What You Need to Know About Choosing Health Insurance for Dependents
Getting your health insurance sorted is key to a healthier life. But you don’t want to focus only on your insurance, especially if you have dependents living with you. It’s important to ensure everyone in your household is covered. But the best way to do that can depend on your individual circumstances.
If you are living in the Gulf region, then you have a lot of opportunities available to you. Whether you moved to the United Arab Emirates for work or leisure doesn’t matter – you will still need proper health insurance to make your stay successful and healthy.
But health insurance rules and regulations can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. While anyone who lives in the country with a valid Visa needs insurance, how you deal with dependants can differ.
Here’s a quick guide to everything you should know to ensure you choose the best health insurance for dependants in UAE.
Table of Contents
What are the different rules across the region?
Let’s first cover the basics in terms of how health insurance works in different parts of the region. There are slight differences in what you need to do in regards to dependants, depending on where you live.
In the Emirate of Dubai, employers need to provide health insurance to each employee. But the responsibility to cover people only applies to employees and not their dependant.
This differs slightly from the rules in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. There employers are required to cover not only the employee but also their dependents up to the 3rd child. From 4th child onwards, employees would have to ensure the dependants are covered.
Furthermore, if you happen to live in the Emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, then you need to know that your employers have no legal requirement to provide you with health insurance. You need to have health insurance but it is important that you pay for it yourself.
