and senior salary bands | Wider hospital network, higher limits |
| Comprehensive Plan | AED 5,000 and above | Executives and families | Private hospitals, maternity, dental, optical |
The MOHRE basic package and EBP figures come from regulatory sources. Enhanced and comprehensive ranges are market indications; the final premium is set at quotation stage based on your census and age profile.
The EBP is the minimum benefit package defined by the DHA for employees in Dubai earning less than AED 4,000 per month. It carries an annual ceiling of AED 150,000 and represents the lowest level an employer may lawfully provide. For higher salary bands the employer must provide at least EBP-equivalent cover, and in practice usually a broader plan.
The package covers outpatient and inpatient treatment, emergency care, basic laboratory and imaging, medication, antenatal and maternity services and newborn care. Co-payments and sub-limits are defined benefit by benefit. Under the MOHRE basic package the co-payments are 20 per cent for inpatient care (up to AED 500 per visit, AED 1,000 annual cap), 25 per cent for outpatient care (up to AED 100 per visit) and 30 per cent for medication (AED 1,500 annual cap). No waiting period applies to chronic conditions.
Items typically outside the minimum packages include cosmetic procedures, elective advanced dental work, vision correction surgery, fertility treatment and planned treatment received outside the UAE. If your aim is genuine protection rather than bare compliance, set the benefit level against your team profile rather than the legal floor.
The obligation does not end with buying a policy. Under Article 10 of Dubai Law No. 11 of 2013 the employer must insure staff with a permitted insurer, keep the cover uninterrupted for the duration of employment, hand the insurance card to the employee and present a valid policy during residency processing. The emergency treatment cost of an uninsured employee also falls on the employer.
| Breach | Sanction |
|---|---|
| Employing uninsured staff in Dubai | AED 500 per person per month |
| Employing uninsured staff in Abu Dhabi | AED 300 for each uninsured month |
| Breaches under Law No. 11 of 2013 | Fines between AED 500 and AED 150,000 |
| Same breach repeated within one year | Fine doubles, capped at AED 500,000 |
| Severe or continuing breach | Suspension of activity up to two years, licence revocation |
| Visa application without a policy | Residence visa and Emirates ID not issued or renewed |
No. Dubai legislation expressly prohibits passing the cost of cover to the beneficiary. Deducting the premium from wages, setting it off against salary or asking the employee for a contribution is a breach in its own right. Getting this right in payroll also matters for Wage Protection System reviews; you can address it as part of our accounting and finance services.
The insurance obligation applies whether the company is licensed in a free zone or on the mainland. Employers operating in IFZA, DMCC, Meydan, RAKEZ or SPC must provide a valid policy for their staff. There is no free zone exemption.
What differs is the supervisory channel. Mainland companies deal with MOHRE for work permits; in free zones the permit process runs through the relevant free zone authority, while the insurance standard is set by the health regulator of the emirate. In Dubai free zones that standard is defined by the DHA. If you have not yet settled your structure, our Dubai mainland and free zone comparison makes the decision easier.
In Dubai the employer's legal duty stops at the employee. Insurance for a spouse, children and parents is the responsibility of whoever sponsors them, which is usually the employee. Abu Dhabi takes a broader approach, where the sponsor is expected to provide cover for family members as well.
In practice many companies offer family cover as a benefit to retain skilled staff. It is not a legal requirement, but it creates a clear advantage in hiring. For sponsors employing domestic workers, insurance is directly mandatory and the cost sits with the sponsor.
Health insurance is no longer only a health benefit; it is a precondition for issuing and renewing the residence visa. Emirates ID and residency processing cannot be completed for an employee without a valid policy. That link places insurance on the critical path of your hiring timeline: if the policy is late, the start date slips with it.
The sequence in practice is entry permit, medical fitness test, issuance of the policy, Emirates ID application and finally the residence visa stamped in the passport. The policy number is verified electronically during the identity and residency stages. You can follow the full process on our Dubai work and residence visa page.
A well-sequenced process reduces both the premium and the risk of visa delays. The six steps below describe the standard flow for an employer building a team in Dubai.
