UAE Health Insurance: Daman, Thiqa, DHIP, and Mandatory Cover

Health insurance in the UAE is not a single national scheme — it is a patchwork of emirate-level mandates, employer obligations, and a federal regulator that moved into the Central Bank of the UAE in 2020. This article explains who must hold cover, what mandatory plans pay for, how Daman, Thiqa and the Dubai Health Insurance Programme (DHIP) fit together, and what to verify on an offer letter before signing. The prices quoted here are the official ones for the minimum plans (Dubai's Essential Benefits Plan band, Daman's Abu Dhabi Basic plan rates and the federal basic package); above those, each insurer sets its own premium, which depends on age, network tier, maternity riders and pre-existing-condition history. For wider context on regulators and networks, see the UAE healthcare guide hub.

At a Glance

Mandatory Insurance — A Per-Emirate Patchwork

The UAE has no single federal health insurance law. Abu Dhabi and Dubai set their own rules through their health authorities, a Cabinet decision has extended mandatory cover for private-sector employees and domestic workers to the other five emirates since 1 January 2025, and the federal Central Bank regulates insurers as financial institutions. A Dubai-based employee, an Abu Dhabi-based employee and a Ras Al Khaimah-based employee can therefore hold policies built on different legal bases.

Abu Dhabi was first: Law No. 23 of 2005, administered by the Department of Health (DOH), made cover compulsory for expatriate residents and their families, phased in from 1 July 2006 and covering every category from 1 January 2007. Dubai followed in 2014 under the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), with the DHIP phased in by employer size between 2014 and 2016. Since 1 January 2025, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah have applied the federal scheme, under which employers must insure private-sector employees and domestic workers. For the wider regulator map, see the guide to UAE health regulators.

Practically, the rules follow the residence visa: Dubai's law covers residents whose residence permit was issued in Dubai, wherever they live (Law No. 11 of 2013, Art. 2), and Abu Dhabi's covers expatriates residing in Abu Dhabi and their families (Law No. 23 of 2005, Art. 4). In both, the employer insures its own employees.

Abu Dhabi: Daman, Thiqa, and the Basic Plan

Abu Dhabi's system is anchored by Daman — The National Insurance Company – Daman since May 2025, formerly the National Health Insurance Company, and a subsidiary of PureHealth — the insurer for Abu Dhabi public schemes. Daman administers the Thiqa programme, which provides full medical coverage for UAE nationals registered in Abu Dhabi at a wide network of public and private facilities. Thiqa is funded by the Abu Dhabi government; eligible nationals do not pay a premium.

For expatriate workers earning AED 5,000/month or less (AED 4,000 if accommodation is provided) and their dependants, the minimum product is the Basic Plan, a low-cost product the employer must purchase. It covers in-patient and out-patient treatment within a defined network; Daman's rates from 1 July 2024 add a mandatory maternity premium of AED 750 a year for married women aged 18-50. Employees above the salary threshold receive mid-tier or premium plans, again paid by the employer. Whatever the plan, the employer must also insure the employee's wife and up to three children under 18 (Law No. 23 of 2005, Art. 5), although DOH's 2016 rules make workers on the Basic Plan pay half of their dependants' premium; sponsors arrange cover for anyone else they sponsor, such as parents. DOH licenses several private insurers to underwrite enhanced products, but Daman holds the public-scheme role.

What Thiqa Covers

Thiqa covers in-patient, out-patient, emergency, maternity, chronic disease management and a defined formulary of prescribed medication. Non-emergency treatment outside the UAE is not covered unless the member buys Daman's Musafer travel cover.

Dubai: DHIP and the Essential Benefits Plan

Dubai's framework is the Dubai Health Insurance Programme, set by Law No. 11 of 2013 and in force since 2014, which requires every Dubai resident to hold a minimum level of cover. The employer must pay the employee's premium and may not charge it to the employee (Art. 10); the visa sponsor — usually the employee, sometimes the employer — is responsible for dependants (Art. 11). Breaking the law is punishable by a fine of AED 500 to AED 150,000 (Art. 23).

