Mandatory UAE Unemployment Insurance Scheme: Here’s how to sign up and avoid fines

The scheme is called the Involuntary Loss of Employment (ILOE) and you can subscribe for it online, or through a total of seven different platforms, mentioned below. To be eligible to receive compensation under the insurance scheme, you must complete a minimum of 12 consecutive months in your previous job, calculated from the day you subscribed to the insurance scheme. Once you are eligible, you will receive 60 per cent of your basic salary for three months if you lose your job due to reasons beyond your control. If you want to know more about the details of the scheme, you can read our guide here.

How to apply for the scheme online

Here is how you can subscribe to the ILOE scheme through their website:

1. Visit the website www.iloe.ae

2. Click on the red button titled, ‘Subscribe Here’, which you can spot at the centre of the screen.

3. You will then be transferred to the ILOE application portal. Next, under the ‘Individual’ category select if you are a private or federal government employee.

4. Next, sign in using your Emirates ID or UID number (Unified Identification Number). To do this, you will have to enter either of these two details and your mobile number to receive a one-time password (OTP) to complete the registration.

5. Once you have entered your Emirates ID number or UID number and your mobile number, tap on the ‘Request OTP’ button.

6. Enter the OTP you receive, after which you will be redirected your ILOE dashboard.

7. The dashboard will show you whether you fall under Category A or Category B, under the scheme.

8. On top of your dashboard, you will receive a summary of your personal details, which you need to review. Then check the box which says ‘I confirm my personal details are correct’.

9. After that, you can choose your ILOE plan – you will have the option to enrol for it for one year or two years. If you choose to subscribe to the scheme for one year, you will then also have the option to pay the premium on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis.

10. Once the plan has been made, you will see the inception date, expiry, insurance cost and the ‘total premium payable’ you will need to pay per month, quarterly, or annually.

11. Once you have selected your preferred option, check the ‘terms and conditions’ box, after going through the document.

12. Click on ‘Pay now’.

13. You will first be asked to enter your email address (optional) to receive the insurance certificate via email.

14. Next, you will be transferred to the online payment channel, where you will need to enter your credit card details.

15. After that, an OTP will be sent to the number registered with your card. Enter the OTP for the payment to go through.

16. Once you have received the payment confirmation, you will also receive an insurance certificate via email. Alternative, you can log in to your ILOE dashboard, to download the pdf version of your insurance certificate.

Deadline to subscribe – June 30, 2023

As per the Ministerial Resolution No. 604 of 2022 regarding the Involuntary Loss of Employment (ILOE) , eligible employees have a grace period of six months – till June 30, 2023 – to subscribe in the ILOE. If the insured worker was employed at a date later than Jan 1, 2023, he or she will have a grace period of four months to subscribe, starting from the day he or she landed in the UAE or the day the ‘Visa Change Status’ was completed.

Fine for failing to subscribe

If you fail to subscribe to the scheme once the deadline has passed, a fine of Dh400 will be imposed (unless the deadline is extended).

Fine for missing premium installment

According to Article 9 (2) of Ministerial Resolution No. 604 of 2022 concerning Unemployment Insurance Scheme: “In the event that the insured [individual] fails to pay the insurance premiums according to the selected payment frequency for a period exceeding three months from the due date, the insurance certificate will be canceled and a penalty of Dh200 will be imposed.”