Paid leave is one of the clearest, best-documented parts of UAE employment law — and one of the parts employees most frequently get wrong. This guide sets out every leave type recognised by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: annual, sick, maternity, parental, bereavement, Hajj, study, public holidays, and the rules on encashing untaken leave at the end of a contract. It is written from the employee's perspective and assumes federal private-sector employment; DIFC and ADGM operate separate regimes flagged where they diverge. If you joined a UAE employer before February 2022 on an older unlimited contract, your entitlements have moved across to the 2021 Law.
At a Glance
| Leave type | Duration | Payment | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 30 calendar days/year | Fully paid | After 1 year of service (pro-rated before) |
| Sick leave | Up to 90 days/year | 15 fully paid + 30 half-paid + 45 unpaid | After probation |
| Maternity leave | 60 days | 45 fully paid + 15 at half-pay | Any female employee, regardless of length of service |
| Parental leave | 5 working days | Fully paid | Both parents, within 6 months of birth or adoption |
| Bereavement | 5 days (spouse); 3 days (parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild) | Fully paid | All employees |
| Hajj leave | Up to 30 days | Unpaid | Once per career, after 5 years' service |
| Study leave | 10 working days/year | Fully paid | After 2 years' service, accredited UAE institution |
| Public holidays | ~14-16 days/year | Fully paid | All employees |
| Breastfeeding hours | 1 hour/day for 6 months postpartum | Fully paid | New mothers after return from maternity leave |
| Probation period | No statutory leave entitlement | n/a | Sick leave possible (unpaid, up to 30 days) |
| DIFC / ADGM | Separate provisions | Generally similar to federal | Governed by DIFC Employment Law (2019) / ADGM Employment Regulations (2019) |
Annual Leave
The 2021 Law grants 30 calendar days per year — calendar days, not working days, so weekends and public holidays falling within the leave window count towards the total. An employee booking a full month uses their 30-day entitlement; an employee taking ten working days across a fortnight uses around 12 calendar days.
30 calendar days/year after one year of service
Full annual leave accrues once you complete twelve months of continuous service with the same employer. Most UAE employers run leave year-by-year aligned to the company's financial year for accounting convenience, but the legal entitlement is anchored to your start date.
Pro-rated for part-year
If you have worked between six and twelve months, you accrue annual leave at the rate of two days per month worked. Below six months — typically during probation — there is no statutory annual leave entitlement, although employers can grant discretionary leave. After twelve months, the full 30-day entitlement applies and is renewed each completed year of service.
Carry-over rules
Employees can carry over up to half of their annual leave (15 days) into the next leave year by mutual agreement. Many employers operate a stricter "use it or lose it" policy as an internal HR rule — this is not the legal default, and any forfeiture must be notified to the employee in writing and reflected in the contract or staff handbook.
Leave during notice period
You cannot use accrued annual leave to shorten your notice period unless the employer agrees. The 2021 Law treats annual leave taken inside notice as counting towards notice (so a fortnight of leave does not extend the end date). Any untaken accrued leave at departure must be paid out as cash on basic salary — see termination and resignation for the wider exit timetable.
Sick Leave
The UAE's sick-leave regime is generous in length but tiered in payment, which is the source of most misunderstandings. The ceiling is 90 days per year of service, but only the first 15 are fully paid.
90 days/year after probation
Statutory sick leave is available after probation — typically after six months of service. During probation, employees have no right to paid sick leave; up to 30 days of unpaid sick leave can be taken during probation if a registered UAE doctor certifies the absence as medically necessary. The 90-day annual entitlement resets each year of service, not each calendar year.
Pay tiers: 15 fully paid + 30 half-paid + 45 unpaid
The first 15 sick days in any year are paid at full wage; the next 30 at half wage; the remaining 45 are unpaid but protected — your job is held open and the absence does not count as voluntary resignation. After 90 days of cumulative sick leave in one year, the employer may terminate for medical incapacity, but only after notice and conciliation through MOHRE (the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation).
Medical certificate requirement
Sick leave must be supported by a medical certificate from a UAE-licensed doctor or hospital. Certificates are mandatory for any continuous absence of three or more days and must be submitted within 48 hours of the absence beginning. Certificates from outside the UAE are accepted only if attested by the relevant UAE consulate. Sick leave caused by misconduct (substance abuse, self-inflicted injury) is not paid.
