No public scheme for expatriate staff

The UAE has no single national health insurance plan that a foreign employee in the private sector can join. The government portal u.ae describes schemes built for nationals and public staff instead. Abu Dhabi’s Thiqa programme gives full medical cover to Abu Dhabi nationals and similar groups, with members using a Thiqa card at providers in its network. Dubai’s Enaya scheme covers Dubai Government employees and Dubai citizens who have no other government insurance. Sharjah’s government covers its nationals, and Ajman insures its own government workforce.

None of these is something an employer can buy into for an expatriate hire. For that person, cover comes from a private policy the employer purchases, tied to the residence permit.

Insurance as a condition of the residence permit

Employer-paid cover was already required in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. From 1 January 2025, u.ae says, the same duty applies in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah too: a private-sector employer must buy a health insurance policy for its employees, and for domestic workers, before a residence permit is issued or renewed. A 2024 consultancy report said that the UAE Cabinet approved this nationwide extension, making cover compulsory in the five emirates where it had been optional.

There is a transition for existing staff. A worker whose work permit was issued before 1 January 2024 and is still valid is exempt until the residence permit comes up for renewal. After that, the policy has to be in place, and a lapse holds up visa processing. In practice the insurance date and the visa date move together, which is worth putting on the HR calendar.

Spouses and children: Abu Dhabi and Dubai part ways

Family cover changes from one emirate to the next. In Abu Dhabi, employers and sponsors must insure the employee and family, which u.ae defines as one spouse and three children under 18. In Dubai, the employer covers the employee, while the sponsor of each resident dependant, usually the employee, insures that dependant.

Guides to the Dubai Health Insurance Law (Law No. 11 of 2013), such as a 2014 law-firm briefing, say a Dubai employer may not deduct the employee’s premium from salary. Before you set a package, confirm which emirate issues the visa and whether a spouse or children will be sponsored locally, because that changes who must buy which policy.

Who may insure a person living in the UAE

The UAE controls which companies can write cover there. Law-firm guides to the federal insurance law, Federal Decree-Law No. 48 of 2023, explain that people, property and liabilities located in the UAE must be insured with a company licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), with a narrow exception where local capacity or expertise is lacking. A contract issued by an unlicensed company is treated as invalid. The same guides note that a foreign insurer can operate only through a licensed branch, and that a licensed representative office may only market products sold outside the country in general terms.

Health has an extra layer at emirate level. Dubai licenses health insurers, third-party administrators and brokers through the Dubai Health Insurance Corporation and publishes the list of permitted companies on isahd.ae. Abu Dhabi’s regulator is the Department of Health (DoH).

A global plan rides on top of the local policy

Read together, the licensing rule as law-firm guides explain it and the visa mandate point one way. A global plan cannot be relied on to meet the residence-permit requirement on its own; a compliant local policy from a CBUAE-licensed insurer is needed. An international plan would sit on top of that policy, or be issued through a UAE-licensed or emirate-approved insurer.

u.ae notes that how much the local policy covers, and what it costs, turn on the employee’s salary and job grade and on the plan chosen. An employer that wants more than the local plan provides, for an employee who travels often or has family abroad, would look at what can be layered above it. Whether a particular international plan can lawfully cover someone living in the UAE is for the insurer to confirm, so do not assume it can.

Visa sponsor, employer of record or contractor

EOR providers say a foreign company with no UAE entity often hires through an employer of record, and describe the arrangement this way: the EOR’s licensed UAE company becomes the legal employer and visa sponsor, so the work permit, the residence visa and the mandatory health policy sit with it. Your company can then decide whether to fund anything on top.

Because the insurance duty follows the residence permit, it lands on whoever sponsors the visa, whether that is your own UAE entity or an EOR. Paying an independent contractor directly is a different relationship with its own legal questions, so check with a local adviser before choosing a structure for a UAE hire.

A UAE hire can also raise questions on your US policies, such as employment practices liability. Our guide to insurance changes for remote teams covers what we can ask insurers to look at.

Getting introduced to a benefits partner

Send us the details through the quote form on this page: which emirate your people live in, how many there are, whether a UAE entity or an employer of record sponsors their visas, and which family members are on residence permits. With that, we can introduce you to a benefits partner that works with employers on international health coverage for staff outside the US, on top of the local policy the visa requires.

Eligibility, plan choices and pricing are decided by the partner and the insurer. Mithril1 remains your contact for the business insurance side.

A few useful answers

Common questions

Can a US company’s global health plan meet the UAE residence-visa insurance rule?

Not on its own. Federal law, as law-firm guides explain it, requires cover from a CBUAE-licensed insurer, and the residence permit needs a compliant local policy. A global plan can be added on top of that policy.

Does an employer in the UAE have to insure the employee’s spouse and children?

That changes by emirate. In Abu Dhabi the employer or sponsor covers the employee plus one spouse and three children under 18. In Dubai the employer covers the employee, and each dependant is insured by their visa sponsor, usually the employee.

Can expatriate staff join Thiqa or Enaya?

No. Thiqa serves Abu Dhabi nationals and similar groups, and Enaya serves Dubai Government employees and Dubai citizens. Private-sector expatriates are covered by employer-bought private insurance.

Who buys the health policy when a UAE employee is hired through an employer of record?

The EOR, as the legal employer and visa sponsor, usually arranges the mandatory policy along with the work permit and residence visa.

What happens if an employee’s UAE health cover lapses?

The residence permit cannot be issued or renewed without a policy in place, so a lapse holds up visa processing for that employee.

International Health Insurance for Remote Employees in the United Arab Emirates