How much does health card / insurance cost in the GCC? 2026 fees
Mandatory medical fitness, health insurance and health-card files that must clear before any GCC residence is stamped.
Indicative fees, renewal cycles and the issuing authority for all six Gulf states, plus an honest view of whether this is worth filing yourself.
Health Card / Insurance fees across the six GCC states
| Country | Known locally as | Issuing authority | Indicative fee | Renewal cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Arab Emirates | DHA, DOH and MOHAP medical fitness plus mandatory insurance | DHA, DOH, MOHAP, Dubai Health Insurance Corporation | AED 320 to 750 medical fitness; AED 550 to 650 EBP; AED 1,500 to 3,500 standard plan | Annual, aligned with residence visa; mandatory across all emirates from 2025 |
 Saudi Arabia | Medical fitness plus Tameen Sehi (CCHI) | MOH and Council of Cooperative Health Insurance | SAR 300 to 600 medical fitness; SAR 800 to 1,800 Category C; up to SAR 7,000 Category A | Annual, aligned with Iqama on Muqeem |
 Qatar | Medical Commission plus Hamad Health Card and mandatory insurance | MOPH, Hamad Medical Corporation, PHCC | QAR 100 Hamad Health Card; QAR 700 to 1,500 mandatory private cover | Annual, aligned with QID |
 Bahrain | SEHATI national scheme plus medical fitness | Supreme Council of Health, NHRA, LMRA | BHD 22.5 monthly worker contribution; BHD 30 to 70 medical fitness | Monthly contribution; annual fitness on CPR renewal |
 Oman | Dhamani mandatory health insurance plus medical fitness | Capital Markets Authority (Dhamani), MOH | OMR 50 to 150 basic Dhamani; OMR 25 to 40 medical fitness | Annual, aligned with residence card |
 Kuwait | Expat health insurance (Afya) plus medical fitness | Ministry of Health, PACI for Civil ID linkage | KD 50 per year MOH fee; KD 10 to 30 medical fitness | Annual, paid through Sahel before residence renewal |
Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together
A headline fee on its own is misleading. A lower fee renewed every year can cost more across three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Both columns matter.
What you are paying for
The health-card workstream in the GCC bundles three legally distinct files into one operational sequence: a medical fitness test that the immigration system requires before issuing or renewing a residence, a mandatory health insurance policy that funds future care, and a state-issued health card or insurance card that grants access to public and private providers. Skipping any one of them blocks the next step. A medical-fitness fail can void a job offer. An expired insurance policy blocks Iqama or Emirates ID renewal. A missing health card prevents enrolment of children in school and registration with a primary-care clinic. The rules are set by six different regulators and enforced through six different portals, but the operational logic is the same everywhere: test, insure, card, residence.
Each state runs its own institutions. The UAE splits the work between the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH), the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) which operates the Dubai Health Insurance Corporation and the Sheryan licensing system, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) for the northern emirates; the federal Dhamani-style mandate now applies countrywide under the 2025 expansion. Saudi Arabia regulates through the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI), with cover provided by approved insurers and the policy tied to the Iqama file on Muqeem. Qatar uses the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and Hamad Medical Corporation for the Hamad Health Card, alongside the mandatory expat health insurance scheme rolled out under Law No. 22 of 2021. Bahrain runs the SEHATI national scheme under the Supreme Council of Health and the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA). Oman uses Dhamani under the Capital Markets Authority for mandatory private cover. Kuwait runs the Afya scheme through the Ministry of Health with PACI handling the Civil ID layer.
Eligibility is universal: every resident on a work, family, investor or domestic-worker visa is in scope, plus newborns within thirty days of birth and dependants from the day of joining. Some categories have narrower routes: domestic workers are usually covered by the sponsor's household policy under specific tariffs (DHA EBP at AED 550 to 650 in Dubai, CCHI Category C at around SAR 800 to 1,800 in Saudi Arabia, Hamad coverage of QAR 100 plus mandatory private cover in Qatar). Maternity, mental health, dental and chronic care sit in optional or higher-tier modules across all six states; the base mandate covers primary care, emergencies, basic inpatient and a limited drug formulary. Pre-existing conditions are typically excluded for the first six months on Category C and EBP policies, while Category A and the UAE platinum plans treat them from day one.
