Insurance in Djibouti

The Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS) administers statutory social protection for employees, public officials, self-employed workers, students and pensioners. Its health system, known as AMU or AMO, can also cover a spouse, dependent children, disabled children and certain survivors under the applicable registration rules. The PASS provides access for people identified by the authorities as having no income or insufficient income through a solidarity fund under the State Secretariat responsible for National Solidarity. Treatment follows the rules of CNSS or its contracted providers. CNSS protection includes health care, family benefits, work accidents, occupational diseases, maternity, retirement and survivors' pensions. CNSS materials cite total contributions of 21.7%, including 5.5% for family benefits, 8.2% for health care and work accidents and 8% for retirement. The published breakdown also cites employer and employee shares of 4% each for retirement and, in one health-care entry, 5% for the employer and 2% for the employee. Because official web materials are not fully consistent, the current contribution basis and rate should be confirmed with CNSS for the relevant employment status. A first employment registration normally requires a 13-digit social-security number, a national identity card (CIN), an employment certificate, photographs and, for private-sector workers, an employment contract. CNSS states that a new card can be issued within a maximum of one week. Registration for the AMU card is followed by registration of family members and other benefits where applicable. CNSS provides the free telephone number 114. Work accidents and occupational diseases receive specific protection. Employees, including those in a probation period, and technical or vocational students can fall within the work-accident rules. For a work or commuting accident, treatment can be covered at 100%, with a daily allowance from the first day. The cited rate is 50% of daily pay for the first 29 days and 75% thereafter. A permanent-disability pension can begin from a disability rate of 11%. The employee should notify the employer on the same day and no later than 24 hours; the employer should notify CNSS within 48 hours. If the employer does not report the accident, the employee can make a replacement report within two years. CNSS normally decides a work-accident claim within 30 days, with a possible additional two months. Occupational-disease decisions are cited as three months, with a possible additional three months. Serious employer fault can lead to an increased pension and conciliation through CNSS, followed by the labour tribunal if necessary. Other cited CNSS benefits include a family allowance of FDJ 1,400 per month for each child, limited to six children and paid quarterly. Maternity protection is listed as 26 weeks with full pay, shared equally between CNSS and the employer. Normal retirement is generally linked to age 60 and a cohort-dependent minimum of 15 to 25 contribution years. A survivor's pension is cited at 50% of the deceased person's pension. Early retirement can be available from age 50 in cases involving a work accident, occupational disease or incapacity, subject to the minimum insurance period. Pension payments are made quarterly. Djibouti also has a regulated private market. An official end-2024 market snapshot recorded six companies, three conventional insurers and three Takaful companies, with total turnover of about FDJ 4.6 billion. Motor insurance represented 58.4% of the market, or about FDJ 2.67 billion. Products include third-party motor liability, accident and sickness cover, general liability, fire, transport and other property risks. The law provides for private life and capital insurance, but the current range of products and providers is not fully documented publicly. A standard household policy covering all private home and household contents has not been established in the available evidence; property protection is instead found through products such as vehicle, fire, transport and other-damage cover. Takaful is an insurance structure based on mutual risk sharing and operates as a regulated alternative to conventional insurance. ATIC has been authorised since 2021. D-INSURANCE received authorisation on 26 January 2026 for branches 1 to 18. The available public information does not fully show the tariffs and wording of every policy, so a provider must supply the actual cover, exclusions and price. The Ministry of Economy and Finance, including the Directorate of Economy and Planning and its Sub-Directorate of Insurance, supervises the private market together with the applicable legal framework. The main cited instruments are Loi n°40/AN/99/4ème L, Loi n°161/AN/12/6ème L, Décret n°2000-0203/PR/MEFPP, Décret n°2014-280/PR/MEF and Arrêté n°2019-213/PR/MEFI. Authorisation is granted by line of business through the competent state process, including the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Supervision can examine records and take place on site. Insurers must maintain technical reserves and solvency, submit contracts and prospectuses to the ministry before use and apply ministerially approved tariffs. The insurer's documents must carry the wording “Entreprise régie par le code des assurances”. A private policy should be purchased only from an authorised insurer or a registered broker or agent. Intermediation is restricted to legally recognised persons, and the intermediary guarantee is at least FDJ 10,000,000. Insurance contracts are generally written in Djibouti francs, although the Ministry of Economy and Finance can authorise an exception. The policy should state the cover, exclusions, claim procedure, payment period, loss assessment method, limitation period and form and notice period for cancellation. Private premiums, deductibles and household or life products are not fully comparable from public information, so the relevant authorised company should provide a written quotation and policy wording. Third-party motor liability insurance is required for every private or legal person, other than the State, that owns or uses a motor vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer. It covers bodily injury and property damage caused to third parties; family members can qualify as third parties under the applicable rules. The driver should carry an insurance certificate and display the required certificate on the vehicle. The proof of insurance is issued without charge and should be provided within a maximum of 15 days after the contract is concluded. A temporary certificate can last for no more than one month. The minimum tariff is approved by the ministry. The COMESA Carte Jaune and the national bureau become relevant for cross-border motor movements, particularly on the Djibouti–Ethiopia corridor. Imported goods and freight can also trigger a local insurance requirement. Import goods or faculties with a free-on-board value above FDJ 500,000 must be insured with a company established or domiciled in Djibouti under the cited rules. Proof may be required for the import licence, customs release and collection of the goods. The cited penalty for non-compliance is 30% of the goods' value, although current enforcement practice has not been separately established in the available evidence. A policyholder must pay the premium and provide accurate information about the risk. A new circumstance that materially affects the risk should be reported within 15 days. A claim must be reported within the period stated in the policy, which cannot be reduced below five working days under the cited rule. Theft and livestock mortality have a 48-hour reporting period. Late reporting can exclude cover only when the insurer proves that the delay caused harm. Intentional misrepresentation or a false declaration can make the policy void or reduce the payment. Motor claims have additional time limits. The police should transmit the accident report within three months. For bodily injury, the insurer's offer should be made within a maximum of 12 months after the accident. If the victim's condition has not stabilised after six months, a provisional offer can apply; the final offer is due within six months after notice of medical stabilisation. The Fonds de Garantie Automobile (FGA) can cover medical costs and bodily injury when the responsible driver is unknown or uninsured, provided the territorial conditions for Djibouti are met and there is a court decision or an approved settlement. Property damage is not generally covered by this guarantee. A yearly policy can generally be cancelled after one year with at least two months' notice. Cancellation after a defined event can be requested within three months; it takes effect one month after receipt and can lead to a proportional premium refund. For non-payment, the cited process allows ten days after the due date before formal notice, suspension only after a further 30 days and possible termination afterwards. Individual health policies and other special groups may follow different rules. No general digital insurance-switching portal is established in the available evidence.