Anyone hired in the UAE should know before signing the contract how many days of leave they have and how much they are paid on each type of leave. Employers need to know these rules too, because the law sets minimums and a contract cannot give less. This article is based on the "Types of leaves" page of the official UAE Government portal (`u.ae`) and the English text of "Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regarding the regulation of employment relationships" published by the same portal; these sources were checked on 25 October 2026.
Annual leave
| Subject | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Amount | 30 days on full pay for each full year of service |
| Service between 6 months and a year | 2 days for each month |
| Part-time work | Based on the hours actually worked, under the contract and the Implementing Regulation |
| When to take it | In the year it falls due; the employer sets the dates by work needs, by agreement or by rotation, and gives at least one month's notice |
| Carrying over | With the employer's consent and under company rules |
| More than two years | The employer cannot stop the worker from using leave accrued for more than two years, unless the worker chooses to carry it over or be paid for it |
| Holidays within leave | Holidays falling within annual leave count as part of that leave, unless the contract or company rules are more favourable |
| End of work | Unused days, however many, and the share for part of the last year are paid on the basic salary |
The text of the law adds one more point: during probation the employer may grant leave from the annual leave balance.
Rest day and public holidays
| Subject | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Weekly rest day | At least one paid day a week, under the contract or company rules |
| Public holidays | Paid leave on announced public holidays |
| Work on a holiday or leave day | A substitute rest day, or pay for that day plus at least 50% of the basic wage |
Sick leave
| Subject | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Condition | After the probation period ends |
| Amount | At most 90 days in each year of service, continuous or intermittent |
| First 15 days | Full pay |
| Next 30 days | Half pay |
| Remaining 45 days | Unpaid |
| Notice | Within three days at most, with a medical report from a recognised medical entity |
Paid sick leave is not given in these cases:
- during probation; the employer may grant unpaid sick leave with a medical report;
- illness caused by the worker's misconduct, such as alcohol or drug use;
- breach of safety instructions the worker had been told about.
Illness caused by a work accident is not covered by this table and has separate rules; see the article "Work injury and occupational disease compensation in the UAE". The UAE Government portal page says the employer cannot dismiss a worker or give notice of termination during sick leave. If all 90 days are used and the worker still cannot return, the employer may end the contract, and the end-of-service gratuity is paid.
Maternity leave
| Subject | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Amount | 60 days: 45 days on full pay and 15 days on half pay |
| Start | From up to 30 days before the expected delivery date |
| Illness from pregnancy or childbirth | Up to 45 days unpaid, with a medical certificate, continuous or intermittent |
| Sick or disabled child | Up to 30 days on full pay, and 30 more days unpaid, with a medical certificate |
| Nursing time | One or two daily breaks, at most one hour in total, paid, for 6 months after delivery |
Parental leave
The father and the mother each have 5 working days of paid leave, which can be used from the child's birth until the child is six months old. The UAE Government portal page describes the UAE as the first Arab country to give this leave to private sector employees.
Bereavement, study, Hajj and Umrah leave
| Leave | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Bereavement for a spouse | 5 paid days, from the date of death |
| Bereavement for a parent, child, sibling, grandchild or grandparent | 3 paid days, from the date of death |
| Study | 10 paid working days a year to sit exams; provided the study is at an accredited institution in the UAE and the worker has at least two years of service with the same employer |
| Hajj | Unpaid, up to 30 days, once during service with the same employer |
| Umrah | The law has no specific provision; the employer decides: approval, deduction from annual leave or unpaid leave |
| National service | Emirati private sector employees are paid during national service |
Two examples
These examples are hypothetical and only apply the official rules above. The pay for each day is set by the contract and the Implementing Regulation; that is why the examples count days.
Example 1: a long illness after probation. An employee who has completed probation is ill for 50 days in one year of service and each time notified within three days with a medical report.
| Part | Days | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| First 15 days | 15 days | Full |
| Next 30 days | 30 days | Half |
| Rest | 5 days | Unpaid |
| Remaining up to the cap | 40 days | In the same year of service |
If the same illness had been during probation, there would have been no paid leave, and the employer could only grant unpaid leave.
Example 2: leaving with unused leave. An employee leaves after 3 years and 4 months of work. They have 12 unused days from earlier years and have not yet taken leave in the last year.
| Part | Calculation | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Balance from earlier years | — | 12 days |
| Share for the 4 months of the last year | 30 × 4 ÷ 12 | 10 days |
| Total payable days | 12 + 10 | 22 days |
The pay for these 22 days is calculated on the basic salary, not the total salary with allowances.
Practical points
- Agree your annual leave dates with the employer early; the employer must give at least one month's notice.
- For sick leave, do not forget the three-day notice and a recognised medical report.
- If your contract gives more leave, the contract applies; the law only sets the minimum.
- Unused leave is paid when employment ends; follow your balance on your payslip or the company system.
- See the probation rules in the article "Hiring in the UAE".
Royal Golden does not give legal advice. This article is general information, and the decision on any labour dispute rests with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the competent UAE courts.
Sources
- UAE Government portal, Types of leaves in the private sector — https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs/Sector-of-employment/employment-in-the-private-sector/Types-of-leaves (checked on 25 October 2026)
- UAE Government portal, unofficial English text of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regarding the regulation of employment relationships — https://assets.u.ae/api/public/content/eb65a60bbff949fa912eddd566613014?v=7174ed78 (checked on 25 October 2026)