Travel insurance for visas and entry from the UAE

A government rule says what you must show at the consulate or the border. Your policy wording says what the policy covers. Check both before you travel.

Which destinations ask for insurance?

Schengen states, Georgia, Belarus, Tanzania, Qatar and Türkiye each have a rule, and each works differently.

If your destination is not in Table 1, check its embassy or immigration website. A country missing from the table may still have a rule.

What does a Schengen visa ask of your policy?

At least EUR 30,000 of cover, valid in every Schengen state for the whole stay. If you apply for a multiple-entry visa, you prove cover for the first visit and sign a statement that you know you need cover for later stays.¹ UAE nationals do not need a Schengen visa. Consulates in the UAE add their own terms. Switzerland asks for a policy issued in the UAE or Bahrain.²

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Each consulate’s terms are in the Schengen visa insurance guide. Card-linked cover is on the credit card cover page.

Which countries check your policy at the border?

Georgia and Belarus. Since 1 January 2026, Georgia requires tourists to hold a health and accident policy of at least 30,000 GEL on entry, for the whole stay. The Patrol Police may check it at the crossing point. The rules do not say what happens if you fail the check.³

Belarus asks visa-free visitors to show a policy at the checkpoint or buy cover there. Its foreign ministry says a foreign citizen with no policy who refuses to buy one at an international airport checkpoint is refused entry.⁴

Keep your policy certificate with you when you cross the border.

Does Tanzania require its own cover?

Yes, since 1 October 2026. Visitors entering through the Mainland buy cover from NIC and visitors entering through Zanzibar from ZIC. It covers medical emergencies, is valid up to 92 days and costs USD 44 per visitor.⁵⁶ One secondary source, Envoy Global, says a private policy cannot replace it. The Ministry notice does not say.⁷

Does Qatar require insurance?

It depends on your visa route. Qatar’s health ministry requires a policy for visitors who need a visa in advance, and exempts visitors on an on-arrival visa for their first 30 days.⁸ The Ministry of Interior lists compulsory health insurance for on-arrival entry.⁹ These pages are undated. Check with the Ministry of Interior before you fly.

Can Türkiye refuse you without insurance?

The law allows it. Türkiye’s Law 6458 lists lack of valid medical insurance for the stay as a ground to refuse a visa, and to refuse entry even to visitors who do not need a visa.¹⁰ The official sources do not state an amount, and how border officers apply the rule is not known.

Do you need insurance to visit the UK?

The UK visitor rules, Appendix V, do not mention insurance apart from a site footer.¹¹ That does not show that no rule exists elsewhere. The NHS tells visitors to England from outside the EEA to hold medical or travel insurance, and charges hospital care at 150% of the standard rate unless an exemption applies.¹²

Which rules started most recently?

Georgia on 1 January 2026 and Tanzania on 1 October 2026. Kenya’s reported rule from 5 October 2026 has no Kenyan source.

Sources for Table 2

The Tanzanian date comes from MOFA and the notice.⁶⁵ The Kenyan row rests on a third government’s notice.¹³ The EES dates come from the Commission.¹⁴ ETIAS has no date on the official page.¹⁵ The Swiss listing date is on the embassy page.² The Qatari date is a restatement.¹⁶

If you are travelling to Kenya, check with the Kenyan embassy before you book. EES and ETIAS are in the EES and ETIAS guide.

Does UAE travel advice tell you what the law requires?

Not always. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) travel pages are written for UAE nationals. Most advise international health insurance, and the pages for Georgia, Tanzania, Cuba and Japan use required wording.¹⁷

Advice does not tell you whether the destination requires insurance. MOFA advises insurance for Türkiye (page modified 3 November 2026), while Türkiye’s law lists lack of valid medical insurance as a refusal ground.¹⁰ The country-by-country wording is in the MOFA study.

Coming into the UAE instead is covered in the visit visa guide.

The small print

Each kind of source carries a different weight.

• Schengen Handbook. The Visa Code Handbook states that it creates no legally binding obligations on Member States and no new rights.¹⁸
• Georgia. Resolution 602 was adopted on 26 December 2025. The text is in Georgian.³
• Belarus. The foreign ministry page names Decree No 108 of 18 March 2025 and is undated.⁴
• Türkiye. The visa refusal ground is Art 15(1)(e) of Law 6458 and the entry refusal ground Art 7(1)(c). The English text is an unofficial translation, and the Turkish text is binding.¹⁰
• MOFA pages. Of 48 MOFA destination pages as of 4 November 2026, 47 carry the same sentence advising international health insurance, and four use required wording.¹⁷
• Qatar. The health ministry and Ministry of Interior pages are undated. A US Embassy message of 22 February 2023 says visitors are now required to hold a policy.¹⁶