UAE automates health insurance checks for private sector work permits

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has implemented an automated system to verify health insurance coverage during the work permit application process. Under the new mechanism, the ministry’s digital platform will automatically check for a valid insurance policy that meets minimum coverage requirements before issuing or renewing a permit. Automated verification for private sector The integration links the ministry's systems with health authority databases to ensure compliance with federal and local regulations. By Thursday, 30 July, the digital check became a mandatory gatekeeper in the document submission workflow, preventing the advancement of applications that do not have an active policy registered under the employee’s name. This move shifts the burden of manual verification to a real-time digital handshake between government entities. The trigger for this update is the expansion of mandatory health insurance requirements across the Northern Emirates, bringing them in line with existing frameworks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This federal-level enforcement ensures that all private-sector employees, including domestic workers, have access to essential healthcare services from the first day of their employment. Impact on employers and compliance Employers are now required to secure health insurance before initiating the work permit process to avoid delays. The system checks for "basic coverage" at a minimum, which typically includes emergency…