Maternity Leave
Maternity leave under the 2021 Law totals 60 days, structured to support both pre-delivery rest and post-natal recovery.
60 days (45 fully paid + 15 half-paid)
The first 45 days are paid at full wage; the next 15 at half wage. An employee may begin maternity leave up to 30 days before the expected delivery date and take the balance after birth. The clinical context — antenatal appointments, hospital choice, post-natal care — is covered in the maternity in the UAE guide.
Eligibility: any female employee, regardless of length of service
Maternity leave applies to any female employee, including those still in probation and those with under one year of service. There is no qualifying period. The same applies to private-sector and free-zone employees under federal labour law; DIFC and ADGM mothers have separate but broadly comparable entitlements.
Stillbirth and miscarriage provisions
If pregnancy ends in stillbirth, full maternity leave still applies. A miscarriage after six months of gestation is treated identically. A miscarriage before six months is treated as sick leave, so the 90-day sick-leave provisions apply with a medical certificate. Where a newborn requires extended hospital care or has a serious medical condition, the law provides an additional 30 days paid plus a further 30 days unpaid.
Breastfeeding hours: 1 hour/day for 6 months
For six months after delivery, a returning mother is entitled to one hour of paid breastfeeding time per working day in addition to ordinary breaks. This can be taken as a single hour or split into two half-hours, by agreement. The hour is part of paid working time — pay is not reduced and the hour does not need to be made up.
Parental Leave (introduced 2020)
Parental leave was introduced by the 2020 amendment to the older labour law, making the UAE the first GCC state to grant paid leave to both parents. The 2021 Law preserved and consolidated the entitlement.
5 working days for both parents
Each parent — mother and father — is entitled to five working days of parental leave. For mothers, this sits alongside (not instead of) the 60-day maternity entitlement; for fathers, it is the only statutory leave around the birth of a child. Parents of twins do not get double, but a fresh entitlement applies for each subsequent child.
Within first 6 months of birth or adoption
Parental leave must be taken within six months of birth or adoption. It can be taken in a single block or split across the window — for example, two days at the time of birth and three when the partner returns to work. The employer cannot refuse but can ask for reasonable advance notice.
Fully paid
The five days are paid at full wage. Adoption is treated identically to birth, provided the adoption is legally recognised in the UAE or in the home country.
Other Leave Types
Bereavement (5 days for spouse; 3 days for parent/child/sibling)
An employee is entitled to five paid working days on the death of a spouse and three paid working days on the death of a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild. The leave is paid at full wage. A copy of the death certificate is the only documentation employers can require, and the leave runs from the date of death rather than the funeral.
Hajj (up to 30 days unpaid, once per career, after 5+ years)
Muslim employees are entitled to up to 30 days of unpaid leave for the Hajj pilgrimage, exercisable once per period of employment and only after five continuous years of service. The employer cannot unreasonably refuse but may agree the timing. Some employers grant Hajj leave on full pay as a matter of policy — a benefit on top of the statutory minimum, not a legal entitlement.
Study leave (10 days/year for accredited UAE institutions, after 2 years)
An employee enrolled in an accredited UAE educational institution is entitled to ten working days of paid study leave per year for sitting examinations. The provision applies after two years' continuous service with one month's advance notice. Accreditation is determined by the Ministry of Education or the relevant emirate authority (KHDA in Dubai, ADEK in Abu Dhabi).
Sabbatical (UAE national reservists; otherwise contract-dependent)
The 2021 Law provides paid sabbatical leave for UAE national employees called up for military or reserve service. For non-UAE-national employees, sabbatical leave is not statutory and is only available if the contract or company policy provides for it.
Public holidays (paid)
All employees are entitled to UAE public holidays as paid days off. Where business needs require working on a public holiday, employees should be given a substitute paid day off or compensated at 150% of regular wage — see labour law rights for the overtime and public-holiday pay rules.
Leave Encashment and Untaken Leave
Untaken annual leave at end of contract: must be paid out
On termination, resignation, or contract expiry, any accrued but untaken annual leave must be paid in cash. The calculation is based on basic salary (not total package) divided by 30 to give a daily rate, then multiplied by the number of accrued unused leave days. Annual leave for the part-year since the last leave anniversary is added pro-rata at two days per month. This payment is separate from end-of-service gratuity and any pay in lieu of notice. See salary and payslips for the daily-rate mechanics.
