07/07/25

Plan Better: UAE Employee Leave Rules 2025 – Ultimate Guide

BY Katarzyna Kusy

Annual Leave in the UAE

Every full-time employee is entitled to annual leave after completing at least six months of service with their employer. The standard annual leave provisions, as per Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 (UAE Labour Law), are:

30 days of paid annual leave per year for employees with one or more years of service.
2 days of paid leave per month for employees who have completed at least 6 months of service but less than 1 year.

If an employee’s service ends before one year is up, any unused leave for the last fraction of the year must be compensated on a pro-rata basis. Part-time employees are also entitled to annual leave calculated according to the number of hours worked, as specified in their contract (proportional to a full-time schedule).

Additional rules for using annual leave:

Use-it-or-lose-it (within 1 year): Employees should use their annual leave in the year it’s earned. Employers, in coordination with the employee, can schedule leave dates based on work requirements (with at least one month’s advance notice to the employee).
Carry-over by agreement: By mutual agreement and according to company policy, an employee can carry over unused days to the next year. If the employee ends up working during a period that was supposed to be leave, those days worked must be paid out at the basic salary rate.
Accrual limit: An employer cannot indefinitely prevent an employee from taking accrued leave. The law prohibits preventing the use of accrued annual leave for more than two years. Any leave balance remaining when employment ends must be paid out (based on basic salary).
Holidays during leave: If official public holidays or sick days occur during an employee’s annual leave, those days count as part of the annual leave (unless company policy or the employment contract states otherwise).

Public Holidays in the UAE

In addition to annual leave, employees are entitled to paid public holidays as announced by the UAE government. By law, every private sector worker gets at least one day of paid rest per week (usually Friday, unless the contract specifies otherwise). Public holidays are extra days off on top of the weekly rest day, and these too are fully paid days off.

For 2025, the UAE Cabinet has confirmed a number of official public holidays. Some notable ones include:

Islamic New Year 1447 (Hijri New Year) – Muharram 1 (Corresponding to approximately Friday, June 27, 2025, which created a long weekend for many workers).
Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (Mawlid an-Nabi) – 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1447 (Expected around early September 2025).
UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) – December 2–3, 2025 (commemorating the union of the UAE, typically two days of holidays).

On these and other official holidays, employees should not be required to work. If an employee does work on a public holiday, the law mandates either a full day off in lieu (compensatory rest) or extra pay for that day. Specifically, if working on a holiday, the employee is entitled to their normal daily wage plus at least 50% of their basic wage as a bonus for that day. This ensures that employees are compensated for sacrificing their holiday.

(Side note: Companies may choose to offer additional days off at their discretion, but the above are the minimum legally required public holidays. Always refer to official announcements each year for the exact dates of Islamic holidays, as they depend on the lunar calendar.)

Sick Leave in the UAE

Life happens, and employees may fall ill – the UAE Labour Law recognizes this by providing generous sick leave provisions for when health issues arise. After completing the probation period, an employee is entitled to up to 90 days of sick leave per year if needed. These 90 days can be continuous or intermittent (taken as needed throughout the year). The pay during sick leave works on a diminishing scale:

First 15 days: Full pay.
Next 30 days: Half pay.
Beyond 45 days (day 46–90): Unpaid.

In total, an employee could take 90 days off for sickness in a year, with 45 of those days paid (fully or partially) and the remaining 45 days unpaid. These provisions only kick in after the probation period is completed – during probation, there is no guaranteed paid sick leave, though employers may grant unpaid sick days at their discretion.

Conditions and rules for sick leave:

The employee must report their illness to the employer within 3 days of falling sick and provide a medical certificate confirming their condition.
Some situations disqualify an employee from paid sick leave. Notably, if the illness is a direct result of the employee’s misconduct (e.g., illness resulting from alcohol or drug abuse), or if the illness/injury was due to violating safety rules, the employer can treat that sick period as unpaid.
Sick leave does not cover occupational illnesses or work-related injuries – those may fall under workers’ compensation provisions rather than standard sick leave.
An employer is not allowed to terminate an employee while the employee is on a valid sick leave. The job is protected during the 90-day sick leave entitlement. However, if the employee has exhausted all 90 days and still cannot return to work, the employer may then terminate employment with proper notice. In such cases, the employee is still entitled to any end-of-service gratuity or benefits due, but would not continue beyond the 90 days of sick leave.

Maternity Leave in the UAE

The UAE is very supportive of new mothers in the workforce. Female employees are entitled to 60 days of maternity leave in total, broken down as follows:

45 days of fully paid maternity leave.
15 days of half pay maternity leave.

