UAE employees plan holidays meticulously to maximise annual leave.
Although UAE Labour Law guarantees 30 days paid annual leave for employees every year, there are a variety of other ways to take time off for workers in the country.
UAE leave explained
Private companies may offer additional time off, but the law protects the rights for these types of leave.
From study leave to a paid sabbatical, find out your rights and entitlements when working in the UAE.
Annual leave in the UAE
Employees are entitled to annual leave if they have completed six months of service with their employer.
It is granted in accordance with the Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations in the Private Sector, the “UAE Labour Law”.
Employees are entitled to a fully paid annual leave of:
- 30 days, if they have completed one year of service
- Two days per month, if they have completed six months of service, but not one year
If an employee’s service is ended before they use their annual leave balance they will get leave for the fraction of the last year of service.
Part-time employees are entitled to annual leave according to the actual working hours they spent at work, as specified in the employment contract.
Employees must use their leaves in the year of entitlement. The employer may, in agreement with the employee set the dates of leave according to the work requirements. Employers must notify the employee of the date of the leave at least one month in advance.
The employee may, with the consent of the employer, and in accordance with company’s regulations, carry over his annual leave balance to the next year. In this case, the employee will be entitled to be paid for the days he/she worked during the annual leave. The payment is calculated according to the basic salary.
The employer may not prevent the employee from using his accrued annual leave for more than two years. On termination of employment, any accrued leaves will be calculated on basic salary only.
The calculation of the duration of annual leave will include official holidays specified by law or by agreement, and any other leaves caused by sickness if they fall within the annual leave unless the employment contract or the company’s regulations have other provisions.
Sick leave in the UAE
An employee is entitled to a sick leave of not more than 90 days per year, only after the end of probationary period. The 90 days’ sick leave can be continuous or intermittent, and the salary is paid as follows:
- Full pay for the first 15 days
- Half pay for the next 30 days
- No pay for the rest 45 days.
However, during the probationary period, the employee may get a sick leave without pay, subject to the approval of the employer and based on a medical report issued by the medical entity that stipulates the necessity of the leave.
Employees are ineligible for paid sick leave in the following situations:
- During the probation period
- If the illness directly arises from the misconduct of the worker, such as the consumption of alcohol or narcotics
- If the worker violated the safety instructions in accordance with the effective legislations in the UAE, and the rules set out in the firm’s regulations, which the employee was informed of
According to Article 31 of the UAE Labour Law, employees must notify their employer about their sickness within a maximum three days and submit a medical report on his condition, issued by the medical entity.
Maternity leave in the UAE
Female workers in the UAE are entitled to a maternity leave of 60 days, out of which:
- 45 days will be fully-paid leave
- 15 days will be half-paid leave
A female worker may apply for her maternity leave up to 30 days prior to the expected date of delivery.
In addition to the basic maternity leave above, women may take additional 45 without pay, if they have an illness as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, and are unable to resume work. The illness must be proved via a medical certificate issued from the respective medical authority. These leave days can be consecutive or intermittent.
If the baby is sick female workers may take additional leave of 30 days fully-paid. This leave can be extended for additional 30 days without pay. The illness or the disability of the child must be proved via a medical certificate issued from the respective medical authority.
After female workers resume work they are entitled to one or two additional breaks each day for nursing their child. The duration of the two breaks must not exceed one hour. Women are entitled to such breaks for six months following the date of delivery. Such breaks are fully paid for.
Parental leave in the UAE
Employees of the private sector are entitled to parental leave of five working days from the day of the birth of their child to six months. The parental leave is a paid leave that can be applied for by both mother and father of the baby.
It was introduced after the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the then President of the UAE, approved the amendments to the Labour Law in August 2020.
The UAE is the first Arab country to grant parental leave to employees in the private sector.
Compassionate leave in the UAE
Employees are entitled to paid bereavement leave of five days in case of death of spouse, and three days in case of death of a parent, child, sibling, grandchild or grandparent.
Hajj leave in the UAE
Employees may be granted a special leave for the performance of Hajj under the provisions that the leave:
- Is given without pay
- Does not exceed 30 days
- Is granted only once during the employment duration with the company
The UAE Labour Law does not have any provisions which entitle the employee for Umrah leave. If the employee requests a Umrah leave, it is up to the employer to consent and deduct from the employee’s annual leave or consider unpaid leave.
Official leave and vacations in the UAE
As per Article 21 of the UAE Labour Law, employees of the private sector are entitled to at least, one day of paid rest per week as specified in the employment contract or work regulations of the company.
The company may increase the number of weekly rest days. Additionally, employees are entitled to a paid leave on public holidays.
If an employee is required to work during holidays or leaves, he will be compensated with another rest day or be paid for that day, a wage as he would be paid on a normal day plus an addition of at least 50 per cent on his basic wage.
Study leave in the UAE
An employee, who is studying in one of the UAE’s certified educational institutions is entitled to a paid leave of 10 days per year to sit for examinations.
To apply for this leave, the employee must have completed at least two years of service with the employer.
Sabatical leave in the UAE
As per the UAE Labour Law, Emiratis working in the private sector are entitled to a paid sabbatical leave (extended break from work) to perform national service.
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