How to get Health Insurance without a Job in the UAE?

The above plans and premiums are for AED 1,000,000 Sum insured for 1 Adult of 30 Years for Dubai city.

Health insurance is one of the mandatory pillars when it comes to your residency in the UAE. Just like you must have a valid resident’s visa in order to live in the UAE, you also need a valid and active health insurance plan at all times. The mandatory status of health insurance for residents in the UAE is a well-thought decision taken to protect the health interests of the residents. The private healthcare system is the most accessible healthcare system for UAE residents. Without health insurance plans to support you with the finances, it can become rather expensive to bear the cost of even basic healthcare services. But to get a health insurance plan, you must have a steady income source with documented proof. But what if you lose your job? Do you still get to have a health insurance plan? What are some ways you can have health insurance cover even without a job? However, there can be a certain age and another job? Let’s figure how to get health insurance without a job in the UAE.

Is it Possible to Get Health Insurance Without a Job?

Surprisingly, the answer to this question is ‘yes’. Even though having a steady income is a prerequisite for buying an individual health insurance plan anywhere, there are a few ways you can get it without having a job. However, there can be certain age-related and other kinds of limitations on these arrangements. But there certainly are ways one can find a suitable health insurance plan in the UAE even without a job.

How Do I Get Health Insurance Without a Job?

Getting medical insurance is a game of responsibility first and foremost. If you have someone who is legally responsible to take care of you, you can rely on that person to get you a proper health insurance plan. Following are some of the ways you can get health insurance after losing your regular job:

Find a Sponsor

The best way to get health insurance after you have lost your regular job is by finding a sponsor to support you legally. UAE health insurance and visa rules state that a sponsor is required to provide proper health insurance coverage for their dependents at all times. There are several essential benefits plans available to be taken out for dependents. Your sponsor can choose to take one of these plans temporarily while you find yourself a new job. Sponsorship can come in several ways. Let’s discuss some of the ways you can find sponsorship in the UAE:

Can Parents Sponsor You?

The most common sponsors in the UAE are your parents. They are your first sponsors until you complete your studies and get a job. Daughters can be sponsored by parents for as long as it is needed. If the daughter is employed, she can get health insurance herself or from her employer, the sponsorship ends. However, it can begin at any given again. The old UAE rules state that sons can be sponsored until they are 18 years or 21 years old if they are still studying. However, a huge amendment has been introduced in this rule recently in September 2021. Now, parents with green visa can sponsor their sons up to the age of 25 years if they are not working.

Can Your Spouse Sponsor You?

Your spouse is the person you rely on after your parents. Husbands can sponsor their non-working wives at any given point with zero restrictions. If the wife in question was independent but has lost her job, she can seek temporary or permanent sponsorship by her husband while she finds a job. If the husband is unable to work due to an illness or disability or has lost his job for any reason whatsoever, the wife can step in and become his sponsor as well as their children’s. Basically, spouses can sponsor each other in the UAE when it comes to resident’s visas. You will need to submit a little bit of paperwork for the transfer of sponsorship but the process is fairly easy.

Can Your Children Sponsor You?

The last resort to find sponsorship in your immediate family is your children. If children are working in the UAE and are independent, they can support their non-working or retired parents. Whether it is for the time because you are in-between jobs or permanently, children can be your sponsors in every possible scenario.

Sponsorship by Your Second-Degree Relatives

Sponsorship in the UAE is generally limited to the immediate family. However, your send-degree relatives may be allowed to sponsor you as well. This can include second cousins, aunts, uncles and other relatives on a similar level. However, you may not be able to maintain your resident’s visa on a second-degree relative sponsorship. Second-level relatives can only offer sponsorship for a visiting visa. So, you may want to consider this fact.

What Are Some Other Options?

Scoring a temporary job right away can be a good solution to this problem of getting health insurance if sponsorship doesn’t work out. DHA has regularized an essential benefits plan for people with less than AED 4000 salary per month. Your employer will be responsible to get you the health insurance in this case. You can try and score some freelance gigs or contracted work while you look out for a more permanent job on the sidelines. Small or big, a job or a small business is going to be a prerequisite when it comes to getting a health insurance plan in the UAE without sponsors. So, make sure that you figure out at least one of these two options.

Conclusion

Losing the job is a reality that all of us face at some point or another in life. You may have to quit your job for inevitable reasons. This is why a loophole for the mandatory health insurance requirement has to be there in order to allow you some time and get back in the game with full spirit. You can also use the extended time and benefits of your employer-provided health insurance here. Some employers continue the benefits until the end of the month after an employee leaves their job. Others may even continue these benefits till the end of the year. Talk to the HR rep of your company and figure this particular thing out in the very beginning so that you can always have a backup. Whichever of these methods you choose to go with, make sure that it is concrete enough to allow you some time to get another job and settle down once again.