Women can choose to start their maternity leave up to 30 days before the expected due date (i.e., some portion of the 60 days can be taken pre-delivery, with the remainder after childbirth). Maternity leave is available for each pregnancy, provided the employee notifies her employer and provides any required medical documentation.

In addition to the 60-day paid period, there are further allowances if needed:

If the mother experiences illness due to pregnancy or childbirth and cannot resume work immediately after the 60 days, she is allowed up to 45 additional days of leave without pay. A medical certificate must be provided to verify the health condition. This additional leave can be taken continuously or split as needed.
If the newborn baby is ill or has a disability, the mother is entitled to an extra 30 days of fully paid leave to care for the baby, plus an additional 30 days unpaid if required. A medical certificate from a recognized medical authority is needed to support the baby’s condition. This effectively means in special cases a mother could take up to 120 days (60 normal + 60 extended) of maternity leave (the latter half largely unpaid).

When a mother returns to work, the support continues. For the first 6 months after childbirth, a new mother is entitled to nursing breaks during work hours. She may take one or two breaks per day, totaling up to 1 hour, to nurse her infant or express milk. These nursing breaks are fully paid and, in addition to normal rest breaks, meaning the employer cannot deduct pay or force the mother to extend working hours to make up for this time.

(It’s worth noting that UAE law prohibits discrimination against women due to pregnancy. Employers should ensure the workplace is supportive of expectant and new mothers, aligning with the UAE’s goal of promoting work-life balance for families.)

Parental Leave in the UAE

In a progressive move, making the UAE the first Arab country to offer such a benefit, paid parental leave for new fathers and mothers was introduced in 2020. This is separate from maternity leave and is available to both parents in the private sector.

Parental leave entitlement: 5 working days of paid parental leave for either parent. The key points include:

Who can take it: Fathers or mothers can take parental leave (it’s available to both, in addition to maternity leave for the mother). If both parents work in the private sector, each is entitled to 5 days.
When to take it: This leave can be taken anytime within the first 6 months of the baby’s birth. Parents often use it immediately after the baby is born or when the mother’s maternity leave ends, to help with the newborn.
Purpose: It’s meant to give new parents (especially fathers or non-birthing parents) time to bond with and care for their newborn, and support the mother’s recovery and the family’s adjustment to new parenthood.
Pay: Parental leave is fully paid by the employer, just like a regular working day.

This relatively new leave category underscores the UAE’s commitment to family-friendly workplace policies. HR managers should update their leave policies to include parental leave and ensure both male and female staff feel comfortable taking this leave when they welcome a new child. (It’s a good idea to require employees to provide the baby’s birth certificate or other proof, simply for record-keeping purposes.)

Hajj and Umrah Leave in the UAE

For Muslim employees wishing to fulfill religious duties, the UAE Labour Law provides a special provision for Hajj leave. Performing Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca) is a significant event, and employers are expected to accommodate this once in an employee’s tenure:

Hajj Leave Entitlement: Up to 30 days of leave (one month) to perform Hajj. This leave is unpaid and can only be taken once during the entire period of employment with a company. In other words, an employee can only use the Hajj leave benefit once while working for the same employer.
Conditions: Hajj leave must be requested and approved in advance. Employers may ask for proof of the Hajj trip (such as copies of Hajj travel documents) since it’s meant specifically for that purpose. Because it’s unpaid, employees often plan financially before taking this leave.

Umrah Leave: Unlike Hajj, Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) is shorter and can be performed at various times of the year. The UAE law does not mandate a special leave for Umrah. That means there’s no automatic entitlement to days off for Umrah. However, employers may choose to grant leave for Umrah as part of annual leave or unpaid leave at their discretion. Many companies in the UAE are understanding of Umrah requests, but it will typically come out of the employee’s normal leave balance or be treated as unpaid leave if granted.

Note: Hajj leave is in addition to other leaves – for example, if an employee took 3 weeks unpaid Hajj leave, it doesn’t affect their paid annual vacation days. But since Hajj leave is unpaid, employees might coordinate with their annual leave (or even combine the two) to have some of the Hajj period paid. Clear communication between HR and the employee is key in planning this.

Bereavement (Compassionate) Leave in the UAE

The UAE’s labor law recognizes the need for employees to take time off upon the death of family members. This is commonly referred to as bereavement leave or compassionate leave. All private sector employees are entitled to paid leave for bereavement, with the length depending on the relationship of the deceased family member:

Death of a Spouse: 5 days of paid leave.
Death of a close family member (parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild): 3 days of paid leave.

