GIG Gulf
GIG Gulf is the insurer that was called AXA Gulf until 2022. It sells car, home, health and travel insurance in the UAE as a branch of Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf), a company registered in Bahrain. Its parent is Gulf Insurance Group of Kuwait, which is 97.06% owned by Fairfax Financial Holdings. Its travel insurance is Travel Smart for GCC residents and Travel Inbound for visitors.
Out of 5 from 1,984 Google reviews across 3 offices
An average is not a sign of trust. Read recent reviews yourself before you decide.
What customers sayWhat customers say about GIG Gulf
GIG Gulf averages 4.0 out of 5 across 1,984 Google reviews of its UAE offices, read 11 Nov 2026. Those reviews cover everything it sells, not only travel insurance.
Read the Google reviews for each office
GIG Gulf travel insurance
GIG Gulf sells Travel Smart to GCC citizens and residents aged 70 or below, as single trip or annual cover, in Smart, Smart Essentials, Family and Schengen plans. For visitors to the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar it sells Travel Inbound, Inbound Plus and Inbound Senior Visitors.
| Plan | Type | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Travel Smart | Single trip or annual | Emergency medical USD 1,000,000, cancellation or curtailment USD 5,000, baggage and money USD 5,000, personal liability USD 1,000,000. Worldwide, or worldwide excluding the USA and Canada.4 |
| Travel Smart Essentials | Single trip | Emergency medical USD 100,000, cancellation or curtailment USD 1,000, baggage and money USD 1,000, personal liability USD 100,000. Sold for trips of up to 31 days.4 |
| Travel Family | Single trip or annual, family | Benefits are per family rather than per person. Baggage USD 2,000. Medical excess USD 100 a claim for each person.3 |
| Travel Schengen | Single trip or annual | Emergency medical EUR 40,000 with a USD 100 excess, medical transport EUR 30,000, repatriation of remains EUR 5,000. Children get the full limit. Covers you worldwide, not only in Schengen countries.4 |
| Travel Inbound | Visitors to the UAE | Emergency medical AED 150,000 for inpatient treatment only, medical transport AED 50,000, repatriation of remains AED 15,000. For visitors aged 65 or below.10 |
| Travel Inbound Plus | Visitors to the UAE | Emergency medical AED 150,000 for inpatient and outpatient treatment with an AED 400 excess, cancellation AED 5,000, baggage and money AED 10,000, adventure sports covered. For visitors aged 65 or below.10 |
| Inbound Senior Visitors | Visitors to the UAE | Emergency medical AED 50,000 for inpatient treatment only. For visitors aged 66 to 85.10 |
| Cover | With this insurer | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency medical expenses | Included | USD 1,000,000 on Smart, USD 100,000 on Smart Essentials and EUR 40,000 on Schengen. Excess USD 30 a claim on Smart and USD 100 on Family and Schengen. Children get 50% of the limit except on Schengen. Follow-up outpatient treatment is paid for up to 30 days after you leave hospital. Tell GIG Gulf within 48 hours of a hospital admission, and get its approval first.3 |
| Medical transport and repatriation | Included | Needs GIG Gulf's approval first. Paid within the medical limit on Smart and up to EUR 30,000 on Schengen. Transport is by ambulance, train or scheduled flight, with air ambulance only within a continent and in critical cases. Repatriation of remains is USD 10,000 on Smart and EUR 5,000 on Schengen. Burial costs are excluded.3 |
| Cancellation or curtailment | Depends on plan | Up to USD 5,000 of costs you cannot recover on the Smart plan. Pays for the death, injury or illness of you, a travel companion, the person you were to stay with or a close relative, accidental damage that makes your home unlivable, police needing you after a theft at your home, or a hijack.3 |
| Delayed departure | Included | After at least 6 hours, USD 100 for each 6 hours up to USD 500, or up to USD 500 of costs you cannot recover if you cancel the trip. The wording excludes strikes, industrial action or air traffic control delays that existed or were announced when you bought the policy.3 |
| Personal baggage and money | Included | USD 5,000 on Smart, USD 2,000 on Family and USD 1,000 on Smart Essentials. Valuables USD 1,500, cash USD 400, and USD 400 for any one item, pair or set, with a USD 30 excess. Paid at market value after wear and tear. Report theft or loss to the police within 24 hours.3 |
| Delayed baggage | Included | Up to USD 250 for clothing, medication and toiletries if your bag is not returned within 4 hours on the outward journey. You need written confirmation from the airline. GIG's Travel Outbound page gives at least 12 hours, under a heading that names Travel Inbound.3 |
| COVID-19 and other epidemics | Depends on plan | Pays emergency medical costs for an infectious disease caught in a country other than the one where the trip started. After a positive diagnosis it also pays mandatory quarantine costs up to USD 100 a day for up to 15 days.3 |
| Personal liability | Included | USD 1,000,000 on Smart and USD 100,000 on Smart Essentials, with legal assistance up to USD 4,000 and a refundable bail bond advance up to USD 10,000 on Smart.4 |
More cover details (7)
| Cover | With this insurer | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure sports | Optional extra | Winter sports, water sports, trekking and safaris for double the premium, on the Smart plan only. Adds first aid and rescue costs up to USD 20,000.4 |
