Family planning in Dubai: How to prepare for a new baby

The arrival of a baby can be one of the most exciting times in your life, but there are lots of things you need to plan and prepare for before you can welcome a newborn into the world.

If you’re a pregnant expat or you want to start a family in the UAE, it’s important that you understand local laws, procedures and costs, and make arrangements before your birth so that you’re covered. Indeed, the last thing you would want to happen would be to go into labour without a proper plan, and without having the right medical insurance or hospital bed.

Below, we’ve put together everything you need to know about preparing for a baby as an expat in Dubai. Read on to find out more, and bookmark this page for future reference.

Get health insurance

If you’d like to have a baby in the United Arab Emirates as an expat, one of the first things that you should do is have proper health insurance. Unlike in the United Kingdom, where the NHS entitles new mums to free healthcare, couples are expected to cover their own costs both during and after the pregnancy - and this can run into thousands of dirhams.

Most UAE employers offer health insurance, but this isn’t always the case, so double check your policy. If you’re covered under your husband or partner’s health insurance plan, then you should ask them to check or speak with their human resources department to confirm.

Do not assume that you are automatically covered for your pregnancy. Some firms require you to have had a valid policy for a set period before you can get pregnant. What’s more, if you fall pregnant without the right insurance, then the insurance company may add huge amounts to your existing premium, so it pays to double-check before you conceive.

As well as checking that you’re covered for your pregnancy, you should make sure you’re happy with the hospitals that are part of your policy. You should also note how many tests and hospital check-ups are included, and think about a worst-case scenario. If you were to face a complication during your pregnancy, what will be covered, and what will you need to pay for? You should also check to see whether C-section deliveries are covered as part of the policy, and if you’re not satisfied, consider switching to a different insurance company.

Apply for a Dubai Health Card

Whether you’re insured for your pregnancy or not, it’s important that you apply for a Dubai Health Card, which entitles you to low-cost medical treatment at a government hospital should there be an emergency. Residents pay AED 100 for a card, and non-citizens can also access the scheme for AED 300 per year, plus an AED 200 medical examination fee.

Understand costs

Before you fall pregnant, it’s important that you understand the costs associated with labour. Most hospitals in Dubai and the UAE offer antenatal and maternity services in the form of ‘packages’, covering you from day one of your pregnancy to post-birth. These packages include all of the necessary care you’ll need, including tests, scans, visits, and medication.

Both government-run hospitals and private hospitals offer such packages, although private hospitals are often more expensive, and it’s important to note that government hospitals are often better equipped to deal with emergencies. Remember that you’ll need to bring a Dubai Health Card, your marriage certificate, and copies of your passports.

Antenatal packages in Dubai range from AED 4000 to AED 10,000, depending on the hospital, whilst delivery packages range from AED 7000 to AED 15,000. If you were to need a C-section, however, then fees can climb to AED 25,000 to AED 30,000, which makes health insurance all the more important. Additional services, like circumcisions, the delivery of twins, or epidurals are not included and are charged at an additional fee.

Make sure you’re married

If you’d like to have a baby as an expat in Dubai, then you should get married. From the day you go for your first check-up right through to delivery hospital staff will ask to see a copy of your marriage certificate as well as your visa and passport. As per UAE law, the unmarried expectant mother should return to their native country if they want to deliver a baby. There are many cases where unmarried mothers have been jailed in Dubai, but this is a grey area.

As an expat, you can visit the Sharia Court in Dubai to have an Islamic marriage, provided that the groom is a Muslim, or you can opt for a Christian or Hindu wedding at a consulate. All marriages should be registered and attested, and you should hold on to your certificate.

One final point to note is that, unless there are medical complications and a pregnancy will endanger a mother’s life, or the baby will be born with deformities and will not survive, it is illegal to have an abortion in Dubai.  It’s important that you use appropriate contraception if you are not looking to get pregnant.

Understand citizenship

If you’re new to Dubai and do not yet have citizenship, then your newborn will adopt the same citizenship as their father. If you’re both citizens of another country, and neither one of you is registered in Dubai, then your child will be given citizenship in your native country.

Once you have given birth, you’ll have up to 30 days to register your child. You’ll need to bring your marriage certificate, a copy of your passport and residence visa, birth notification details and a hospital discharge summary. As an expatriate, you will need to have your child’s birth certificate attested by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation within 120 days of their birth. If you don’t, you’ll be charged AED100 per day and your baby will not be allowed to leave the country.

Let your family know

Once you have decided that you want to start a family in Dubai, then you should let your loved ones know as soon as you can. Flights, accommodation and time off of work can be expensive and difficult to arrange, and so the sooner they can make their own preparations to visit you and your newborn, the better. You may decide to host a family reunion after your reborn arrives, for example, or even head back to your native country with your baby.

Provided you have the right documentation and a passport, your baby is allowed to fly if it is at least two days old, although some airlines insist on babies being two weeks old, instead. As an expatriate, you must apply for your baby’s passport through your embassy in the UAE.

Wrapping up 

Getting to grips with pregnancy and birth in Dubai can be hard work, but it’s important that you understand insurance, the law, and your position in the country. Whether you’re already pregnant or you’re thinking about starting a family, congratulations and the very best of luck!

Tags: parenting family planning