Mid-contract encashment: not standard but possible by agreement
Mid-contract leave encashment — being paid for unused leave while still employed — is not a default entitlement. The 2021 Law expects leave to be taken as rest. However, mutual agreement can authorise encashment in particular cases, typically where operational needs prevented the employee taking leave. Some employers run an annual programme allowing staff to encash up to 5 days per year — check your contract.
UAE Public Holidays (annual list)
UAE public holidays are set annually by Cabinet decision. The list combines fixed Gregorian dates with rotating Islamic dates against the Hijri calendar, so the same Islamic holiday falls on a slightly different Gregorian date each year. The total typically ranges from 14 to 16 paid days per year.
| Holiday | Approximate dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January | 1 |
| Eid Al Fitr | End of Ramadan (rotating) | 3-4 |
| Arafat Day | 9th day of Dhu al-Hijjah (rotating) | 1 |
| Eid Al Adha | 10th-12th of Dhu al-Hijjah (rotating) | 3 |
| Hijri New Year | 1st of Muharram (rotating) | 1 |
| Prophet Mohammed's Birthday | 12th of Rabi al-Awwal (rotating) | 1 |
| Commemoration Day | 1 December | 1 |
| UAE National Day | 2-3 December | 2 |
Isra and Mi'raj is observed in some years and not in others. The annual list is typically published in December for the following calendar year. Where a public holiday falls on a weekend, there is no automatic substitute day. Annual leave often gets used for international relocation visits and school transitions covered in relocating with kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much annual leave do I get in my first year?
For the first six months of service (probation) there is no statutory annual leave entitlement, although many employers grant discretionary leave. From month seven onwards you accrue two days of leave per completed month of service, and once you complete twelve months the full 30-calendar-day entitlement applies and renews each year of service.
What if I'm sick during probation?
Sick leave during probation is unpaid but available — up to 30 days, supported by a medical certificate from a UAE-licensed doctor. Once probation completes, the full 90-day tiered sick leave (15 fully paid, 30 half-paid, 45 unpaid) becomes available.
Is maternity leave fully paid?
The first 45 days of the 60-day maternity entitlement are paid at full wage; the remaining 15 days are at half-wage. Some employers, particularly in financial services, banking, and government-related entities, top this up to 60 days at full pay as a matter of policy — check your contract. Maternity leave applies to all female employees regardless of length of service, including those still in probation.
Do fathers get parental leave in the UAE?
Yes. Since 2020 (and confirmed in the 2021 Labour Law), both parents are entitled to five working days of fully paid parental leave to be taken within the first six months of birth or adoption. This applies to fathers as well as mothers, and is granted in addition to maternity leave for the mother.
Can I take leave during notice period?
Annual leave can be taken during notice only with employer agreement. If the employer agrees, the leave days count towards (not on top of) the notice period. Any accrued but untaken leave at the date of departure must be paid out as cash on basic salary. See termination and resignation for the wider exit process.
Can I cash in unused annual leave?
At the end of the contract, yes — and it is mandatory: any accrued unused leave must be paid out as cash on basic salary. Mid-contract, leave encashment is not a statutory right; the 2021 Law expects leave to be taken as rest. Some employers operate voluntary annual encashment of a few days, but this is by agreement, not entitlement.
What public holidays does the UAE have?
Around 14 to 16 paid public holidays per year, set annually by Cabinet decision. The fixed Gregorian dates are New Year's Day, Commemoration Day (1 December), and UAE National Day (2-3 December). The rotating Islamic dates are Eid Al Fitr (3-4 days), Arafat Day plus Eid Al Adha (4 days), Hijri New Year (1 day), and Prophet Mohammed's Birthday (1 day). Working a public holiday entitles the employee to a substitute day off or 150% of pay.
How does Hajj leave work?
Muslim employees with at least five continuous years of service are entitled to up to 30 days of unpaid Hajj leave, once per career. The employer cannot unreasonably refuse, although timing can be agreed. Some employers grant it on full pay as a matter of policy — a benefit, not a statutory minimum.