| Terrorism | Optional extra | An extension up to USD 100,000 for 20% more premium, on the Smart plan only. Without it, terrorism is excluded.4 |
| Loss of passport | Included | USD 500 on Smart and USD 250 on Smart Essentials, for replacing a passport abroad.4 |
| Area of cover | Depends on plan | Smart is worldwide or worldwide excluding the USA and Canada. Each trip must begin and end in your country of residence, and trips only within it are not insured. Unless your schedule names them, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and declared or UN-recognised war zones are not covered.3 |
| Trip length | Depends on plan | The handbook limits any trip to 62 consecutive days. The leaflet prices single trips of up to 92 days and annual cover at 62 days a trip.3 |
| Age limits | Depends on plan | 70 or below. An annual policyholder who turns 71 stays insured until the policy expires. Children under 16 pay half the premium and get half the limits, except on Schengen.3 |
| Who can buy | Depends on plan | GCC citizens or residents aged 70 or younger. The cover is for holidays and business trips without manual work, and not for people leaving their country of residence for good.7 |
Published prices
- Travel Smart leaflet, March 2024, per person before VAT: a 5-day trip costs AED 95 on Smart excluding the USA and Canada, AED 130 on Smart worldwide, AED 69 and AED 87 on Smart Essentials, and AED 50 on Schengen.4
- Same leaflet: a 92-day trip costs AED 380 on Smart excluding the USA and Canada, AED 550 worldwide and AED 260 on Schengen. Annual cover, with trips of up to 62 days each, is AED 850 on Smart and AED 440 on Schengen.4
- The leaflet adds 100% for ages 65 to 70, 100% for adventure sports and 20% for the terrorism extension, and takes 50% off for children under 16.4
- Travel Inbound leaflet, May 2024, per person before VAT, for the UAE: Inbound AED 50 for 30 days, AED 80 for 60 days and AED 110 for 90 days. Inbound Plus AED 60 for 15 days, AED 100 for 30 days and AED 300 for 90 days.9
Check before you buy
- Pre-existing medical conditions: anything that existed before the trip, including a condition on a waiting list, one referred to a doctor or treated in hospital in the previous 12 months, or a terminal prognosis.3
- Pregnancy-related illness. If you or anyone the trip depends on is expected to give birth before, during or within two months of the trip, medical, cancellation and personal accident cover need GIG's written agreement first.3
- War, invasion, hostilities, civil war, rebellion, riot and civil commotion, and terrorism unless you bought the extension.3
- Cancellation because the carrier or a government cancels the flight route, or because of travel restrictions after the World Health Organisation declares a pandemic.3
- Annual and Schengen policies cannot be cancelled or refunded, and visa refusal is not accepted as a reason to cancel.7
Policy documents
- Travel Smart policy handbook (terms and conditions)Policy wording, 2024
- Travel Smart leaflet, with cover and pricesTable of benefits, 2024
- Travel Inbound policy handbookPolicy wording, 2024
- Travel Inbound leaflet, with cover and pricesTable of benefits, 2024
- Travel claim formClaim form, 2023
How to claim with GIG Gulf
- Claims phone, 24-hour emergency line+971 4 429 4003
- Claims phone, other claims from the UAE in working hours800 292
- Claims phone, other claims in working hours+971 4 507 4085
- Claims emailtravel.claims@gig-gulf.com
- Claim onlineOpen claim page
Steps
- For emergency treatment, hospital admission, medical transport or repatriation, and before you cancel or cut short a trip, call GIG Gulf on +971 4 429 4003, 24 hours a day. These benefits are paid only with its approval first.3
- If anyone needs hospital treatment, tell GIG Gulf within 48 hours. If you could not reach it for approval in an emergency, the claim may still be considered, but not if GIG Gulf hears nothing within 30 days of the accident or illness.3
- For other claims, submit the online travel claim form with your policy number, a description of what happened and your documents. GIG emails you a claim reference number to track the claim.8
- The handbook also gives 800 292, +971 4 507 4085 and travel.claims@gig-gulf.com for non-medical claims during working hours.3
- Keep the original documents until you are paid, because GIG may ask to see them.8
Documents to have ready
- Policy and membership number13
- Medical reports attested by the hospital or doctor13
- Receipts, boarding passes, airline letters, passport copies and prescriptions13
- Proof of residence13
- For theft, a written police report from your destination listing what was stolen13
- For delayed baggage, written proof of the delay from the airline13
- Tell GIG Gulf within 48 hours of a hospital admission. No medical claim is considered if GIG Gulf was not contacted within 30 days of the accident or illness.3
- Travel inconvenience claims, such as baggage, delay or cancellation, must be sent within 30 days of the end of the trip.3
- Report theft or loss to the local police within 24 hours.3
- GIG says it can process a claim within 15 working days once it has all the documents.8
Not happy with a claim? Use the GIG Gulf complaints page first. How to complain about an insurer.