The Policy Process: Six Steps for Employers
01 Staff census: headcount, age profile and salary bands are mapped; staff below AED 4,000 are listed separately.
02 Set the plan level: decide between the legal minimum and the benefit level you want to offer.
03 Quotations: obtain comparable offers from regulator-approved insurers.
04 Issue the policy: sign the contract and finalise the member list and benefit table.
05 Add to the visa file: include the policy in the Emirates ID and residence visa application.
06 Track renewals: set a renewal calendar and add or remove members as staff join and leave.
Health insurance in the UAE may only be sold by permitted insurers through approved products. Four points decide the choice: the hospital network and how close it is to where your staff live, the benefit limits and co-payment structure, the speed of claims handling and the extent of direct billing, and finally whether the insurer's regulatory approvals are current.
You should also know the escalation route before a dispute arises. If a claim is declined, the insurer's own complaint mechanism comes first; if that fails, the matter goes to the insurance dispute resolution bodies under the Central Bank of the UAE. The most common grounds for refusal are undisclosed pre-existing conditions and treatment taken out of network without prior approval.
When employment ends the policy usually terminates alongside the residence visa cancellation. Two risks follow. First, the employee may be left uncovered until the next employer takes over. Second, if the employer cancels the policy early, the obligation can be treated as continuing until the visa cancellation completes. The correct practice is to keep the policy in force until cancellation is finalised.
Staff on probation must be insured from day one; probation is not an exemption. Matching the policy addition to the start date removes both the penalty exposure and the coverage gap.
Health insurance is only one line in the total cost of an employee. Budgeting realistically means reading the premium alongside visa and permit costs. The items below make up the main components of the annual employer cost of one member of staff in Dubai.
For salary levels and living cost items, our cost of living and minimum wage in Dubai article makes comparison easier. If you are still choosing a structure before hiring, our company formation in Dubai page brings the process and cost items together.
Regulations and premiums change. Confirm the current position with official sources or your adviser before making a decision.
Choosing the right plan level, syncing the policy with the visa timeline and never missing a renewal will visibly cut both your penalty exposure and your annual premium load. If you would rather run the whole process from company formation to staff visas through one team, you can request a free quote and consultation.
Yes. As of 2026, health insurance is legally mandatory for private-sector employees across all seven emirates of the UAE, and the cost of the policy is the employer’s responsibility.
The MOHRE basic package that applies in the northern emirates costs AED 320 a year and the policy is valid for two years. In Dubai, the Essential Benefits Plan for employees earning below AED 4,000 a month is generally in the AED 650 to 725 range. Enhanced plans run from AED 1,500 to 4,000 and comprehensive plans start at AED 5,000. The final premium depends on age profile, group size and the benefits selected.
By law, the employer pays the employee’s health insurance premium. Deducting the premium from the employee’s salary is against the regulations.
Dubai applies a fine of AED 500 per uninsured employee per month, and Abu Dhabi AED 300 for each uninsured month. Breaches under Law No. 11 of 2013 carry fines between AED 500 and AED 150,000, doubling if the same breach is repeated within a year. In addition, a residence visa cannot be issued or renewed without a valid policy.
Free zone employees must also be covered by health insurance. The obligation lies with the employer within the framework of the relevant free zone authority and emirate health regulations.
No. Dubai Health Insurance Law No. 11 of 2013 expressly prohibits passing the cost of cover to the employee. Deducting the premium from wages, setting it off against salary or asking for an employee contribution is a separate breach and carries its own sanction.
In Dubai the employer legal duty stops at the employee. Insurance for family members is the responsibility of whoever sponsors them. Abu Dhabi is broader and expects the sponsor to cover family members too. Many companies offer family cover voluntarily as a retention benefit.
The EBP is the minimum benefit package defined by the DHA for employees in Dubai earning less than AED 4,000 a month. It carries an annual ceiling of AED 150,000 and covers outpatient and inpatient treatment, emergency care, basic diagnostics, medication, antenatal and maternity services and newborn care.
The policy usually ends with the cancellation of the residence visa. The correct practice is to keep it in force until the visa cancellation is complete. Cancelling early does not remove the employer obligation and leaves the employee with a coverage gap.
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