The minimum-cover product under DHIP is the Essential Benefits Plan (EBP), designed for workers earning AED 4,000/month or less and the minimum standard for any Dubai policy. DHA set its price band at AED 550-750 per member a year plus VAT from 1 January 2025, and its list of participating insurers (March 2026) gives index rates of AED 643-826 a year including VAT and the Basmah fee. The plan covers basic in-patient treatment, out-patient consultations, emergency treatment, maternity (with conditions), and a defined drug list. Network access is restricted, copayments apply, and annual claim caps are lower than mid-tier expat plans.

Above EBP, the Dubai market sells tiered products, each priced by the insurer: a mid-tier individual plan typically widens the hospital network, with specialist coverage subject to referral. Premium-tier products from international insurers (Cigna Global, Bupa Global, AXA International among others) typically include international coverage, evacuation, and treatment in destinations such as the UK, India and Egypt. For where these plans actually get used, see the overview of UAE hospitals and networks.

Sharjah and the Northern Emirates

Since 1 January 2025, a Cabinet decision has made health insurance mandatory for private-sector employees and domestic workers in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah: the employer must buy a policy as a condition of issuing or renewing the worker's residence permit. MOHRE says the rule does not apply to workers with valid work permits issued before 1 January 2025 until their residence permits are next renewed. MOHRE's basic package costs AED 320 a year and is sold as a two-year policy for ages 1 to 64 (over-64s must complete a medical disclosure form and attach recent medical reports); MOHRE says it does not cover pregnancy or childbirth. The Sharjah Health Authority's own scheme covers Sharjah's UAE nationals.

Self-employed expatriates and freelancers often buy individual plans on the open market, priced by each insurer and higher if maternity or international coverage is added.

Holders of a Dubai or Abu Dhabi residence visa must show proof of insurance whenever the visa is issued or renewed, wherever they live. A Ras Al Khaimah resident with a Dubai visa stamp will still need a DHIP-compliant policy.

What Mandatory Cover Actually Includes

Mandatory plans across the UAE share a common shape, although caps differ by emirate and tier.

• In-patient — hospital admission, surgery, intensive care, diagnostic imaging, with annual caps that vary by tier (EBP caps are markedly lower than mid-tier plans).
• Out-patient — GP consultations, specialist visits (often subject to referral), basic diagnostics, with copayments per visit.
• Emergency care — covered at network and non-network facilities for genuine emergencies, with retrospective claims for non-network admissions.
• Maternity — antenatal, delivery and postnatal care. In Dubai the EBP, the minimum for every policy, includes eight antenatal visits, three scans and up to AED 10,000 for a delivery, with 10% coinsurance; whether a waiting period applies depends on the policy, so ask the insurer in writing. The federal basic package does not cover pregnancy or childbirth. Riders for higher antenatal limits or private rooms are common. See the UAE maternity care guide and the family maternity walkthrough.
• Prescribed medication — within a formulary; on the minimum plans the insured pays up to 30% of each prescription (Dubai's EBP covers up to AED 2,500 of drugs a year from 2025).
• Pre-existing conditions — in Dubai a policy may exclude them for six months at most, and only in a person's first UAE scheme (Implementing Bylaw of Law No. 11 of 2013, Art. 20); the federal basic package covers them with no waiting period. Disclosure is mandatory; non-disclosure can void cover.
• Network restrictions — every plan has a tiered network. Going outside it triggers higher copayments or full self-pay.

Common exclusions include cosmetic procedures, fertility treatment unless a rider is added, advanced dental beyond emergency extractions, experimental treatment, and self-inflicted injury. Optical cover is typically a small annual allowance, not a full eye-care benefit.

Dependants and Family Cover

In Dubai, the employer's mandatory obligation covers the employee only. The visa sponsor — usually the employee — must arrange and pay cover for spouse, children and any sponsored parents; some employers extend dependant cover as a benefit, but Dubai's law does not require it. Abu Dhabi's law goes further: the employer must also insure the employee's wife and up to three children under 18 (Law No. 23 of 2005, Art. 5), although DOH's 2016 rules make workers on the Basic Plan pay half of their dependants' premium, and the sponsor covers anyone else, such as parents.