Should you file it yourself, use a typing centre, or use a desk?
We run a paperwork desk, so treat this as coming from an interested party. It still contains the case for not paying us, because for a clean, simple filing that is the right answer.
Do it yourself
- Cost
- Government fee only
- Time
- Your own hours, plus any counter visit
- Best for
- Straightforward cases where every document is valid and the transaction is available in an app or portal.
- Watch out for
- A rejected submission costs you the resubmission and the wait, and the reason is often not explained.
Typing centre
- Cost
- Government fee plus a service fee per transaction
- Time
- One visit, usually same day if documents are complete
- Best for
- Transactions that still need a correctly formatted submission or original document sighting.
- Watch out for
- Service fees vary widely between centres and are rarely quoted separately from the government fee.
A desk like ours
- Cost
- Fixed fee quoted before we start, plus government fees at cost
- Time
- You send documents once and we handle the sequence
- Best for
- Cases already rejected once, sequences spanning several authorities, or deadlines where the fine exceeds the fee.
- Watch out for
- Not worth paying for a clean, simple filing you could complete in an app in ten minutes.
Decided you want it handled?
We file health card / insurance in all six GCC states
Fixed fee quoted before we start, government fees shown separately at cost. Tell us the country and where you are stuck.
What the process looks like
- 1Book the medical fitness testSchedule the test at a Sheryan, SEHA, Wasel, PHCC, Tabeeb, ROP or KPA Medical centre under the relevant visa category.
- 2Complete the screeningAttend the centre with passport, visa file number and photo; complete blood tests, chest X-ray, clinical exam and category-specific screens.
- 3Collect the medical-fitness certificateThe result is uploaded electronically to the residence file on ICP, Muqeem, MOI Qatar, NPRA, ROP or PACI within 24 to 72 hours.
- 4Pick the insurance tierMatch the worker or family profile to DHA EBP or standard, CCHI Category A, B or C, Qatari mandatory private cover, SEHATI band, Dhamani basic or upgraded, or Afya.
- 5Place the policy with an approved insurerBuy from a CCHI, DHA, DOH, MOPH, NHRA, Dhamani or MOH-listed insurer; pay the premium and receive the policy number.
- 6Link the policy to the residence fileInject the policy number into Muqeem, ICP, GDRFA, Metrash, NPRA, ROP Estimarah or PACI; for Qatar pull the Hamad Health Card on Metrash.
Traps that differ between countries
- UAE: from 1 January 2025 health insurance is mandatory across all emirates, not just Dubai and Abu Dhabi; northern-emirate residents who relied on patchwork cover now need a compliant policy.
- Saudi Arabia: the CCHI Category C minimum benefits were tightened in 2025; old housemaid policies bought before the update may not satisfy Muqeem on renewal.
- Qatar: the Hamad Health Card alone is no longer enough; mandatory private cover under Law No. 22 of 2021 sits on top of it and is checked on QID renewal.
- Bahrain: SEHATI runs as a monthly contributory scheme; a single missed contribution can flag the residence file at NPRA renewal.
- Oman: Dhamani policies sit with a small list of approved insurers; cover bought outside the panel does not register on the ROP Estimarah file and the residence renewal fails.
- Kuwait: the KD 50 Afya fee must be paid through Sahel before residence renewal; insurance from a private employer plan is not a substitute.
