AI image
UAE · Health insurance · Verified September 20, 2026
Since January 1, 2025, the UAE’s basic health-insurance scheme has extended mandatory employer-funded coverage to private-sector employees and domestic workers in Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain. The basic package is currently priced at AED 320 per year.
Quick answer
- The scheme targets private-sector employees and domestic workers in the five northern emirates listed above.
- The basic package costs AED 320 per year.
- The employer bears the insurance obligation when issuing or renewing the residence permit.
- The policy became a prerequisite for relevant residence issuance or renewal from January 1, 2025.
- Workers with valid permits issued before that date generally become subject to the requirement at renewal.
Who is covered by this scheme?
MOHRE identifies two target groups: private-sector employees and domestic workers in Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain. The scheme is designed to extend mandatory insurance coverage across the emirates that did not already operate under the separate Dubai and Abu Dhabi health-insurance systems.
Who pays?
MOHRE says private-sector employers and domestic-worker employers are responsible for the health-insurance financial obligation when the residence permit is issued or renewed. That means a worker should not treat the AED 320 annual premium as a normal personal fee that must automatically be paid out of pocket.
What does the AED 320 package include?
- Inpatient care: 20% co-payment, capped at AED 500 per visit and AED 1,000 per year; amounts above the annual limit are covered by the insurer under the scheme rules.
- Outpatient care: 25% co-payment, with a maximum of AED 100 per visit.
- Follow-up outpatient visits: MOHRE says no co-payment is required if the follow-up is scheduled within seven days of the first appointment.
- Medicines: the scheme lists a 30% medication co-payment with an annual cap of AED 1,500.
When does the requirement apply to existing workers?
MOHRE says the January 2025 requirement does not immediately replace a valid work-permit arrangement that predates the launch. For those workers, insurance must be purchased when the residence permit is renewed.
How is the policy purchased?
MOHRE lists the designated basic-insurance purchasing website and Business Services and Guidance Centres as purchase channels. In practice, an employee’s employer or domestic-worker sponsor should handle the required policy as part of the relevant residence issuance or renewal workflow.
Five mistakes newcomers should avoid
- Assuming the AED 320 scheme is a Dubai policy. Dubai and Abu Dhabi operate under separate insurance frameworks.
- Paying a third party without checking employer responsibility.
- Assuming “basic” means zero co-payment. The package includes defined co-payments.
- Ignoring permit renewal timing. Older valid permits come into the requirement at renewal.
- Using a social-media benefit table. Check the current MOHRE scheme page because provider networks and implementation details can change.
Official source checked
UAE hub · Living guides · How we research
