All Guides / Insurance & Risk
Starting an insurance business in the UAE
Underwriting and broking are Central Bank business, the free-zone activity is a wrapper, not an authorisation.
What This Sector Covers
Life and general insurance, reinsurance, takaful, insurance brokerage and agency, claims and loss adjusting, and actuarial services appear across the lists. The Central Bank of the UAE is the overwhelming presence among the approvals attached to them, having absorbed the former Insurance Authority's mandate.
The practical position is simple and worth stating plainly: carrying on insurance business in the UAE, underwriting, broking, or acting as an agent, requires Central Bank authorisation, with capital, governance and professional-indemnity requirements. Insurance consultancy that stops short of intermediating is a different and more accessible activity.
Who typically licenses this. Insurance brokers and agents, claims and loss-adjusting firms, actuarial consultants and insurtech ventures.
Browse by category
Find Your Category First
Not sure which activity you need? Start with the category closest to your business, then pick the activity inside it.
Insurance Intermediation & Support
75- Insurance Consultancy
- Claims & Loss Adjusting Services
- Insurance Brokerage
- Actuarial Services
Insurance Underwriting
25- Life Insurance
- Reinsurance
- Health Insurance
Approvals You Should Expect
Across our partner zones, 74 of the 99 listings in this sector (75%) carry a named external approval. These are the bodies that appear most often, an approval here is a condition of the license, not an optional extra, and several must be obtained before the license issues.
Which Zone Carries It
Every partner zone publishes activities in this sector, but not evenly. Meydan carries the most at 32 listings. Breadth is not the only thing that matters (fees, visa quota, facility type and reputation all count) but a zone with a thin list in your sector is a zone that may not have your exact activity.
Before You Apply
- Broking requires Central Bank registration, capital and professional indemnity cover.
- Takaful operates under its own framework rather than as a variant of conventional insurance.
- Insurtech that merely refers or compares may avoid intermediation, but that depends on the mechanics, not the label.
A to Z of Every insurance & risk Activity
Every activity published in this sector across our partner zones, alphabetically. Zone codes show where each one is available; click any activity carrying ⓘ to read the free zone’s own official description of it.
A
C
F
H
I
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
Questions We Get Asked
Do I need the exact activity, or is something close enough?
The exact one. Banks, customs, payment providers and clients all read the license wording literally, and an activity that only roughly describes what you do creates friction at account opening and at import. With 55 activities published in this sector alone, there is almost always a precise line available.
Can I hold more than one activity on a single license?
Yes. Every zone allows multiple activities on one license, usually with a package covering a set number and a fee per additional activity beyond it. Some zones restrict mixing across license types, for example combining a trading activity with a professional one, so the combination matters more than the count.
What does an “external approval” actually mean here?
It means a body outside the free zone has to sign off before your license can issue or before you may operate. In this sector that most often means Central Bank of the UAE, followed by Insurance Authority. The free zone will not waive it, and applying without it is the most common cause of a stalled application.
Which free zone should I choose for this sector?
Start by confirming the zone publishes your exact activity, that alone removes several options. In this sector Meydan publishes the most activities. Then weigh cost, visa quota, whether you need a physical facility, and whether your clients or bank have a preference. We do this comparison as part of the setup rather than leaving it to you.
Is a free zone license enough to trade on the UAE mainland?
Not by itself. A free-zone company can sell to mainland customers through a distributor or agent, and can service mainland clients in many sectors, but holding a physical outlet, a workshop or a site presence on the mainland generally needs a DED license or a branch. This matters more in some sectors than others, it is decisive in retail, hospitality and contracting.
How current is this list?
It reflects the activity lists each zone publishes, as loaded into our catalogue. Zones add and retire activities without announcement, and fees change. Treat it as an accurate map rather than a live feed, and confirm the specific activity before you commit.