Who has to pay this
- Every new resident before first issuance of Iqama, Emirates ID, QID, CPR or Omani residence
- Every renewing resident on the annual or biennial residence cycle
- Dependants on family sponsorship from the day of joining the residence file
- Newborns within thirty days of birth across all six GCC states
- Domestic workers under the sponsor's household policy and tariff
- Investor and Golden Visa holders whose insurance must show on the residence file
What pushes the cost above the headline fee
- Buying the cheapest Category C or EBP policy with low annual limits and being exposed on a single hospital admission
- Forgetting to add a newborn within the thirty-day window and paying a top-up plus a residence delay
- Assuming maternity cover is included when it sits in an optional module with a 10 to 12 month waiting period
- Missing a SEHATI monthly contribution in Bahrain and triggering an NPRA flag at residence renewal
- Buying a Dhamani-look-alike policy from an insurer not on the Capital Markets Authority panel
- Letting a CCHI policy lapse mid-Iqama cycle so that Muqeem blocks the next renewal
Health Card / Insurance by country
United Arab EmiratesDHA, DOH and MOHAP medical fitness plus mandatory insuranceSaudi ArabiaMedical fitness plus Tameen Sehi (CCHI)QatarMedical Commission plus Hamad Health Card and mandatory insuranceBahrainSEHATI national scheme plus medical fitnessOmanDhamani mandatory health insurance plus medical fitnessKuwaitExpat health insurance (Afya) plus medical fitnessCosts you will hit at the same time
Guides that go deeper
Frequently asked questions
It varies substantially by country because each state sets its own schedule. United Arab Emirates: AED 320 to 750 medical fitness; AED 550 to 650 EBP; AED 1,500 to 3,500 standard plan. Saudi Arabia: SAR 300 to 600 medical fitness; SAR 800 to 1,800 Category C; up to SAR 7,000 Category A. Qatar: QAR 100 Hamad Health Card; QAR 700 to 1,500 mandatory private cover. The table on this page lists all six. Treat every figure as indicative and confirm with the issuing authority before paying, since fees change.
Not always, and we would rather say so. If your documents are valid and the transaction is available in an app, file it yourself. Paying a service fee makes sense when a submission has already been rejected without explanation, when several authorities are involved in sequence, or when a deadline fine would exceed the fee.
Comparing headline fees alone is misleading, because renewal cycles differ between states. A lower fee renewed annually can cost more over three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together, both of which are in the table on this page.
Because the government fee is only one line. Typing or service centre fees, urgent processing surcharges, delivery, medical tests, insurance and translation are charged separately, and providers bundle them differently. Ask for the government fee and the service fee split out before agreeing to anything.
They are indicative planning figures drawn from the issuing authorities and consistent public sources, and they are dated. Government fees change without much notice and free zone schedules are set independently. Always confirm the current amount with the issuing authority before you pay.
The consequences depend on the diagnosis. Blood-borne diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B or active tuberculosis are deportable conditions in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait, and they trigger residence refusal. The UAE and Qatar treat HIV and hepatitis B as deportable for new visas but increasingly allow treatment for existing residents under MOHAP and MOPH protocols. Active pregnancy is not a fail. Other conditions (controlled hepatitis, latent tuberculosis) may be cleared through a medical-review committee. Wathim coordinates the appeal where the law allows and the alternative routes where it does not.
Each dependant on the residence file needs an individual policy linked to the file. In the UAE the sponsor pays for dependants under federal law from 2025, and Dubai fines AED 500 per month per uninsured dependant. In Saudi Arabia the CCHI rules require the sponsor to insure spouse and minor children. Qatar's Law No. 22 of 2021 extended the mandate to all dependants. Bahrain's SEHATI covers family at a tiered contribution. Oman's Dhamani requires a separate dependant policy. Kuwait charges KD 50 per dependant per year through Sahel.
Dhamani (Oman) is a private-sector mandatory cover regulated by the Capital Markets Authority with a small panel of approved insurers. CCHI (Saudi Arabia) is the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance, a regulator licensing dozens of insurers across Categories A, B and C. SEHATI (Bahrain) is a state-run contributory scheme under the Supreme Council of Health with optional private top-up. Afya (Kuwait) is the MOH expat insurance scheme with a flat KD 50 fee. The UAE runs three regional frameworks (DHA, DOH, MOHAP) now unified under the 2025 federal mandate. Qatar pairs the Hamad Health Card with mandatory private cover.
The most common reasons are a policy bought from an insurer not licensed by the local regulator (CCHI, DHA, DOH, NHRA, Dhamani panel or MOPH), a policy whose benefit schedule falls below the Category C, EBP or SEHATI minimum, a policy whose start date is later than the residence renewal date, or a policy whose holder name or visa file number does not match the Muqeem, ICP, GDRFA, Metrash, NPRA, ROP or PACI record. Domestic-worker policies bought before the 2025 CCHI Category C update sometimes fall short. Re-issue with the right insurer and tier.
Want health card / insurance handled without the counter?
We quote a fixed fee before we start, with government fees shown separately at cost. If your case is simple enough to do yourself, we will tell you that instead.