Healthcare insurance United Arab Emirates

The UAE has a mix of a government-funded healthcare system and a growing high-quality private healthcare system. Healthcare is partially regulated centrally and partly by the individual emirates, such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 

The UAE combines public healthcare (for Emiratis) with a comprehensive private system. Expats almost always use private care. This is often provided in modern private clinics with English-speaking doctors.

• Public care: Free to UAE residents (for Emiratis) 
• Private care: Fast-growing and used by almost all expats. In modern private clinics, where you’ll usually find English-speaking doctors 
• Facilities & costs: Medical care in the UAE is of high quality, but also more expensive than in the Netherlands. You can often see a specialist or go to hospital immediately without a referral. However, you also pay a lot for a consultation or treatment 

Health insurance is mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, the employer often also arranges cover for your family. In Dubai, you usually have to arrange this yourself. 

• If you work for a company, your employer must arrange health insurance for you and possibly for your family 
• If you’re an entrepreneur, are unemployed or are arranging insurance yourself, packages are often limited and extensive cover is very expensive 

Local insurance often has minimum cover. It’s good that in Dubai and the other United Arab Emirates healthcare is of high quality, but this is expensive. Standard treatment or consultation will cost you much more than in the Netherlands. 

With international healthcare insurance, such as OOM Living Abroad insurance or OOM Temporary Residence Abroad insurance, you can avoid high costs and also insure yourself for care not covered by the local policy. With supplementary insurance, you also have wider choice of hospitals and private clinics. This means you can choose the care and clinic you prefer. 

• Healthcare costs are high: Without proper cover, you may need to cover much of the cost yourself. Having good healthcare insurance in Dubai and the other emirates is a necessity if you don't want to face extra costs
• Rules vary in each emirate: Check carefully what applies in the emirate where you’re staying
• Medication: Pharmacies do not usually accept foreign prescriptions. Many medicines are freely available
• If you take any sleep medication, painkillers or antidepressants, you need to be aware that these are highly regulated in the UAE. Always provide a doctor's certificate and an official prescription. Without the right papers, you may face severe penalties
  
  

More information about healthcare in the UAE

• Ministry of Health Abu Dhabi
• Embassy of the UAE

If you remain registered in the Netherlands, your Dutch national health insurance will cover emergency care anywhere in the world up to a maximum of the cost in the Netherlands. Dutch national health insurance generally doesn’t reimburse the cost of repatriation or evacuation in the case of illness or an accident.  If you’re no longer registered in the Netherlands, you’re no longer entitled to Dutch national health insurance and you must arrange your own insurance.  

Healthcare in United Arab Emirates can be quite different to what you’re used to in the Netherlands. Not every country has national health insurance, there may be strict rules and waiting times may apply. Healthcare costs can also be much higher than in the Netherlands. Without proper cover, this can leave you with unexpectedly high bills. 

With OOM, you don't have to worry. We’ll make sure everything is properly taken care of. 

We’re here for people with extraordinary stories, who want to be well insured. We always offer a solution that will suit your situation during your stay in United Arab Emirates. 

Our healthcare insurance gives you certainty when Dutch national health insurance no longer applies or doesn’t provide sufficient cover. Your OOM insurance can also serve as a supplement to local insurance in United Arab Emirates. Providing you with proper cover for costs outside your local policy. This is especially important in a country where the rules are different to in the Netherlands, or healthcare costs can be unexpectedly high. 

With OOM Healthcare insurance you can: 

• Insure yourself while staying abroad: If your Dutch national health insurance expires and you can’t or don’t want to use the local healthcare system, our international healthcare insurance provides you with the certainty you’re looking for
• Insure yourself while you wait for your local insurance to come through
• Get additional insurance if your Dutch national health insurance or local public insurance are not enough

OOM's insurance is for anyone who wants to be properly insured in United Arab Emirates. Whether you’re only staying abroad temporarily or permanently emigrating. Our solutions suit different situations, such as: 

• Expats and entrepreneurs going to United Arab Emirates for work, or who need insurance to be able to register locally
• Dutch nationals who do not have, or who are no longer entitled to Dutch national health insurance 
• Students and travellers temporarily staying in United Arab Emirates
• Emigrants permanently settling in United Arab Emirates
• Backpackers or global travellers who want to avoid unexpected costs during their adventure in United Arab Emirates

OOM provides worldwide cover and helps you avoid unexpected bills. This is reassuring in a country where healthcare is regulated differently than in the Netherlands. 

Choosing OOM means choosing certainty that travels with you. Wherever you are in the world:

• Worldwide cover: Including if you visit the Netherlands or travel while living abroad
• Always available: Our Assistance Centre is available 24/7
• Tailor-made: You choose the cover that best suits your situation
• Extra certainty: Supplement your insurance easily with additional options, such as household contents, personal accident or liability insurance

With OOM you can arrange your own healthcare insurance quickly and effectively. Helping you focus on your plans in United Arab Emirates, without unexpected worries.

Do you want to start your adventure without worry? You can calculate your premium easily online and apply for your insurance immediately. If you’ve any questions, our team will be happy to help you.

If you are staying in the Middle East, check the latest information at www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/crisis/midden-oosten (only in Dutch).

Always check the current travel advice of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs by visiting Netherlands Worldwide (only in Dutch).