New to the UAE
Moving to the UAE comes with one piece of admin you cannot skip: health insurance is mandatory for every resident, and no visa is issued or renewed without proof of an active policy. That requirement is just the start. Public healthcare is not open to expats from outside the GCC, the UAE pays no survivor benefits to expat families, and a single private doctor visit can run into the hundreds of dirhams. The covers you put in place across your first year are what stand between you and those costs.
As an independent broker, Nexus is not tied to a single insurer. We compare policies across multiple providers so the cover you arrange fits your budget and your situation, not a sales target. This checklist walks through every policy a new resident should consider, when to arrange it, the documents you will need, and the slip-ups that get claims rejected.
The shortlist
Some of these are required by law, others are strongly recommended because the UAE has no state safety net to fall back on. Knowing which is which stops you from over-insuring on day one and under-insuring where it matters.
Required for your residence visa in all seven emirates. The first thing to confirm, often before you arrive.
Third-party liability is the legal minimum to register a car. Comprehensive cover is the common upgrade.
Your landlord insures the building. Your belongings and liability inside it are on you.
No survivor benefits exist for expat families here. Life cover replaces that missing net.
Your resident health plan usually stops at the UAE border. Travel cover picks up from there.
Often bundled with home contents. Covers accidental harm or damage you cause to others.
Cover 1
Health insurance is a legal requirement for every resident, and since 1 January 2025 the rule applies across all seven emirates for private sector employees and domestic workers, not just Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Your residence visa cannot be issued or renewed without proof of an active, compliant policy. For most employees the employer arranges a group plan, but the detail that catches people out is dependents.
In Dubai, an employer is only obliged to insure the employee, so cover for a spouse, children or parents falls to you. In Abu Dhabi, the employer's obligation extends to dependents. If you are sponsoring family, confirm exactly who your work plan covers before you assume everyone is protected, and arrange separate personal and family health cover for anyone left out.
| Requirement | Dubai | Abu Dhabi | Northern Emirates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer must insure the employee | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Employer must insure dependents | Falls to you | ✓ | Varies |
| Health cover needed for the visa | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lead regulator | DHA | DoH | MOHAP |
The UAE introduced a basic package in 2026 priced at roughly AED 320 per year, valid for two years, covering residents aged 1 to 64, with treatment for chronic and pre-existing conditions and no waiting period. It is a compliance floor, not a comprehensive plan: outpatient limits, hospital networks and maternity benefits are thin. Whether that floor is enough depends on your health, your family and how often you would choose a private hospital over a public one.
Two timing traps are worth flagging early. Pre-existing conditions are often subject to a waiting period of six to twelve months on basic plans, so the policy you pick on arrival shapes what is covered later. And when you change jobs, employer cover typically runs only through your notice period and may extend up to 30 days after you leave.
If you travel home for treatment or want access to premium hospitals, an enhanced or international plan with reimbursement outside the UAE is worth comparing against your group cover rather than assuming the work plan is sufficient.
Cover 2
Every vehicle on UAE roads must carry at least third-party liability cover, governed by the Unified Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy. The RTA will not register or renew a car without it, and driving uninsured is treated as a serious offence: a fine, black points and a vehicle hold are all on the table.
A practical note for new arrivals: you can usually drive on an international permit for about six months, after which you need a UAE licence to keep your policy valid. Bring a no-claims certificate from your previous insurer if you have one, because many UAE insurers will honour the equivalent discount and lower your premium. When you arrange motor insurance, have your Emirates ID, UAE driving licence and vehicle registration card (mulkiya) ready. Because the base liability limits are fixed across all licensed insurers, the real differences between quotes are price, garage networks, add-ons and claims service, which is exactly where comparing across providers pays off.
Cover 3
Renting is the norm for new residents, and it creates a gap people rarely think about. Your landlord insures the building structure. Everything inside it, your furniture, electronics, jewellery and clothing, is your responsibility, and so is the liability if a burst pipe or accident in your flat causes damage to a neighbour.
Contents cover is inexpensive relative to what it protects, and most policies bundle a personal liability element. If you own rather than rent, you can extend to home and contents cover that protects the property itself as well. Either way, take a quick inventory of high-value items when you move in, because that list is what supports a claim later.
Cover 4
Life insurance is not legally required, but the reason it matters here is structural: the UAE pays no survivor benefits, state pension or social safety net to expat families. If you are the main earner, supporting people in the UAE or sending money home, your income disappearing leaves debts, school fees and rent with no backstop.
