How do UAE working time and leave rules work in 2026?
The law caps the working week at 48 hours and 8 hours per day. Annual leave is 30 days per year and sits completely separate from the UAE's 7 official public holiday occasions.
· United Arab Emirates guide
Illustration · Dubai, United Arab Emirates
UAE working time is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.
The maximum is 48 hours per week and 8 hours per day. During Ramadan, working hours are reduced by two hours per day for all employees.
Annual leave is 30 days per year after one year of service. Public holidays are on top of that total, not bundled in.
The UAE has no personal income tax. There is no statutory employer sick-pay insurance scheme. Sick leave is paid directly by the employer under a tiered structure set out in the law.
What is the UAE working-time limit?
The maximum is 48 hours per week and 8 hours per day.
During Ramadan the daily limit drops by two hours for all employees. There is no individual opt-out equivalent to the UK's working-time opt-out.
The rules come from Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 17. The cap applies to the private sector. Free zone companies are generally governed by the same federal law, though individual free zones may issue supplementary regulations.
Ramadan hours reduction
During the holy month of Ramadan, all employees (regardless of religion) in the private sector are entitled to a two-hour reduction in their daily working hours. This is a statutory right, not a discretionary employer policy. The exact dates of Ramadan vary each year and are confirmed by the UAE government.
Overtime
Overtime is permitted above the daily and weekly limits. Overtime must be compensated at the basic wage plus a premium. The law sets the minimum premium at 25 percent above the normal rate for ordinary overtime hours and 50 percent for work on the employee's weekly rest day. Night-shift work carries additional protections.
Employers in the UAE cannot require employees to work unlimited overtime. Any agreed overtime arrangements must remain reasonable and are subject to MOHRE oversight.
What rest periods are UAE workers entitled to?
Employees are entitled to at least one full rest day per week. Friday is the traditional day off in many companies, though Saturday-Sunday weekend patterns are increasingly common following the 2022 working-week reform.
The law requires a break of at least one hour during the working day for any shift of more than five hours. The break is not counted as working time.
| Rest entitlement | Trigger | Statutory minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Daily break | Shift longer than 5 hours | At least 1 hour (unpaid, not counted as working time) |
| Weekly rest day | Every week | 1 full day minimum |
| Daily hours limit | Every day | 8 hours standard (6 hours during Ramadan) |
| Weekly hours limit | Every week | 48 hours |
The 2022 weekend reform
From January 2022 the UAE federal government shifted its own working week to a Monday-to-Thursday workday with a half day on Friday, followed by Saturday-Sunday rest. Many private sector employers followed, particularly in financial services and technology. Some industries, especially retail and hospitality, retain a Friday-Saturday weekend. The specific rest day arrangement is set in the employment contract; the law only requires at least one full rest day per week.
There is no statutory minimum daily rest period (hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next) set out in the cache for the UAE, unlike the UK's 11-hour rule. Rest requirements beyond the weekly day and the in-shift break are subject to the daily hour cap rather than an inter-shift rule.
How does UAE annual leave work?
Employees earn 30 days of paid annual leave per year after completing one year of service.
Public holidays are on top of this total. UAE annual leave and public holidays are separate entitlements, unlike the UK's bundled structure.
The entitlement comes from Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 29. During the first year of service, leave accrues on a pro-rata basis. An employee completing six months is entitled to leave proportionate to the months worked.
How public holidays interact
The UAE's 7 official public holiday occasions are entirely separate from the 30 days annual leave entitlement. If a public holiday falls during an employee's leave period, the public holiday is not counted as a day of annual leave. The employee gets the public holiday day back.
Leave pay
Annual leave must be paid at the full basic wage plus any allowances that are contractually part of normal remuneration. Employers who fail to grant leave are required to pay the employee in lieu at the end of service. Employees who resign during a leave period may have their remaining leave converted to pay.
Carry-over and scheduling
Employers set the timing of annual leave, taking into account the needs of the business. If operational requirements prevent leave from being taken in the year it accrues, the law allows carry-over by mutual agreement. Unused leave accumulates and must eventually be taken or paid out. Employers cannot forfeit accrued leave without compensation.
How many UAE public holidays are there?
There are 7 official public holiday occasions per year. These span multiple calendar days because several Islamic celebrations last two or three days.
Islamic holidays are confirmed by moon sighting close to the date. The exact number of calendar days can vary by one or two days from year to year.
| Holiday | Type | 2026 approximate dates |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Fixed | 1 January |
| Eid Al Fitr | Islamic (moon-sighted) | Late March (2 to 3 days) |
| Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha | Islamic (moon-sighted) | Early June (3 to 4 days combined) |
| Islamic New Year (Al Hijri) | Islamic (moon-sighted) | Late June |
| Prophet Muhammad's Birthday | Islamic (moon-sighted) | Late August |
| Commemoration Day | Fixed | 1 December |
| UAE National Day | Fixed | 2 to 3 December |
The UAE government announces the exact dates of Islamic holidays one or two days in advance of the occasion, once the moon has been sighted. Employers plan shift rotas around this uncertainty. The three fixed holidays (New Year's Day, Commemoration Day, National Day) are confirmed well in advance.
If a public holiday falls on a Friday or the weekly rest day, there is no automatic substitute day-in-lieu in the private sector, unlike in some other countries. Whether a substitute is granted is a matter of employer policy or employment contract.