About GIG Gulf
- Legal name
- Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf) B.S.C Closed
- Type
- Conventional insurer. The Central Bank register lists it as a foreign insurance company.1
- Owner
- Gulf Insurance Group K.S.C.P. of Kuwait. Fairfax Financial Holdings owns 97.06% of Gulf Insurance Group.21
- Listed on
- Its parent, Gulf Insurance Group, is listed on Boursa Kuwait.21
- Headquarters
- Bahrain, according to AM Best. The UAE main branch is in Business Bay, Dubai.22
- UAE branches
- Two open branches: Business Bay in Dubai and Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. The branch locator marks the Sharjah City Centre and Sheikh Zayed Road branches as permanently closed.15
- Also sells
- Car, Health, Home, Yacht, Motorcycle, Personal accident, Golf, Relocation5
- Previous name
- AXA Gulf, until 20 July 20222
- Central Bank
- Listed in the Central Bank of the UAE register, September 2026, number 691
Financial strength
The AM Best grade is for Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf) B.S.C. (c), the Bahrain company whose UAE branch trades as GIG Gulf. The results are for the parent, Gulf Insurance Group of Kuwait, across all its markets, in Kuwaiti dinars.
| Agency | Grade | Covers | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AM Best | A (Excellent), Stable22 | UAE company | 22 Oct 2026 |
Awards
- Health Insurer of the Year, MENA Intelligent Insurer Awards, as announced by GIG Gulf, 202524
Recent news
- AM Best affirms its A (Excellent) rating
AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) for Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf) B.S.C. (c), with a stable outlook.22
- Fairfax takes control of the parent group
Fairfax Financial Holdings raised its stake in Gulf Insurance Group from 43.69% to 90.01% by buying the 46.32% held by Kuwait Projects Company and its affiliates.20
- AXA Gulf becomes GIG Gulf
The insurer said nothing changed for customers' policies, premiums, terms and conditions or provider network, and that renewals would be issued under the GIG Gulf name.2
- Gulf Insurance Group completes its purchase of AXA's Gulf business
Gulf Insurance Group announced completion for a total cash consideration of USD 474.75 million.18
- AXA agrees to sell its Gulf operations
AXA announced an agreement to sell its insurance operations in the Gulf region to Gulf Insurance Group for USD 269 million.17
Contact GIG Gulf
- Toll free800 292
- Emailinfo.dubai@gig-gulf.com
- ComplaintsOpen complaints page
- Hours800 292 and +971 4 507 4085: 8 am to 6 pm, every day. Branches: 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
- Head officeFloor 39, Churchill Executive Tower, Business Bay, Dubai
Branches (2)
| Branch | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Main Branch - Business Bay | Churchill Executive Tower, Business Bay, Floor 39, Dubai | |
| Al Nahyan Complex - Abu Dhabi | Plaza 30, Building 11 Block B - 72, Al Meel Street, Nahyan Area, Abu Dhabi |
Common questions
Is AXA travel insurance still sold in the UAE?
Not under the AXA name. The insurer announced on 20 July 2022 that AXA Gulf is now GIG Gulf. Its travel insurance in the UAE is sold as GIG Travel Smart and Travel Inbound.2
What happened to my AXA policy in the UAE?
