Government of Canada Travel Advisory
Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories) — advisory last updated 2026-10-14
The security situation
The United Arab Emirates is classified as a MEDIUM risk destination. In ordinary times it is one of the safest and most developed countries in the region, with very low crime and a major tourism and business hub in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the rating reflects the acute 2026 regional conflict, strict local laws, and a maritime and airspace risk rather than everyday danger.
Overall risk rating: Medium · Source: Hotspot Cover country risk report for United Arab Emirates, updated July 2026
If your destination carries a Government of Canada travel advisory, your travel insurance behaves differently — and that starts before you fly. An advisory is not only guidance for you; it is one of the triggers insurers read when deciding what a policy will and will not do. Canada currently advises travellers to exercise a high degree of caution for the United Arab Emirates, with regional advisories on top, and the war reshaping the Gulf since early 2026 has pushed much of this destination’s risk into categories that standard policies exclude.
If you have a trip booked for Dubai or Abu Dhabi, or you are connecting through Dubai, the practical questions are concrete. Will a war-related flight cancellation be covered? If something happens near your hotel, will your medical coverage respond? Who arranges and pays for an evacuation if the situation deteriorates? Under a standard travel policy, most of those answers are no, because those losses trace back to the conflict — and standard policies are written to exclude war.
This article explains what the conflict has changed, what the Canadian advisory means for coverage, where the risk sits inside the country, and how specialist war-risk cover is arranged. It is general information, not personal advice about your trip.
Standard travel insurance is written to exclude the very events that make United Arab Emirates a high-risk destination — war, terrorism, civil unrest and the advisories that follow from them.
Why United Arab Emirates Is a High-Risk Destination Right Now
The risk in the United Arab Emirates right now comes from the 2026 Iran war — specifically, from the fact that the UAE took more Iranian fire than any other Gulf state, and from how fragile the ceasefire remains.
Since 28 February 2026, Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at the Emirates. A drone incident occurred at Dubai International Airport. Strikes hit energy and industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi, and residential and hotel areas were hit as well. Much of the incoming fire was met by extensive air defence — but interception brings its own hazard, with debris falling over populated areas.
On 17 June, a memorandum of understanding created a ceasefire. It has not held cleanly. Strikes and attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have continued into July, and the current assessment describes the situation as volatile.
There is also a general terrorism risk. During the conflict, Iran threatened US- and Israeli-linked sites, including businesses, institutions and Jewish community locations, and attacks can occur in public places with little warning.
The legal environment is its own layer of risk. During the attacks, the authorities strictly enforced cybercrime laws, arresting dozens of people for filming or sharing footage of strikes. Exit bans can prevent departure during legal or financial disputes. Laws on drugs, alcohol licensing, public conduct and social behaviour are strictly enforced, and financial crime, fraud and cheque-related offences carry serious consequences. Same-sex relationships are criminalised, and LGBT travellers face serious risk, including over digital content.
None of this changes the ordinary character of the country. The UAE is ordinarily one of the safest and most developed countries in the region: street crime is very rare, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi function as major tourism and business hubs. The overall specialist risk rating is Medium — not because everyday life is dangerous, but because of the acute conflict, the strict local laws, the disputed Gulf islands of Abu Musa and the Tunbs, extreme heat and road safety, and the maritime and airspace risk that surrounds the country.
What the Canadian Travel Advisory Means for Your Coverage
A travel advisory is the Government of Canada’s formal assessment of the risks in a destination, published at travel.gc.ca. It tells you what the government knows about conditions on the ground and how seriously it thinks you should weigh them.
Advisories are issued in levels, rising from “take normal security precautions” to “avoid all travel”. The UAE’s current level — exercise a high degree of caution, with regional advisories — sits below the two levels at which the consequences become most severe: avoid non-essential travel and avoid all travel. The phrase “with regional advisories” matters too: individual areas or routes can carry their own, higher warnings, so read the full page rather than the headline.
Why do insurers treat it as a trigger rather than advice? Because policy wordings are written around it. Travelling against an advisory is a common exclusion, and standard cover is typically void for a destination under an “avoid all travel” advisory. In an active conflict, the level can move with little notice — which means the coverage picture for this destination can change between the day you book and the day you board.
