- Who is insured: only you or also your dependants?
- Where does the cover apply: only in the Emirates or also when travelling and in Germany?
- What happens if your situation changes, for example when changing jobs, with your own company or in retirement?
Two levels that are easily mixed up
Level 1
What Dubai requires
Which health insurance must be proven for your residence permit, who takes it out and who pays for it depends on visa, employer and emirate. These requirements can change. We check them against current official sources instead of deriving them from personal accounts.
Level 2
What your life requires
Trips in the region, visits to Germany, a possible next location, treatment where you want it: no local requirement answers these questions; they belong in your personal plan.
Only a policy from an insurer licensed in the UAE and recognised by the emirate’s health authority meets Level 1. Whether anything additional makes sense for Level 2 depends on your plan.
The timeline: what comes up when
Before the move
Proof and transition
- Which proof does your visa process need, and by when?
- What happens to your German health insurance: end, pause or continue? More under German private health insurance (PKV) when emigrating (German).
- How are you covered in the time between departure and your new cover?
The first weeks
Employer and dependants
- Does your employer provide insurance? If so: who does it cover, where does it apply, and what applies if you change jobs?
- Are your partner and children included, or do they need their own cover? More under Family abroad.
Arrived
Everyday life and travel
- Once you have arrived: which practices and hospitals do you want to use, and how do you settle the bill?
- Is your cover enough for trips in the region and for visits to Germany?
The next stop
Moving on or returning
- Is Dubai your destination or a stage? If another move is realistic, this question belongs in the conversation early.
- What applies if you return to Germany?
If your employer provides insurance
Insurance through your employer is a starting point, but not automatically the whole answer. Three questions help put it in context. Your employer’s policy with an insurer licensed in the UAE meets the requirement; an international policy does not replace it.
- Who is insured: only you or also your dependants?
- Where does the cover apply: only in the Emirates or also when travelling and in Germany?
- What happens if your situation changes, for example when changing jobs, with your own company or in retirement?
Self-employed or with your own company?
If you set up a company in Dubai or work freelance, the question of who provides which proof belongs early in your planning. The requirement is met by an insurer licensed in the UAE.
Related topics
Frequently asked questions
Does insurance automatically meet the visa requirements?
This page gives no visa or approval guarantee. Requirements can differ by residence status, emirate and point in time and must be checked in each individual case.
Can I simply choose worldwide cover?
Areas of cover and terms depend on the plan. Whether a worldwide area of cover makes sense for you depends on your travel profile and your next stops. A blanket answer would not be reliable.
I am moving and already have insurance. Which questions help me put it in context?
Three questions help: who is insured, where does the cover apply, and what happens if your situation changes, for example when changing jobs, with your own company or in retirement? The answers are in the terms of your contract. Switching is not automatically better.
This page provides orientation and does not replace individual advice. The law, your contract terms and the competent authorities are binding.
