STD and HIV test prices in Dubai: what you should expect to pay

Why prices vary so much

Two STD tests with the same headline number of "parameters" can be very different products. Before comparing prices, check four things:

1. Which infections are included. A small panel may cover HIV, syphilis and hepatitis but not chlamydia or gonorrhoea, which are among the most common infections.
2. Which sites are sampled. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea can be present only in the throat or rectum. A urine-only test can miss them.
3. Where the sample is taken. Clinic, lab walk-in, or a nurse at your home or hotel. Some providers add a collection fee.
4. What happens after. Some services email you a lab report. Others have a physician explain the results and arrange treatment if anything is positive.

Typical published prices in Dubai

These ranges come from prices published by Dubai labs, clinics and home-healthcare services in 2026. They are a guide only; prices change, and many providers run offers.

What a comprehensive panel should include

A thorough sexual health screen usually covers:

• HIV
• syphilis
• hepatitis B and hepatitis C
• chlamydia and gonorrhoea, from urine and, where relevant, throat and rectal swabs
• trichomoniasis
• Mycoplasma genitalium
• often herpes (by swab if there is a sore), and other organisms depending on the lab

Ask for the full list of what is tested and from which samples. A long list of parameters is less important than testing the right sites at the right time.

What Hollis charges

Our home STI screen is AED 2,500. That puts it near the top of the published range, so it is worth being clear about what the price includes:

• a 32-test screen including HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis and Mycoplasma genitalium
• throat and rectal swabs where relevant
• collection by our licensed team at your home, hotel or office
• results in 24 to 48 hours, explained by a physician
• treatment arranged at home if anything is positive (STI treatment is AED 1,300)

If you only need a single HIV test, or a small panel, a lab walk-in will usually cost less. If you want everything tested properly, at home, with a physician on the other end, that is what our fee covers.

Does insurance pay?

Sometimes, but often not for elective sexual health screening on basic plans, and the DHA's Essential Benefits Plan excludes HIV-related care. Claiming also means your insurer sees the test. See will my employer or insurer see my STD test.

Timing matters more than price

The cheapest test is the one you do not have to repeat. Testing too early after an exposure can give a false negative, so check the window periods first. And if a possible HIV exposure was less than 72 hours ago, the priority is PEP, not a test.

Self-test kits

HIV self-test kits are offered online in the UAE, but not all are registered with UAE regulators. A finger-prick antibody self-test can miss a recent infection, it does not test for other STIs, and there is no physician to explain a result or arrange treatment. If you use one, confirm any reactive result, and any worrying negative, with a lab test.