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It is standard practice across the Abu Dhabi market rather than a quirk invented by Daman. Health insurance is mandatory in Abu Dhabi, and when a member moves between insurers or plans, the new insurer needs evidence that her cover has been continuous. A certificate of continuity from the previous insurer proves exactly that: the dates she was covered and that there was no break. Why it matters: medical underwriting allows an insurer to apply waiting periods or restrictions to a member it treats as new, especially for pre-existing conditions. The COC lets Daman carry over her existing continuity, so anything already covered stays covered without restarting clocks. Without it, the application stalls — which is what you are seeing. What to do: contact her previous insurer (or the employer or sponsor who held that policy) and request the certificate in writing, quoting her policy number, Emirates ID and coverage dates. Insurers issue these routinely and usually without charge. If she was on your group or sponsor policy, the request may need to come from the policyholder. Once submitted, the Daman application should proceed normally. If it stays stuck despite the certificate, a lawyer familiar with Abu Dhabi's health insurance rules can help escalate the matter.

A gap does not automatically erase your history, but it does put your continuity at the new insurer's discretion. Underwriters generally accept short breaks between policies — job changes are a fact of life — while longer gaps may lead them to treat you as a new member and restart waiting periods. Where the line sits varies by insurer and emirate, so the honest answer is that a two-month break may be accepted or may not; it depends on the underwriting rules of the specific insurer. What you can do to maximise the chance it is accepted: obtain a certificate of continuity from your previous insurer covering the full period you were insured, so the record shows years of cover with one explained interruption rather than a blank; disclose the gap honestly and explain its cause — a period between jobs while your visa transferred is a familiar story underwriters see daily; and if the new policy comes through an employer, ask HR or the broker to raise continuity with the insurer directly, since group business gives them negotiating weight. Whatever the insurer decides, get it in writing before you rely on the policy for ongoing treatment. A short consultation with an insurance lawyer can clarify how your particular gap is likely to be treated.

The insurance company issues the certificate — it is their record of your coverage — but because your old policy was a group policy, the employer was technically the policyholder, which is why the call centre keeps deflecting to them. Both things are true at once: the insurer holds the data and produces the document; the employer is the customer the insurer prefers to deal with. That does not leave you stuck. Start by making a written request directly to the insurer, not the call centre: email their customer service or group-policies team with your full name, Emirates ID, policy or card number, and your coverage dates, and ask explicitly for a certificate of continuity for the period you were insured. Many insurers will issue it directly to a former member with proper identification, regardless of the employer. If they refuse in writing, escalate through the insurer's formal complaints channel, and from there to the relevant health insurance regulator — the DHA in Dubai or the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi — which takes a dim view of insurers obstructing routine continuity documents. Keep the email trail throughout. If both the insurer and your former employer keep ignoring you, a licensed UAE lawyer can make the request formally on your behalf.

A certificate of continuity (COC) is a short letter from your previous health insurer confirming that you were covered under their policy, for what period, and without a break. New insurers ask for it because of how medical underwriting works: without proof of continuous cover, they are entitled to treat you as a brand-new member and apply fresh waiting periods or exclusions, particularly for pre-existing conditions. With a COC, those restrictions are typically carried over as already served, so your cover continues seamlessly. It is a routine document — insurers issue them constantly when people change jobs — and your old insurer should provide it on request even though you are no longer their customer; it relates to the period when you were. One wrinkle with employer group policies: the policyholder was technically your former employer, so the insurer may ask that the request come through them, though many will deal with the insured member directly if you provide the policy number, your Emirates ID and your coverage dates. Put the request in writing, keep the email trail, and pass the certificate to the new insurer before your policy is finalised. If the old insurer stonewalls, an insurance-savvy lawyer can push the request through formal channels.

Your concern is valid, and the fix is mostly about sequencing. When you join a new insurer, their underwriters can treat you as a fresh member and apply waiting periods to pre-existing conditions — unless you prove continuity of cover. The document that does this is a certificate of continuity (COC) from your current insurer, confirming your coverage dates without a break. With it, your thyroid condition should be carried over as already covered rather than re-underwritten from zero. Do these things before your current policy ends: request the COC from your existing insurer in writing now, while you are still their member and the request is routine; make sure there is no gap between the old policy's cancellation and the new policy's start date, since a gap is the main thing that genuinely breaks continuity; give the COC to the new insurer or your new employer's broker during onboarding, not after; and ask the new insurer to confirm in writing that pre-existing condition cover continues without fresh waiting periods. Keep copies of everything, including proof you disclosed the condition. If the new insurer later disputes cover for medication you disclosed and documented, a lawyer can review the policy terms and challenge the refusal.

A rejection letter is not the final word — you have two distinct routes, and they are not mutually exclusive. First, challenge the insurer: ask in writing for its final position identifying the exact policy clause relied on and how it applies to your accident. Policy conditions that were never disclosed or are being stretched to fit can be contested, and insurers do reverse rejections when pressed formally. If the insurer maintains the refusal, escalate to the regulator — insurance in the UAE is supervised by the Central Bank, and consumer complaints against insurers can be filed through Sanadak, the ombudsman established for banking and insurance disputes, which resolves complaints without court fees. Second, remember that your strongest asset is the police report putting the other driver at fault: independently of your own policy, you can claim against the at-fault driver and his insurer, through the courts if necessary, for the repair cost the accident caused. That route does not depend on your insurer's policy condition at all. Gather the police report, the policy wording, the rejection letter and the repair estimate. An insurance lawyer can read the clause being cited and tell you which route gets you paid faster.

Check before you assume anything — and check fast, because the claim window is short. The unemployment insurance scheme (ILOE) is mandatory for most private-sector and federal employees, and many people subscribed through payroll arrangements or bulk channels without paying much attention, so it is entirely possible you are covered without remembering it. You can verify your subscription status on the ILOE portal or app using your Emirates ID. If you are enrolled, two conditions matter most: you generally need to have been subscribed for at least twelve consecutive months, and the compensation claim must be submitted within thirty days of becoming unemployed — which is why this should be today's task, not next month's. Redundancy is exactly the kind of involuntary job loss the scheme covers, provided the loss was not for disciplinary reasons. If it turns out you were never enrolled, there is no benefit to claim, and unpaid-subscription fines can apply, so regularise your position before your next job starts. Check your old payslips too — a recurring small deduction would tell you the answer. If your employer's payroll handling caused you to miss enrolment you believed was in place, a lawyer can advise whether you have any recourse.

Your colleague is right: employers in the UAE are required to provide health insurance for their employees. In Dubai this has been mandatory under the emirate's health insurance law for years, and basic health cover for private-sector workers is now tied to the work permit process across the UAE — so 'being processed' for three months is not an acceptable answer. The cost sits with the employer; in Dubai an employer is not permitted to pass the premium on to the employee. Practically: put the request to HR in writing and keep the reply, because a paper trail changes the dynamic without confrontation. Keep every clinic receipt — if the employer's failure to insure you forced out-of-pocket spending on care that should have been covered, you have grounds to seek reimbursement. If the card still does not appear, the complaint routes are the health insurance regulator in your emirate — the Dubai Health Authority handles insurance complaints in Dubai — and MOHRE for the employment-law side. Complaints can be filed without it becoming a workplace battle; non-compliant employers face penalties, which tends to produce a card quickly. An employment lawyer can advise on recovering what you have already spent.