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FAQ's

Life Insurance, Medical Insurance, VAT & FACTA

Do you have any questions about life or medical insurance? Go through our list of Frequently Asked Questions, click on the topic and get the answer you are looking for. Can’t find it? Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

ABOUT VAT

Value Added Tax (or VAT) is a tax on the sale of most goods and services. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have confirmed that VAT will be implemented on 1 January 2018, whilst the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will follow soon after (Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman).
VAT is an indirect tax. An indirect tax is a tax which is collected from customers by businesses (e.g. MetLife) and is passed on to the government. This tax will be used by the government to pay for public services- hospitals, schools etc.

The default VAT rate will be the standard rate of 5%. Some goods and services will be subject to VAT at 0%, and others will be exempt from VAT or outside the scope of VAT altogether.

A VAT registered business will charge and add VAT to the value of goods and services provided to customers.  The VAT is collected by the business and paid to the Tax Authorities.

For new policies issued after 1 January 2018, if the product is subject to VAT, the premium payment will be subject to an additional 5%. This VAT will be paid by MetLife to the tax authorities.

The UAE Tax Authorities have yet to announce what exact insurance products will be subject to VAT, although we understand that life insurance will not be subject to VAT (i.e. VAT exempt), but non- life insurance will be subject to VAT at 5%. 

If your policy will be subject to VAT (i.e. non-life policies), we will send to you a follow-up communication with the details of the new premium.

We do not expect VAT to affect the entitlements under your plan.

Yes, if VAT was charged on the premium and you have paid the VAT amount, we will refund the premium and VAT. However, no VAT will be refunded if there was no VAT charged on the initial premium.

If you as an individual move out of the UAE but within the GCC, VAT will still apply. If however you move outside the GCC subject to providing proof of change in address, as well as other proof which may be stipulated by the Tax Authorities, no VAT will be charged on your policy.

LIFE INSURANCE

To help you manage your policy online, we have created myMetLife

To register, all you have to do is:

  • Click here to go to the login page
  • Select "new user"
  • Click on “You have not received your password?”
  • Fill in the verification details correctly and click on “submit”
  • Follow the myMetLife registration steps provided on your screen

Tip: When you are prompted to put in your email address, we recommend that you choose an email address which is main stream such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail. Other domains may have strict filter settings that block incoming mail or identify it as spam/junk.

What happens next?

You will receive an email including a temporary password to complete your registration on myMetLife.

Once you receive the password

  • Click here to go back to the login page and select “new user” then “continue.”
  • Enter your policy number and the temporary password provided to you and click “continue”

 

You’re almost there…

We recommend you change your temporary password. Passwords must be between 8-13 characters, begin and end with an alphabetic character and contain at least two numeric characters. E.g. A12metlifeb

Lastly, you will be asked to provide a secret question and answer.

Done!

Once the registration process is complete, you will be redirected to your account where you can view your policy details, pay premium, etc.

Your email may have a strict filter setting that may be blocking incoming mail or identifying it as spam. Check your spam/junk folder and if you still can’t find your email and temporary password, call 800 MetLife (800 638 5433).

We have listed some of the most common forms below.

Change of Address Form

Declaration & Undertaking Regarding a Lost Policy Form English or Arabic

Policy Loan Request Form

Policy Partial Maturity and Release Form

Policy Maturity and Release Form English or Arabic

Policy Partial Surrender and Release Form

Policy Surrender and Release Request

Change the premium allocation to other funds: Premium Allocation Form

Add supplementary benefits: Request for addition of Recovery Benefit Plan Rider

Request for Policy Change - Life (Change of Name, Beneficiary, Method of premium payment)

Request for Policy Change - Personal Accident (Change of Name, Beneficiary, Method of premium payment) English or Arabic

Update your signature: Specimen of Signature

Tip: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the certificate.

What’s next?

Submit the original completed form to any of our offices or mail it directly to:

Customer Service Department, MetLife
P.O. Box 371916
Dubai, UAE

Once we have received all required documents, your request will be processed in 10 to 15 business days.

If you aren’t sure what documents or other requirements you need, feel free to call us on 80070708 Sunday through Thursday from 8:30am to 7:00pm (except on public holidays)

If you are using an international courier service / registered mail, we recommend that you provide us with an airway bill number to enable us to confirm receipt of your documents.

Your premium payments can be made conveniently using any of the following methods:

Wire Transfer

Our bank details are below:

For Group Customers

Currency: USD
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 01338111005USD
IBAN: QA09SCBL000000000101338111005
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

Currency: QAR
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 01338111003QAR
IBAN: QA04SCBL000000000001338111003
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

For Individual Customers:

Currency: USD
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 02338111002USD
IBAN: QA45SCBL000000000102338111002
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

Currency: QAR
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 02338111001QAR
IBAN: QA13SCBL000000000002338111001
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

Once the transfer is complete, please send a copy of the transfer slip to customerservices.gulf@metlife.com . Don’t forget to provide the policy number for the premium payment! We will send you a copy of your receipt. 

