Supervision of the insurance sector sits with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), which took over the former Insurance Authority’s remit. It licenses insurers and intermediaries, publishes the rulebook each activity must follow, and maintains the registers you can check a firm against.
Who Does What
Broker, Agent, Consultant or Guidance: Who Does What in UAE Insurance
The roles, the regulator, and where an educational service sits among them.
Insurance in the UAE is regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE, which licenses insurers, brokers, agents and consultants and sets what each may do. Firms based in the DIFC and ADGM are supervised instead by the DFSA and the FSRA. Only a licensed party may arrange, place or service a policy. Educational guidance sits outside that perimeter and outside the transaction.
Who Regulates Insurance in the UAE?
One federal regulator, with two financial free-zone carve-outs.
-
Regulated by the DFSA
DIFC firms
are regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). -
Regulated by the FSRA
ADGM firms
are regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA).
Additionally governed
Health benefits themselves
are additionally governed by the health authority for the emirate: DHA in Dubai, DoH in Abu Dhabi, MOHAP federally.
Two rulebooks
So a Dubai group medical policy typically involves two rulebooks: the CBUAE for who may sell and service it, and the DHA for what it must at minimum cover.
Federal Decree-Law No. 6 of 2025
The federal law under which insurance activity is licensed and supervised in the UAE is Federal Decree-Law No. 6 of 2025 on the regulation of insurance activities, with the Central Bank of the UAE as the supervisory authority. Which activities it covers — who may act as an insurer, a broker or an agent, and on what terms — is published in the Central Bank rulebook linked in the sources below. Which classification any particular service falls under is a question for a qualified adviser and for the regulator, and is not one this page answers.
What Is the Difference Between a Broker, an Agent and a Consultant?
Who they act for, and what they are allowed to do.
UAE insurance roles compared
-
Insurer
Acts for Itself
- Typically can
- Underwrite, issue and pay claims under the policy
- Usually paid by
- Premium
-
Insurance broker
Acts for You, the client
- Typically can
- Approach multiple insurers, negotiate terms, place and service the policy, assist with claims
- Usually paid by
- Commission from insurers, or an agreed fee
-
Tied agent
Acts for One insurer
- Typically can
- Sell and service that insurer’s products only
- Usually paid by
- Commission from that insurer
-
Insurance consultant
Acts for You, the client
- Typically can
- Advise on cover as a licensed activity, without placing it
- Usually paid by
- Fee from the client
-
Third-party administrator (TPA)
Acts for The insurer
- Typically can
- Run networks, cards, pre-authorization and claims administration
- Usually paid by
- The insurer
-
Educational guidance (this site)
Acts for Nobody in the transaction
- Typically can
- Explain rules, terminology and what to verify
- Usually paid by
- Not paid from any placement
What Is Insure With Sajad, and What Is It Not?
Stated positively, once.
Insure With Sajad is an independent educational guidance service on UAE insurance, written and reviewed by Sajad Salahudin, an Assistant Vice President in employee benefits insurance based in Dubai. It explains how cover works, what the regulators require, which documents matter, and what to ask before you commit.
It does
explain rules and terminology, set out verification questions, and point to the authority or licensed party that can confirm an answer.
It does not
sell, quote, place, endorse, rank or administer policies; it does not act as a broker, agent, consultant or insurer; and it does not confirm compliance for any company.
It is not
legal, immigration, tax or financial advice, and nothing here should be treated as a recommendation of a specific product.
Money never changes hands over a policy
There is no commission, no referral arrangement dependent on a placement, and no product to buy on this site.
Everything transactional belongs with a licensed broker, agent or insurer.
How Do You Check a Broker's Licence Before You Sign?
Five minutes that prevent most of the problems on this page.
Five minutes
-
1
Ask for the full legal entity name and licence number
not the trading name on the proposal. -
2
Check it against the regulator
the CBUAE for onshore firms, the DFSA for DIFC firms, the FSRA for ADGM firms. -
3
Confirm the activity
A licence to act as an agent is not a licence to act as a broker. -
4
Ask who they act for
on your file, and how they are remunerated on this specific placement. -
5
Get it in writing
the scope of service, who handles claims escalation, and what happens at renewal.
What Should You Ask Any Intermediary?
Questions that surface the trade-offs a proposal hides.
-
Q1
Which insurers did you approach, and which declined or excluded us?
-
Q2
What changed in the table of benefits compared with the expiring policy?
-
Q3
What is the network tier, and which hospitals are outside it?
-
Q4
Which treatments need pre-authorization, and who submits the request?
-
Q5
How is continuity of cover being handled for existing members?
-
Q6
What is the loss ratio the renewal was priced from?
-
Q7
Who do we escalate to when a claim is declined, and within what timeframe?
-
Q8
How are you remunerated on this placement?
Related Guidance
Where to go next.
Sources & Official References
Licensing rules are published. Check them rather than a sales claim.
- rulebook.centralbank.ae Central Bank of the UAE Rulebook — insurance sector participants Who is licensed to do what in UAE insurance, and under which activity.
- rulebook.centralbank.ae Central Bank of the UAE — Insurance Brokers' Regulation Licensing and conduct requirements for insurance brokers.
- dfsa.ae Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) — DIFC Financial services regulator for firms based in the DIFC.
- adgm.com Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) — ADGM Financial services regulator for firms based in ADGM.
- dha.gov.ae Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Dubai health insurance framework, including the Essential Benefits Plan floor.
- doh.gov.ae Department of Health — Abu Dhabi (DoH) Abu Dhabi health insurance rules, including dependent cover expectations.
Rules, limits and premiums change. Verify on the official page before acting, and treat any figure quoted on this site as reported context rather than a price offered here.
Unsure Who You Are Actually Dealing With?
Bring the proposal and we can work out which questions it does not answer. Guidance only.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Central Bank of the UAE licenses and supervises insurers, brokers, agents and consultants onshore. Firms based in the DIFC are regulated by the DFSA, and firms in ADGM by the FSRA. Health benefit minimums are set separately by the health authority for each emirate.
A broker is engaged by you and can approach several insurers on your behalf. A tied agent represents a single insurer and sells that insurer's products. Both can be legitimate; the difference is whose interests they are appointed to serve.
Neither. It is an independent educational guidance service. It explains how UAE cover works and what to verify, and it does not sell, quote, place, rank or administer policies, act for any insurer, or provide regulated advice. Anything transactional goes to a licensed broker, agent or insurer.
Ask for the full legal entity name and licence number, then check it against the relevant regulator: the Central Bank of the UAE for onshore firms, the DFSA for DIFC firms, and the FSRA for ADGM firms. Confirm the licensed activity matches what they are offering to do.
Not usually in the way people expect: broker remuneration is commonly built into the premium as commission rather than added on top, and some arrangements are fee-based instead. Ask how the intermediary is remunerated on your specific placement and get the answer in writing.