Most expats start with term cover, which gives the most protection per dirham over a fixed period such as a mortgage term or the years until children are independent. You can buy a locally issued policy, regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE and suited to long-term residents, or an international policy designed to stay with you if you move countries. A useful rule of thumb is to size cover against your debts, income replacement, mortgage and education costs. If you have a UAE mortgage, note that banks often require life cover but the bank-arranged version can be basic and tied to the lender, so an independent life insurance plan is worth comparing for portability and choice of payout currency.
Cover 5
The UAE is a launch pad for regional and long-haul travel, and many residents fly far more often than they expected, including quick trips to Oman or Saudi Arabia by road. The catch is that mandatory resident health plans usually cover treatment inside the UAE only. A medical emergency abroad, a cancelled trip or lost baggage sits outside that cover.
Travel insurance fills the gap, and it is especially relevant for freelancers and remote workers who lack a corporate plan, and for anyone whose weekends involve desert, water or adventure activities that standard policies may exclude. For frequent flyers, an annual multi-trip policy is usually better value than insuring each holiday separately. If you plan to drive across a GCC border, also confirm your motor policy includes that country, as it is not always automatic.
Before you apply
Having these to hand turns a multi-day application into an afternoon. Most insurers ask for some combination of the following.
Get paid when it counts
Spend less, keep cover
Cover is not set and forget
Your first-year setup is a starting point, not a final answer. Revisit your cover whenever life changes shift what you need to protect.
One simple way to stay on top of it all: work to a timeline. Here is the sequence that keeps a new resident compliant and protected, from arrival through to the end of year one.
Confirm your health policy is active and visa-compliant, and check exactly who your employer's plan covers. If you brought a car or bought one, arrange motor cover before registration. Complete the medical fitness test required for your residence visa.
Add health cover for any dependents the work plan leaves out. Take out home contents and personal liability once you have moved in. If you fly often, set up travel insurance. Convert to a UAE driving licence before your international permit window closes.
Put life cover in place sized to your debts, income and dependents, especially if you have taken on a mortgage. Review whether your health plan still fits, and diarise renewal dates for every policy so nothing lapses.
Treat a new job, a new family member, a property purchase or a planned move as a prompt to revisit your cover and keep your insurer's records current.
Common questions
Yes. Health insurance is a legal requirement for every resident, and since 1 January 2025 the rule applies nationwide across all seven emirates for private sector employees and domestic workers. You cannot have a residence visa issued or renewed without proof of an active, compliant policy.
Not always. In Dubai an employer is only required to insure the employee, so cover for a spouse, children or parents is your responsibility. In Abu Dhabi the obligation extends to dependents. Check your specific plan in writing and arrange separate family cover for anyone not included.
Third-party liability is the legal minimum and is required before the RTA will register or renew your vehicle. It pays only for damage and injury you cause to others, not your own car. Comprehensive cover adds protection for your own vehicle, theft, fire and flood, and is the more common choice for newer or higher-value cars.
It is not mandatory, but it fills a real gap. The UAE provides no survivor benefits, state pension or social safety net to expat families. If you are the main earner or carry debts such as a mortgage, life cover replaces the income your dependents would otherwise lose. Term cover is the usual starting point.
Usually not. Mandatory resident health plans typically cover treatment inside the UAE only. For medical emergencies abroad, trip cancellation or lost baggage you need travel insurance. If you travel frequently, an annual multi-trip policy is generally better value than insuring each trip separately.
The most common reason is non-disclosure: something the policyholder did not declare at application. Be fully honest about health history, vehicle details and prior claims, report incidents within the insurer's deadline (often 24 to 48 hours for motor), keep receipts and documents, and read the exclusions before you sign so nothing surprises you at claim time.
For health, employer group cover satisfies the legal requirement, but it can have gaps in dependents, network or benefits, and it usually ends when you change jobs. Many residents keep the work plan and add personal policies to fill the gaps. Comparing options across multiple insurers is the way to see where a personal plan adds value.
An independent broker is not tied to one insurer, so it compares policies across multiple providers and recommends cover that fits your budget and situation rather than a single company's range. Nexus handles quotes and claims across health, motor, home, life and travel, and lets you manage your policies in one place through the client app.
If the list feels like a lot, that is normal in a first year. You can talk it through with an adviser who listens first, maps your situation to the right covers, and compares insurers on your behalf. Quotes are free and there is no obligation.
Dubai: +971 4 323 1111
Abu Dhabi: +971 2 626 66 69
Bahrain: +973 1751 17 77
Qatar: +974 403 18282
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