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What Standard Travel Insurance Will Not Cover in United Arab Emirates
Standard travel insurance is written to exclude war, terrorism and civil unrest. Those exclusions sit in nearly every standard Canadian travel policy, whatever the destination. They exist because war risk is priced differently — in a specialist market built for it — not because insurers are hiding anything.
In the Emirates, those exclusions bite on exactly the risks that matter here. An injury caused by a missile or drone strike, or by falling debris from an interception. A medical evacuation during an active-strike period. Trip costs lost because a drone incident closed the airport or a government closed airspace. Under a standard policy, losses falling out of war or related events are commonly excluded, so a claim in those circumstances would likely be denied.
Trip cancellation and interruption cover reimburses non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs when a covered reason forces a cancellation or cuts a trip short. The list of covered reasons in a standard policy is built around ordinary disruption — and losses arising from war or terrorism are commonly not on it. Whether any specific policy responds depends entirely on its wording, which is the point: you need to know before you fly, not after.
The advisory itself is the second switch. If the UAE’s level rises to “avoid all travel” — a plausible step in an active conflict — standard policies may provide limited or no cover for the destination. What a standard policy may still handle are claims unrelated to the conflict, such as ordinary illness or everyday mishaps, subject to all of the policy’s usual conditions, including pre-existing condition stability rules. But the risks that define this destination right now sit squarely in the excluded categories.
Where the Risk Is Concentrated
Dubai and Abu Dhabi function with precautions, and daily life in both cities is the closest to normal that the region currently offers. But each carries its own scar from the conflict. Dubai, a major hub, saw drone and missile incidents during the war — including near its airport — so flight disruption tends to concentrate here first. Abu Dhabi, the capital, saw strikes on energy and industrial facilities and on residential and hotel areas.
The Northern Emirates, from Sharjah through Ras al-Khaimah, have functioned normally throughout, with airspace disruption the main concern. The east coast and Fujairah, on the Gulf of Oman, are different in character: they anchor the maritime bypass routes around the Strait, and they saw incidents during the conflict.
The water is its own zone of risk. Shipping attacks in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz have recurred into July, and the disputed islands of Abu Musa and the Tunbs are places where vessels have been inspected and people detained. Land borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia can close at short notice, which limits overland options if flights stop.
The practical map for a traveller is less about districts to avoid than about exposures that change with the conflict’s rhythm: aviation, because the country shares a single airspace and disruption affects every emirate; the sea, if your plans involve Gulf waters; and active-strike periods, when the cities’ precautions matter most.
The most-targeted Gulf state in the 2026 Iran war, under a fragile ceasefire.
A general attack risk and Iranian strikes, with threats to US and Israeli-linked sites.
Kidnapping of travellers is very rare.
Street crime is very rare by international standards.
Public protest is prohibited and rare.
Excellent care in cities; extreme heat is the main hazard.
Airspace and flight disruption and Gulf maritime risk.
Strict cybercrime laws, with arrests for posting strike content.
How to Get Covered for United Arab Emirates
Specialist high-risk cover exists for exactly this situation: destinations whose defining risks fall outside standard policies. The differences are structural. War and terrorism cover is included as standard. A government travel advisory does not, by itself, void the cover. Some countries are excluded altogether because of international sanctions.
Red Helm arranges this cover through Hotspot Cover, a specialist provider of travel insurance for high hazard and remote destinations. Its policies are underwritten by Opportuna Insurance PCC Limited — International Risks Cell, a Protected Cell Company licensed in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, with reinsurance capacity from certain underwriters at Lloyd’s of London. You can read more at redhelm.ca/hotspot-cover.
For the United Arab Emirates, cover is available on a specialist basis with war-risk terms applying, in line with the Gulf Transit Cover context used for the region. The destination guidance is specific: cover should include war-risk provisions, medical evacuation, and aviation and maritime provisions — the three exposures this conflict actually produces.
What the cover includes
Emergency Medical and Evacuation covers reasonable and necessary emergency medical, surgical, hospital and nursing charges, including evacuation to the nearest adequate medical facility. Personal Accident cover pays a lump sum if an accident results in death, with cover for permanent total disablement. Every policyholder receives a free pre-travel safety briefing tailored to the destination, covering local risks, emergency contacts and safety protocols. Additional benefits can include funeral costs or repatriation of remains, emergency family travel, natural disaster travel, and search and rescue expenses. Specialist add-ons — kidnap and ransom, political evacuation, and liability cover — are available where they suit the trip.
