Health insurance for visiting Qatar from the UAE

Do you need health insurance to visit Qatar?

It depends on how you enter. Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) ties its visitor insurance rule to the visa you hold. All the Qatari pages are undated, so the rules below are as shown on 4 November 2026.¹

• Visa needed before you travel. Yes. A visitor visa is not granted until you have bought a policy.¹
• Visa on arrival. The sources conflict. MOPH’s scheme page and FAQ exempt you for the first 30 days and require a policy to stay longer. The FAQ also opens by saying insurance is mandatory for visitors, and the Ministry of Interior (MOI) lists compulsory health insurance.²³
• UAE passport. UAE and other GCC nationals do not need a visa.⁴ MOPH’s rule refers to visitors on prior and on-arrival visas, and GCC nationals hold neither. It does not say whether they need cover.
• GCC Resident Visa (Hayya A2), for UAE residents. The Hayya list of A2 requirements has no insurance line. MOPH does not say whether the A2 counts as a visa issued before travel.⁵
• Transit. The rule does not apply to transit passengers or temporary entry travellers. Temporary entry travellers are not defined.¹

If your route is not settled above, call MOPH on helpline 16000, extension 1, before you travel.

Qatar’s basic visitor policy

MOPH sets the limits of the Mandatory Visitors’ Health Insurance policy sold by companies registered with it. It pays up to QAR 150,000 for emergency and accident care with no deductible or copayment, and is limited to Qatar.¹ MOPH’s scheme page gives the price as QAR 50 a month, and its FAQ as QAR 50 for 30 days, with other visas varying by duration and type.¹²

The MOPH FAQ adds these terms:²

• The shortest policy is 30 days.
• Premiums are not refunded if you stay less than the visa period.
• You need a new policy to extend your stay beyond 30 days.
• On a single-entry visa the policy ends when you leave Qatar.
• Cover starts when you enter Qatar. It does not extend to the GCC or other countries, or to emergencies while travelling.
• Healthcare providers must give emergency care without asking you to settle the bill, in or out of network.

Can you use your UAE travel policy?

Only if the insurer is on MOPH’s approved list of international insurers and the policy meets the test in Table 2: QAR 150,000 for emergency and accident care, no deductible or copayment, and cover for Qatar for your full stay. The scheme page also lists COVID-19 cover to QAR 50,000, which the FAQ list omits.¹ No Qatari source says whether any UAE-issued policy meets the test. Ask your insurer whether it is on MOPH’s approved list.

You can upload an international policy to the MOI website or show it on paper to the officer at the border. If it is rejected, you can buy a basic policy from a registered company instead.²

Driving in through Abu Samra

If you drive in through Abu Samra, MOI says you must complete the required insurance policies electronically through Qatar Unified Bureau.³ MOI does not say whether travellers, as well as vehicles, are checked for cover at the land border.

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The small print

• Hayya A2 details. The Hayya FAQ lists the A2 as single entry for up to 30 days. Its requirements are 3 months of passport validity, a GCC ID valid for 3 months, a return ticket, the Hayya e-visa and a QAR 100 fee. On-arrival visas remain available to GCC residents.⁵
• Hayya Card. MOPH says a Hayya Card holder needs cover for the remaining period of the card. The card is a separate line from the Hayya A1, A2 and A3 visas. The US Embassy message of 22 February 2023 said card entry was extended through 24 January 2024.¹⁶
• Other conflicts between Qatari pages. On on-arrival visitors, MOPH advises a policy for emergency and accident services. Another MOPH FAQ answer says on-arrival visitors obtain the basic policy online before arriving. Visit Qatar calls insurance recommended, under a heading that says mandatory, and says it can be bought on arrival.²⁴ MOI names insurers registered with MOPH, while MOPH also accepts approved international insurers.³ COVID-19 limits are still on the MOPH page.
• When the rule started. A US Embassy message of 22 February 2023 says visitors are now required to hold a policy for emergency and accident care, at QR50 per month at issue and on visa extension.⁶ Other sources, none of them a primary text, give 1 February 2023 as the start and name Law No 22 of 2021.
• MOFA. MOFA’s Qatar page, modified on 9 July 2026, lists UAE normal passports as visa free and carries only its standard sentence advising international health insurance. It is written for UAE nationals.⁷