Dependant cover is bought as a separate policy or a family rider. Costs scale with age — a young child is cheap to insure, a parent in their 60s is not. On Daman's Abu Dhabi Basic plan from 1 July 2024, a sponsored parent aged 60 or over costs AED 18,072 a year before VAT; above the minimum plans, each insurer sets its own rates.

Insurance is also a precondition of sponsorship in Dubai and Abu Dhabi: a valid policy must be produced whenever a dependant's residence visa is issued or renewed (Dubai Law No. 11 of 2013, Art. 11; Abu Dhabi Law No. 23 of 2005, Art. 5). See the family sponsorship guide for the visa side, and paediatric care for dependants for what cover buys for children.

Employer Obligations and What to Check on Your Offer Letter

Before signing an offer letter, the insurance section is one of the highest-impact items to read carefully. Mandatory cover is the legal floor, not the ceiling, and the gap between a basic compliant plan and a useful one is large.

1. Step 1 — Check whether the cover is the Essential Benefits Plan or a higher tier. EBP is compliant in Dubai but has tight caps and a narrow network; mid-tier is what most professional roles offer.
2. Step 2 — Confirm whether dependants are included in the employer's plan or whether you must buy and pay separately (in Abu Dhabi the employer must cover the employee's wife and up to three children under 18).
3. Step 3 — Look for the network tier. "Network A" or equivalent typically includes the major private hospitals; lower tiers exclude flagship facilities.
4. Step 4 — Check the maternity benefit, the waiting period, and whether antenatal scans and delivery in a private room are within or outside cap.
5. Step 5 — Confirm the geographic scope — UAE-only, GCC, Worldwide-excluding-USA, or Worldwide. Premium international plans cost materially more but matter for repatriation.
6. Step 6 — Note what happens at termination. In Dubai, the employer must keep you covered for 30 days after your residence visa is cancelled, or until you leave the UAE if that comes first (Implementing Bylaw of Law No. 11 of 2013, Art. 26); elsewhere, check the policy's end date.

The cost of a full medical plan is one of the larger fixed lines in an expatriate household budget; see the cost-of-living guide for how it slots against rent, schooling and transport.

Claims, Networks, and What Goes Wrong

Most UAE policies use a direct-billing network model. The patient presents the insurance card with the Emirates ID at a network facility, the facility submits the claim to the insurer (often via an administrator such as MedNet or NextCare), and the patient pays only the copayment. Out-of-network or self-paid treatment uses a reimbursement claim — the patient pays, then submits original invoices, prescriptions and the insurer's claim form within the window the policy states. Reimbursement runs at network rates, so out-of-network costs are routinely under-reimbursed.

Common Friction Points

• Pre-authorisation refusals — elective procedures, MRI scans and some specialist consultations require pre-authorisation. Refusals can be challenged with additional documentation from the treating doctor.
• Pre-existing disputes — insurers may classify a condition as pre-existing based on prior records. Disclose at application.
• Network changes mid-policy — insurers update networks during the policy year. Confirm the current list before each major treatment.
• Direct-billing limits — some procedures over a defined cap are paid by the patient and reimbursed afterward, even at network facilities.
• Maternity timing — cover for a pregnancy that began before the policy or rider start date depends on the policy and the emirate's rules; confirm it in writing before relying on it.

If a dispute does not resolve with the insurer, the regulator route depends on the issue. Clinical disputes sit with the DHA or DOH. A complaint about a health insurer — non-payment, mis-selling, contract terms — can go to the emirate's health insurance regulator (in Dubai through the Dubai Health Insurance Corporation's iPROMeS platform; in Abu Dhabi to the DOH) or to the Central Bank of the UAE, which absorbed the former Insurance Authority in 2020 and takes insurance complaints.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is health insurance mandatory in the UAE?

It depends on the emirate. Cover has been mandatory for expatriate residents of Abu Dhabi and their families since 2007 and for all Dubai residents since 2014. Since 1 January 2025, employers in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah must also insure private-sector employees and domestic workers when their residence permits are issued or renewed. A Dubai or Abu Dhabi visa brings that emirate's rules with it wherever you live.