Direct Debit (Credit Card)

You can visit one of our agencies to set up a credit card standing order. Click here to view the agency nearest you.

Online Payment (Visa or Mastercard)

Login to myMetLife and select the “pay premium” option. For more details on Online Payment Steps, click here.


Local Cheque

Cheques can be presented to any of our offices.
Cheques should be made out to “American Life Insurance Company”.

Things to keep in mind

  • Always save a copy of your receipt for future references 
  • Only make payments to an authorized MetLife representative

 

Premium Collection

Contact your MetLife representative or agency to set up the premium collection.

Or you can always call our Customer Service Department on 800 MetLife (638 5433) Sunday through Thursday from 8:30am to 7:00pm UAE time (except on public holidays).

Things to keep in mind

  • Always save a copy of your receipt for future references 
  • Only make payments to an authorized MetLife representative

Not to worry…

Get a free financial check up with one of our advisors to help you identify where you want to be and what you need to do to get there.

Our need based approach will help you identify your life insurance needs and potential gaps in your financial planning and depending on your target goal and the length of your accumulation period, we can help you tailor make the most optimal solution. Contact us for your free financial check up today!

Thanks, but, I want to figure it out on my own…

Sure! Visit our Life Insurance page on our website and see what plan suits your needs.

Still not sure?

Call us on 800 MetLife (638 5433) or simply fill out our Contact us form online and someone will get in touch with you within 2-3 business days.

No. MetLife shares periodical communication via email, SMS and post. If you aren’t receiving any updates on your policy(ies), we may not have your updated contact information.

To ensure you get regular notifications on your policy(ies), update your address and contact details by:

  • Logging into myMetlife and select “amend details” to update your address and contact details


Or:

MEDICAL INSURANCE

To register, all you have to do is:

  • Click here to go to the login page
  • Select "new user"
  • Click on “You have not received your password?”
  • Fill in the verification details correctly and click on “submit”
  • Follow the myMetLife registration steps provided on your screen


Tip: When you are prompted to put in your email address, we recommend that you choose an email address which is main stream such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail. Other domains may have strict filter settings that block incoming mail or identify it as spam/junk.

Once the registration process is complete, you will be redirected to your account where you can view your policy details.

Your email may have a strict filter setting that may be blocking incoming mail or identifying it as spam. Check your spam/junk folder and if you still can’t find your email and temporary password, contact us.

We have contracts with over 1,400 Medical Providers in the Gulf and over 3,200 facilities in India. Locate the medical provider nearest you by clicking here.

Surgery usually requires a pre-approval. If you are using a doctor within our network, your medical provider will typically do this for you.

If the medical provider is not in our network, you or somebody from your family can send us an email at Approval.Submission@metlife.ae with a copy of the doctor’s report.

Outpatient:

A patient who is not hospitalized overnight but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for diagnosis or treatment.

In-Patient:

An insured who is registered as a bed patient in a hospital and incurs daily room and board charges.

You can submit through myMetLife desktop or mobile app.

Once you login, all you need to do is:

  • Complete the online claim form
  • Upload your supporting documents
  • Submit the online claim form

It's as simple as that!

If you are working offsite and do not have access to the internet, please contact your HR department to submit the claim.

MetLife will reimburse you for the claimed expenses according to coinsurance, deductible, geographical scope and reasonable & customary basis that can be found in your policy provisions. For more details on your coverage provisions please login to myMetLife and view your ‘Table of Benefits’.

Did you know that if you go within the network of approved medical providers, you will benefit from:

  • Direct Payment Facility – Only pay your deductible and MetLife covers the rest
  • No claim forms to fill, no documents to collect
  • Pre-approvals are arranged by the network medical provider
  • Treatment is covered at 100% within the Network*

You may also have received a lesser amount because you visited a hospital/clinic outside our network of approved providers. We recommend you visit any hospital or clinic in our network. Locate the medical provider nearest you by clicking here.

A co-pay or deductible is a fixed amount you pay for a health care service, like a doctor’s appointment. The set amount is mentioned on your medical card. You should not be charged the “co-pay” for follow-up visits within 7 days from your initial consultation.

To print a temporary medical card, follow these simple steps:

  • Login to myMetLife desktop or mobile app
  • Select “services”
  • Click on “certificates”
  • Select “medical replacement card”
  • Click on submit and download the file


You will then be able to print your temporary card.

What happens next?

We will issue a new card, which will be sent to your employer in 5-7 business days.

ABOUT FATCA

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is a US tax reporting and withholding law which applies to US taxpayers.

The law is designed to combat tax evasion by US citizens, and it requires all financial institutions including MetLife to conduct due diligence on customers and Partners.

To comply with FATCA, MetLife operations must collect appropriate documentation and information from their customers and Partners to review indicators of US status and determine FATCA Compliance.

