How to complain about a life insurer in the UAE

Complain to the insurer first. If it does not reply or you are not satisfied, take the complaint to Sanadak, which describes itself as an independent financial ombudsman unit and works to the regulations of the Central Bank of the UAE.¹ Sanadak says it handles life and investment insurance cases.²

Where do you complain first?

To the insurer, in writing. Sanadak may reject a complaint if you did not first raise an official complaint with the insurer.³ Insurers publish a complaints route in their key features documents. Sukoon’s, for example, gives 800 SUKOON (785666) inside the UAE, +971 4 230 2599 from abroad and complaints@sukoon.com.⁴

Send the complaint to the insurer even if a bank or adviser sold you the policy, and keep proof of the date.

How long must you wait before going to Sanadak?

Sanadak’s own pages differ. Its eligibility page says 15 calendar days after you complained, with no written response or a response you are not satisfied with.³ Its FAQs say to wait 30 calendar days for a response.²

Waiting 30 days meets both. If the insurer replies sooner and you are not satisfied, you can go to Sanadak once the 15 days on the eligibility page have passed.

Can Sanadak take your complaint?

It accepts complaints about how an insurer provided or offered a product or service, about a refusal that discriminates on family or socio-economic status, gender or minority status, and about loss from deceptive, misleading, fraudulent or unfair conduct.³ It may reject a complaint that:

• you did not raise with the insurer first, or raised less than 15 days ago;
• repeats one already made, is before a court, or has been settled;
• is outside the Central Bank’s mandate, or is mainly about the insurer’s risk management, internal pricing or anti-money laundering policies.³

It must be against an insurer licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE.² Complaints are open to individuals, sole proprietors and small and medium businesses.³

You can complain up to three years from the conduct, or up to two years from when you became aware of it, whichever is longer. Sanadak says some exceptions may be considered.²

How do you file it?

Online. Sanadak’s site sends insurance complaints to its own portal, smartservices.sanadak.gov.ae, and complaints about banks to the Central Bank’s portal.¹ It also has a mobile app. Phone 800SANADAK (800 72 623 25) or email info@sanadak.gov.ae for help.²

Filing is free for consumers and small businesses.² Upload your letter to the insurer, its reply, and the policy documents.

What happens after you file?

Sanadak accepts or rejects the complaint in writing, reviews it, may ask both sides for more documents, and then decides whether it is upheld, partly upheld or rejected. If upheld, it can direct the insurer to take corrective action.⁵ If you accept the outcome the case is closed within five working days.⁵

Sanadak’s FAQs say this applies to complaints against insurers, while complaints against banks can go straight to court. The courts may take Sanadak’s investigation into account.²

What if you disagree with the decision?

Either side can appeal. Appeals about insurers go to the Insurance Dispute Resolution Committee. The fee is AED 500 per appeal, refunded if the decision goes in your favour.² Sanadak’s process page gives 30 complete business days from its decision to appeal.⁵ The FAQs say the committee aims to decide within twenty working days of receiving all documents, which may be extended, and that its decision is Sanadak’s final one.²⁵

Mark the 30-business-day appeal deadline in your calendar on the day the decision arrives.

What can you complain about on a life policy?

Common grounds tied to the Central Bank’s life insurance instructions include:

• not being given an illustration, the red page of surrender values, or a signed warning on a plan with little protection;⁶
• a refund within the free-look period with deductions other than medical underwriting costs;⁶
• being talked into replacing a policy you held, called churning, which is banned;⁶
• charges that were not disclosed.⁶

For a rejected claim, the insurer’s reason is often non-disclosure. Under the law in force from 1 June 2026, an insurer may ask to end the contract if you hid a fact or gave a wrong statement in bad faith. Without fraud or bad faith it must return the premiums, or the part for which it bore no risk.⁷ A claim against an insurer cannot be heard after three years from the event, with the period running from when those concerned became aware of the insured event.⁷

Ask the insurer to give its reason for a rejection in writing, with the clause it relies on.