Residents of Dubai applying for a new visa or visa renewal must provide proof of medical insurance.

When applying for a new visa or visa renewal, a medical certificate must be presented. It is a document provided by the insurance company stating that a person is covered by medical insurance. Insurance companies have to provide the medical certificate free of charge.





Employees of companies contracting more than 100 employees must comply with the new rules, which are in place since August 2015.

Currently phase 1 and phase 2 of the mandatory scheme have been completed, covering companies’ with more than 1,000 employees on their sponsorship and companies with 100 to 999 employees.

Companies with less than 100 employees, and spouses, dependents and domestic workers are part of phase 3 of the rollout.

Dubai has made health insurance coverage mandatory for every expat resident. However, this rule does not apply to everybody, as some individuals are sponsored by organisations or do not require at all.



Visitors will also be required to have a medical insurance coverage upon entering Dubai, however, details of this part of the scheme are yet to be announced.

Update: (source)

Mandatory Health Insurance in Dubai – Law No 11 of 2013:

The Employer is responsible for providing insurance to its employees only. Dependents are responsibility of the sponsor.

Deadlines:

• Companies with more than 1,000 employees, from 31 October 2014;

• Companies with 100-999 employees, from 31 July 2015; and

• Companies with less than 100 employees, from 30 June 2016.

From 30 June 2016 the employees’ sponsor is responsible for arranging health insurance for the employee’s defendants; limited to a spouse and up to three children aged under 18.

The Dubai Health Authority has approved a few (7 or 8) insurance companies to define and provide a basic plan, with limited covereage, as the bare minimum insurance requirment for a visa





Learn more about Expat health insurance in Dubai here.