Tourist visas with health insurance soon to be a reality in the UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a new project that will help tourists in the country get health insurance as they apply for visas.

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) said the ‘health insurance for tourist visas’ is among its ‘transformative projects’, reported UAE’s English daily Khaleej Times.

The project will help tourists get health insurance while applying for their visas online through the ICP website or app, said a UAE government official.


The project seeks to provide emergency health coverage by automating the health insurance process via an electronic platform. This platform will handle the pricing and issuance of insurance packages from all major insurers in the UAE.

“Having insurance cover for all travellers is an assurance that they will be covered for their hospitalisation in case of an unexpected medical emergency. This also ensures the government and private hospitals in the country that they don’t have to foot the bill for an emergency for visitors,” Ramzi Ghurani, Managing Partner at Petra Insurance Brokers told Khaleej Times.

Industry experts in the UAE also welcomed the move, saying it will lead to “better experience” for tourists and cement UAE’s position as a top vacation destination, as per Khaleej Times.