GIG Gulf said nothing changed for your policies, premiums, terms and conditions or provider network when the name changed. Renewals are issued under the GIG Gulf name.2
What number do I call for a medical emergency abroad?
Call GIG Gulf on +971 4 429 4003, 24 hours a day, and give your policy number. Treatment, hospital stays and medical transport are paid only with GIG Gulf's approval first.3
How long can each trip be on a GIG Gulf annual plan?
62 days. The Travel Smart wording limits any trip to 62 consecutive days, and the leaflet sells annual cover at 62 days a trip.3
Does GIG Gulf pay if my visa is refused?
No. GIG's FAQ says visa refusal is not covered under cancellation and is not accepted as a reason to cancel the policy for a refund.7
Can I cancel a GIG Gulf travel policy?
Annual and Schengen policies cannot be cancelled or refunded. A short-trip Travel Smart policy can be cancelled within seven days of issue if cover has not started and there are no claims, with an AED 50 admin fee if GIG approves.7
Does GIG Gulf pay for flight delays caused by strikes?
GIG's travel FAQ says it does not cover delays or cancellations caused by strikes. Ask GIG Gulf before you rely on strike cover, because its outbound product page describes the delayed departure benefit as paying for strikes or bad weather.7
Is AXA Green Crescent the same company as GIG Gulf?
No. AXA Green Crescent Insurance Company announced on 17 February 2022 that it had changed its name to HAYAH Insurance Company.19
Sources
24
1Central Bank of the UAE, CB Register September of 2026. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: CB Register September of 2026
2GIG Gulf, AXA Gulf is now GIG Gulf. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: AXA Gulf is now GIG Gulf
3GIG Gulf (Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf) B.S.C.(c)), Travel Smart policy handbook (terms and conditions), URL timestamp 16 September 2024. PDF file created 12 August 2024. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Travel Smart policy handbook (terms and conditions)
4GIG Gulf, Travel Smart leaflet, UAEPL07032024. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Travel Smart leaflet
5GIG Gulf, Buy Travel Insurance Online in UAE. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Buy Travel Insurance Online in UAE
6GIG Gulf, Travel Outbound. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Travel Outbound
7GIG Gulf, Travel Insurance FAQs UAE, Coverage and Claims. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Travel Insurance FAQs UAE, Coverage and Claims
8GIG Gulf, Submit a GIG Gulf Travel Insurance Claim Online. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Submit a GIG Gulf Travel Insurance Claim Online
9GIG Gulf, Travel Inbound leaflet, UAEPL29052024. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Travel Inbound leaflet
10GIG Gulf, Travel Inbound policy handbook, PDF file created 3 June 2024. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Travel Inbound policy handbook
11GIG Gulf, Travel claim form, PDF file created 29 March 2023. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Travel claim form
12Apple App Store (UAE), MyGIG Gulf App. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: MyGIG Gulf App
13GIG Gulf, How to file a Claim. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: How to file a Claim
14GIG Gulf, Contact us. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: Contact us
15GIG Gulf, Branch locator. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: Branch locator
16GIG Gulf, Complaints. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: Complaints
17AXA, AXA to sell its insurance operations in the Gulf region. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: AXA to sell its insurance operations in the Gulf region
18Gulf Insurance Group, Gulf Insurance Group completes the acquisition of AXA in the Gulf. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: Gulf Insurance Group completes the acquisition of AXA in the Gulf
19HAYAH Insurance, AXA Green Crescent announces name change to HAYAH. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: AXA Green Crescent announces name change to HAYAH
20Fairfax Financial Holdings, Fairfax Successfully Completes Acquisition of Additional 46.32% Interest in Gulf Insurance Group from Kipco. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: Fairfax Successfully Completes Acquisition of Additional 46.32% Interest in Gulf Insurance Group from Kipco
21Gulf Insurance Group, About Us. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: About Us
22AM Best via Business Wire, AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf) B.S.C. (c). Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf) B.S.C. (c)
23Gulf Insurance Group, Key Operational & Financial Highlights, 2025 Annual Report. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: Key Operational & Financial Highlights, 2025 Annual Report
24GIG Gulf, Health Insurer of the Year 2025 - UAE - GIG Gulf. Last checked 11 Nov 2026. Source document: Health Insurer of the Year 2025 - UAE - GIG Gulf
- Owner
- Travelinsurance.ae research team
- Last review
- Next review due
- 11 May 2027
- Status
- Published