This leave is typically to be taken immediately or within a very short period after the death (to attend funeral services, be with family, etc.). The counting of days usually includes any weekend days that fall during the leave. For example, if an employee’s spouse passes away and they take leave starting Thursday, Thursday through Monday could count as the 5 days if a weekend is in between – so HR should clarify the exact days off with the employee.

Employers might request some form of proof, such as a death certificate or an obituary, especially for more distant relatives, just to document the leave appropriately. However, many employers handle such situations with sensitivity and may provide additional time off or flexibility as needed. At the employer’s discretion, additional compassionate leave beyond the 3 or 5 days can be granted (often unpaid or deducted from annual leave) if the employee needs more time to travel or manage family affairs.

Study Leave in the UAE

The UAE encourages continuous learning and education for employees. Under the Labour Law, if an employee is also pursuing an education, they may be eligible for study leave to take their exams. Key points about study leave:

Duration: 10 working days per year of study/exam leave.
Eligibility: The employee must have completed at least 2 years of service with their current employer to qualify for this leave. Also, the studies should be at one of the UAE’s recognized or accredited institutions (e.g. universities, colleges, or professional institutes within the UAE).
Purpose: The leave is specifically to sit for examinations. It’s not meant for general study time or thesis writing, but rather the days on which the employee has actual exams scheduled. Typically, employees should provide an exam timetable or registration documents as evidence to HR.
Payment: Study leave is fully paid (it is a paid leave, not deducted from salary). However, if an employee has used up their 10 days of study leave in a year, any further time needed would have to come from annual leave or be unpaid, subject to agreement.

This provision is somewhat lesser-known, but it’s a fantastic benefit for working students. For instance, if you have an employee pursuing an MBA part-time or any certification, they can take time off for their exam days without worrying about salary cuts. As an HR manager, it’s good practice to remind eligible employees of this benefit, and perhaps tie it into your talent development or upskilling initiatives.

Sabbatical Leave (National Service) in the UAE

For Emirati employees, the law provides a special sabbatical leave to allow them to fulfill their national service obligations. National (military) service is mandatory for UAE nationals of a certain age, and the law ensures that those who work in the private sector can serve without losing their jobs or income.

Who is eligible: This applies to UAE citizen employees (Emiratis) working in the private sector.
Duration: As required by the UAE Armed Forces or relevant authorities. The length of national service can vary (often several months to a year, depending on whether it’s initial training or reserves duty). The sabbatical covers the full period the employee is officially called up for duty.
Payment: The leave is fully paid by the employer. Employers are expected to continue paying the Emirati employee’s salary and benefits during the national service period, as if they were still working. (It’s possible the government may reimburse some companies for this cost or provide support, but from the employee’s perspective it is paid leave.)
Conditions: The employee should provide the summons or official papers for national service to the employer. This leave is typically granted for mandatory service – if an employee volunteers for extended service beyond what’s required, that might need special agreement. Also, this leave is usually one-time (or as needed if reserve duty is required periodically).

For businesses, having an Emirati employee go on national service might mean redistributing their duties or hiring temporary cover, but it’s a patriotic duty and a legal requirement to allow it. Many companies view it as part of their social responsibility to support national initiatives.

UAE Leave Entitlements at a Glance

To summarize all the above information, here is a handy table that puts all UAE leave types side by side for easy reference. You can bookmark or even print this table as a quick cheat sheet for 2025 leave entitlements.

UAE_Leave_Entitlements Download

As shown above, UAE employee leave rules cover a wide range of leave types to support employees, whether it’s celebrating holidays, welcoming a new child, pursuing education, or handling unforeseen life events.

HR Best Practices

For HR managers in the UAE, it’s essential to incorporate the UAE employee leave into your company’s HR policies and educate your employees about it. Proper tracking of leave, clear communication about how to apply for each type, and ensuring managerial support will make sure employees benefit fully from their rights. Compliance with leave laws not only avoids legal issues or penalties, but also improves employee satisfaction and loyalty – staff who feel supported during life’s important moments are likely to be more engaged and productive.

DNA Recruitment is committed to helping organizations stay updated on labor laws and best HR practices. We bring deep expertise in the UAE hiring landscape and HR regulations. Whether you need advice on updating your company’s employee policies or you’re looking for professionals who are well-versed in local labor law, we’re here to support you. By staying informed and proactive, you’ll ensure a positive workplace culture that attracts and retains top talent.