What's the difference between Daman and Thiqa?

Daman — The National Insurance Company – Daman since May 2025, formerly the National Health Insurance Company — is an Abu Dhabi insurer and a subsidiary of PureHealth. Thiqa is a programme administered by Daman that provides full medical coverage to UAE nationals registered in Abu Dhabi. UAE nationals do not pay a premium for Thiqa; the Abu Dhabi government funds it.

Who has to cover my family — me or my employer?

In Dubai, the employer must cover the employee and the visa sponsor must cover the dependants: in most cases the employee is the sponsor, so the employee pays for spouse, children and any sponsored parents, unless the employer extends cover as a benefit. In Abu Dhabi, the employer must also insure the employee's wife and up to three children under 18 (DOH's 2016 rules make Basic Plan workers pay half of that premium), and the sponsor covers anyone else, such as parents.

What does the Essential Benefits Plan cover in Dubai?

The Essential Benefits Plan is Dubai's mandatory minimum-cover product for workers earning AED 4,000/month or less, and the minimum standard for any Dubai policy. DHA's list of participating insurers (March 2026) gives index rates of AED 643-826 a year including VAT and the Basmah fee. It covers basic in-patient treatment, out-patient consultations, emergency care, maternity (eight antenatal visits, three scans and up to AED 10,000 for a delivery), and a defined drug formulary, with a restricted network and lower annual caps than mid-tier plans.

Are pre-existing conditions covered?

In Dubai, yes: a policy may exclude a pre-existing condition for six months at most, and only in a person's first UAE scheme, and an emergency is covered even within those six months. The federal basic package covers chronic conditions with no waiting period; elsewhere, check the policy. The condition must be disclosed on the application form; non-disclosure can void cover later. Once any waiting period ends, treatment for the condition is covered like any other claim, subject to the policy's caps and exclusions.

Is maternity included?

In Dubai, maternity is part of the Essential Benefits Plan, the minimum for every policy: eight antenatal visits, three scans and up to AED 10,000 for a delivery. Abu Dhabi's Basic Plan includes maternity care too, with a mandatory maternity premium for married women aged 18-50. Whether a waiting period applies, and how a pregnancy that began before the policy is treated, depends on the policy: confirm both in writing. The federal basic package in the other emirates does not cover pregnancy or childbirth. Higher-tier plans add antenatal scans, private rooms, and elective C-section options, often via a paid rider.

What happens if I lose my job — does my insurance stop?

In Dubai, the employer must keep you covered for 30 days after your residence visa is cancelled, or until you leave the UAE if that comes first (Implementing Bylaw of Law No. 11 of 2013, Art. 26); elsewhere, check when the group policy ends. After that, you must either join a new employer's plan or buy an individual policy. Dubai's law requires an employer to keep its employees insured throughout their service and a sponsor to keep the people it sponsors insured throughout their residence, and fines breaches AED 500 to AED 150,000 (Law No. 11 of 2013, Arts 10, 11 and 23); Abu Dhabi fines an employer or sponsor who fails to insure or renew at least AED 300 a month for each person (Law No. 23 of 2005, Art. 24); and the next visa issue or renewal requires proof of cover.

Can I buy private insurance even if my employer covers me?

Yes. Many residents top up an employer plan with an individual or international policy to extend the network, raise annual caps, add maternity benefit, or include evacuation and treatment abroad. The two policies do not stack on the same claim — the primary policy pays first and the secondary tops up the unpaid balance up to its own limits.

Who regulates health insurers in the UAE?

The Central Bank of the UAE licenses and supervises insurers — solvency, contract terms, mis-selling — having absorbed the former Insurance Authority in 2020. Health insurance is also regulated by each emirate: in Dubai, the Dubai Health Insurance Corporation (a corporation of the DHA) authorises health insurers, brokers and claims administrators and registers their plans; in Abu Dhabi, the DOH licenses health insurers. The clinical side — what a licensed hospital or clinic does, and disputes about treatment — sits with the emirate health authority: DHA in Dubai, DOH in Abu Dhabi, MOHAP at federal level for the northern emirates.