What it still will not do
Honesty matters here. This category of cover has no trip cancellation, no baggage, no delay or missed connection cover, and no non-medical repatriation. If disruption cancels your flight, this is not the product that refunds your ticket. Active participation in conflict is excluded — though suffering as a passive victim is covered — along with pre-existing conditions within the lookback period, routine and elective care, treatment in your home country, piracy, intoxication and drug-related incidents, and mental health treatment other than a stated PTSD benefit.
No sums insured, prices or limits for this cover are published, so we will not quote figures here — ask, and get the terms in writing. Cover for the most dangerous destinations is arranged on request only and is subject to underwriting, and eligibility is never guaranteed. Claims are adjudicated by the carrier, not by Red Helm, so no one can promise an outcome. By purchasing your policy through us, you will have the added support of your broker when making changes to or any claim on your policy. For ordinary destinations, Red Helm’s marketplace shows real-time quotes from multiple insurers side by side; for destinations under conflict conditions, the right route is a conversation with a licensed advisor. All quotes are subject to verification by our insurance suppliers.
Get a Specialized Travel Insurance Policy
Through our partnership with Hotspot Cover, Red Helm can arrange specialist cover for United Arab Emirates — the kind of policy that will still be there when a standard travel plan is void.
What is Covered
Emergency Medical & Evacuation
Reasonable and necessary emergency medical, surgical, hospital and nursing charges, including evacuation to the nearest adequate medical facility.
Personal Accident, Death & PTD
A lump sum if an accident results in death, and cover for permanent total disablement.
Pre-Travel Safety Briefing
A free pre-departure briefing tailored to United Arab Emirates, covering local risks, emergency contacts and safety protocols.
Additional Benefits
Funeral costs or repatriation of remains, emergency family travel, natural disaster travel and search and rescue expenses.
Cover for the United Arab Emirates is available on a specialist basis with war-risk terms applying, in line with the Gulf Transit Cover context. Dubai and Abu Dhabi function with precautions, while active-strike periods and Gulf waters and airspace require specialist advice, and cover should include war-risk, medical evacuation, and aviation and maritime provisions. Get a Quote Gulf Transit Cover Speak to an Advisor
United Arab Emirates Country Risk Report →
Before You Travel: Practical Safety Steps
The precautions below come from the current destination assessment for the Emirates.
- Track the conflict closely. The 17 June ceasefire is fragile, and strikes and shipping attacks have recurred into July.
- Know shelter procedures before you need them, and follow the national public alert system on any missile or drone warning.
- Never film or share footage of strikes or security incidents. Dozens of arrests have already been made under cybercrime laws.
- Comply strictly with local law, covering drugs, alcohol licensing, public conduct and social behaviour.
- Understand exit bans. A legal or financial dispute can leave you unable to leave the country.
- Expect airspace and flight disruption. Closures and cancellations come at short notice.
- Avoid the disputed Gulf islands and sensitive waters, where vessels have been inspected and people detained.
- Manage the heat. Stay hydrated and limit midday exposure — extreme heat is the main medical hazard here.
Contingency planning is the part most travellers skip. Register your trip with the Government of Canada’s registration service for Canadians abroad before departure, know how to reach Canadian consular officials in the Emirates, and keep your passport and key documents in one place. Be realistic about consular help: services in the country were reduced during the crisis, so build a plan around your own decisions — where you would shelter, how you would communicate with family at home, and what you would do if flights stopped for days. Evacuation belongs in that plan as well: medical evacuation is a core benefit of specialist cover and political evacuation can be added, but the practical details — who moves, when, and how — deserve thought before departure, not improvisation mid-crisis. And keep the digital discipline the conflict has already taught: security incidents stay off your camera roll and your feeds.
Last reviewed: July 2026. Conditions in an active conflict can change within days, so check the current advisory and the situation on the ground before you fly — and treat this article as general information, not personal advice about your trip.
Where United Arab Emirates Is
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