FATCA is applicable to ALL financial institutions around the world, regardless of the organization’s place of origin. From July 2014 onwards, no financial institution will be able to operate without complying with FATCA.

In addition, most of the GCC governments (Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and KSA) are in the process of signing Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGA) with the U.S. to allow the implementation of FATCA in all operating financial institutions in their countries.

In other words, no matter what company you use for your insurance services, the company will be subject to FATCA. At MetLife, we are committed to offering you our support and we will continue to update you on any FATCA developments and deadlines.

ABOUT COMMON REPORTING STANDARD (“CRS”)

To help fight against tax evasion and protect the integrity of tax systems a new information-gathering and reporting requirement for financial institutions in participating countries is in place and referred to as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). For the complete list of participating countries, please refer to the OECD website.

Under the CRS, tax authorities require financial institutions such as MetLife to collect and report certain information relating to their customers’ tax status.

If you invest in new financial products or if we observe a change in our customer’s circumstances in some way, we are required to validate a number of details about our customers. This process is referred to as “self-certification” and we are required to collect this information under the CRS.

Please contact a professional tax/legal advisor or check the OECD website for more information on how to determine your tax residency, as MetLife is not at liberty to disclose tax advice.

Ideally, the information needs to be provided once. An updated form shall be required in case of change in customer information and where this may indicate a change in tax residency status. Customers are encouraged to update MetLife records accordingly. In addition, MetLife may ask for updated information as and when deemed necessary.

For individuals, tax residence typically refers to any jurisdiction where customers are liable to pay income taxes or have an obligation to file their tax returns. This can be determined by where the individual works or actually lives. However, there are other contributing factors that are based on each jurisdiction’s tax residency rules.

Even if you have already provided information under FATCA, you may still need to provide additional information under CRS, as FATCA is restricted to U.S. customers and CRS targets tax residents of participating jurisdictions.

For further information on your tax residency, please refer to the rules governing tax residence that have been published by each national tax authority. You can also find out more at the OECD Automatic Information Exchange portal.

CRS is a mandatory requirement. In case you do not want to provide the requested information, then we will not be able to proceed with your MetLife application.

Yes. All new customers will be subject to CRS documentation.

Yes, you will need to provide a separate CRS self-certification forms for each policy.

PREMIUM PAYMENT

A secure way to pay your premium using your debit or your credit card no matter where you are in the world.

All you need to do is:

  • Log into our secure customer portal "myMetLife" using your user ID and password
  • Select the policy you want to pay and click on the “Pay Online” option (You will be redirected to a secure page for premium payment).
  • Pay your premium using your Debit or Credit card


Once you complete the payment, you will receive:

  • An online transaction confirmation message and a Transaction Reference Number
  • An e-mail confirmation of the payment


It's as simple as that!

Don't have access to myMetLife? Get your access today! Just send us a request or speak to our Customer Service Representatives.
 Click here to learn more about the services offered by myMetLife.

No more paper, no more snail mail and no need to remember to pay your premium! You can set up a ‘standing order’ where your payments will be automatically deducted from your account.

Pay your premiums as a one-off payment or as a regular standing order via wire transfer directly to our bank account using the following information:

For Group Customers

Currency: USD
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 01338111005USD
IBAN: QA09SCBL000000000101338111005
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

Currency: QAR
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 01338111003QAR
IBAN: QA04SCBL000000000001338111003
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

For Individual Customers:

Currency: USD
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 02338111002USD
IBAN: QA45SCBL000000000102338111002
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

Currency: QAR
Account Name: American Life Insurance Company
Account No.: 02338111001QAR
IBAN: QA13SCBL000000000002338111001
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
SWIFT: SCBLQAQX

Proof of Transfer

Once the transfer is complete please send a copy of the transfer slip through this form: https://www.metlife-gulf.com/qatar/who-we-are/contact-us/policyholders/

Please select “inquiry” and complete the entire form (all fields must be complete). Please ensure that

  • Under “product type” , you select “insurance purchased by you”
  • Under  the drop down “my inquiry is related to” select “Premium”
  • Under more details about your inquiry, select “other”
  • Leave your comments and attach the transfer slip and click submit.

A traditionalist? There’s nothing wrong with walking into our office to pay your premium.

For cheque payments:

Pay directly at one of the MetLife's sales offices or through a MetLife Collector via:

  • Crossed cheque in the name of “American Life Insurance Company”.


To avail the Collection Service, please call our Customer Service Representatives or email us on customerservices.gulf@metlife.com

For debit or credit card payments:

Walk in and pay directly at one of the MetLife sales offices with your Debit or Credit Card.

To find out where our offices are, please click here.

I’ve missed a payment. How do I reactivate my policy?

If you missed a payment and are worried about your policy being invalid contact us as soon as possible. In most cases, we can simply re-activate your plan with no loss of coverage.