Parental leave in the United Arab Emirates
Mothers are entitled to 45 days at full pay followed by 15 days at half pay.
Fathers are entitled to 5 days of paid paternity leave.
The entitlements come from Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Articles 30 and 32.
Maternity leave
The total statutory maternity leave is 45 days at full pay followed by 15 days at half pay. This covers the period immediately before and after birth. The employee chooses how to split the leave around the expected date of delivery.
Additional unpaid leave of up to 45 days is available where the mother or child suffers a medical condition arising from childbirth. A medical certificate is required. This additional period is distinct from the paid entitlement.
Employees cannot be dismissed during maternity leave. Dismissal of a pregnant employee or a mother on maternity leave is prohibited under the law.
Paternity leave
Fathers are entitled to 5 days of paid paternity leave. This entitlement must be taken within six months of the child's birth. Paternity leave is paid at the normal basic wage.
Market practice
Many multinational employers operating in the UAE offer enhanced parental leave packages above the statutory floor, particularly for senior and professional roles. Enhanced packages commonly extend maternity leave to three or four months at full pay. Paternity leave enhancements are less common but growing in frequency, particularly in technology and financial services.
Sick leave in the United Arab Emirates
Sick leave in the UAE follows a three-tier structure. The first 15 days are at full pay. The next 30 days are at half pay. Any remaining days up to a total of 45 days are unpaid.
There is no government sick-pay insurance scheme. The employer pays all sick-leave costs directly.
The UAE sick-leave structure runs in three tiers within any continuous sick period. Full pay for the first 15 days, half pay for the following 30 days, and nil pay for up to a further 45 days. The employer pays all tiers directly. There is no state sick-pay fund or insurer-administered reimbursement.
The tiered structure resets per continuous period of incapacity. A brief return to work followed by a new bout of illness starts the tiers again. The law does not set a qualifying service period before sick-leave entitlements apply. Employees are entitled to sick leave from day one of employment provided they have completed the probation period.
Medical certification
Employees must notify the employer of incapacity within a reasonable time. A medical certificate from a licensed healthcare professional is typically required. Sick leave taken without a valid certificate may not attract the statutory pay entitlement, and employers can treat uncertified absence differently in their internal policies.
Dismissal during sick leave
An employer cannot dismiss an employee solely because they are on sick leave within the three-tier entitlement period. Dismissal during sick leave without a valid cause unrelated to the illness is treated as arbitrary dismissal under the law and gives rise to compensation claims.
Market practice
Many UAE employers, particularly multinationals, operate occupational sick pay schemes that pay full salary for the entire sick period, replacing the half-pay and nil-pay tiers with continued full pay up to a defined period such as three or six months. The statutory tiers remain the floor.
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Key sources: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (MOHRE), Huduri UAE leave policy guide, and Zola Group UAE employment guide.
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Check the Ramadan calendar
Confirm the Ramadan start date each year and update your rota. The two-hour daily reduction applies to every employee from day one of Ramadan.
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Draft the leave policy
Clarify whether leave is taken in calendar days or working days, and how public holidays interact with booked leave. UAE public holidays are on top of the annual entitlement.
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Set up sick-pay tiering
Build the three-tier sick-pay structure into your payroll from day one. Full pay, half pay, and nil pay tiers each trigger at different points in a continuous absence period.
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Process parental leave notifications
Collect the maternity or paternity leave notice and the relevant medical documentation. Confirm the pay rate and the leave dates in writing before the employee goes off.
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Record and pay out accrued leave
Unused annual leave must be recorded and either taken or paid out at end of service. Forfeiting accrued leave without compensation is not permitted under UAE law.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum working week in the UAE?
The maximum is 48 hours per week and 8 hours per day under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. During Ramadan, daily working hours are reduced by two hours for all private-sector employees regardless of religion. There is no individual opt-out of the working-time cap in the UAE.
How much annual leave are UAE employees entitled to?
Employees are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave per year after completing one year of service. During the first year, leave accrues on a pro-rata basis. Public holidays are on top of the annual leave entitlement, not bundled into it. The UAE has 7 official public holiday occasions per year.
How does sick leave work in the UAE?
UAE sick leave follows a three-tier structure within any continuous period of incapacity. The first 15 days are at full pay, the next 30 days at half pay, and up to 45 days further at nil pay. The employer pays all tiers directly. There is no government sick-pay insurance scheme.
What parental leave do UAE employees have?
Mothers are entitled to 45 days at full pay followed by 15 days at half pay. Fathers are entitled to 5 days of paid paternity leave, which must be taken within six months of the child's birth. An additional 45 days of unpaid maternity leave is available where a medical condition arises from childbirth.
Are UAE public holidays on top of annual leave?
Yes. The UAE's 7 official public holiday occasions are entirely separate from the 30 days annual leave entitlement. If a public holiday falls during an employee's scheduled leave, it does not count as a leave day. The public holiday is not deducted from the employee's annual leave balance.
The point that catches buyers out in the UAE is the Ramadan reduction. It is not optional and it applies to every employee regardless of religion. You need it in the employment contract before the hire starts. We flag it in onboarding because it affects shift rotas and overtime calculations for that month every year.
The UAE sick-leave structure costs nothing for the first 15 days, half cost for the next 30, and nothing after that.
Run the employer-cost tool before your first UAE hire. The tiered sick-pay model changes how you model absence risk against a flat statutory rate.
Get the Ramadan hours clause right before day one. It is the detail most new UAE employers miss.
