The United Arab Emirates (UAE) made headlines in 2020 as the first Arab country to offer paid parental leave to private-sector employees. But parental leave is just one component of the UAE’s statutory leave requirements. Employees are also entitled to paid time off for vacation, illness, childbirth, bereavement, and education.
Companies planning to hire workers in the UAE need to understand the local employment laws governing paid leave, including who qualifies, how much time off employees can take, and whether that time off is paid.
Overview of Paid Leave Laws in the UAE
In the UAE, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 governs employee leave entitlements and sets the rules for private-sector employment.
The law establishes the minimum requirements for different types of leave, including annual vacation, sick leave, and bereavement leave. However, not all leave is fully paid, and the amount employees receive depends on the type of leave and their eligibility.
In order to attract and retain top talent in a competitive hiring market, employers often offer more generous leave benefits than the law requires.
Annual Leave
Employees in the UAE are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave after completing one year of service. Those who have worked for more than six months but less than a year are entitled to two days of paid leave for each month of service.
A few other things to know about annual leave in the UAE:
- Employees must provide their employer with at least one month’s notice of any planned leave.
- Whenever possible, employees should use their annual leave in the year it’s granted.
- Employees can carry unused leave into the following year, but only with their employer's approval.
- When employment ends, employees must be paid for any unused annual leave they've accrued.
Sick Leave
After completing their probationary period, employees in the UAE are entitled to up to 90 days of sick leave per year. They can take this time off all at once or spread it throughout the year, but not all 90 days are fully paid.
Here's how sick leave pay breaks down:
- First 15 days: Full pay
- Following 30 days: Half pay
- Last 45 days: Unpaid
Employees must notify their employer within three days of becoming sick and provide a medical report confirming their condition. During probation, employers can also grant sick leave based on a medical report, but the time off is unpaid.
Maternity Leave
Pregnant employees in the UAE are entitled to 60 days of maternity leave: 45 days at full pay and 15 days at half pay. They can begin their leave up to 30 days before their expected delivery date.
The law also includes a few additional protections:
- Pregnancy or childbirth complications: Women who are unable to work due to a pregnancy- or childbirth-related illness can take an additional 45 days of unpaid leave, provided they have a medical certificate confirming their condition.
- Caring for a sick or disabled baby: Mothers can take up to 60 additional days if their baby is sick or has a disability that requires ongoing care. The first 30 days are fully paid, and the remaining 30 are unpaid, and they must obtain a medical certificate.
- Nursing breaks: For six months after giving birth, mothers are entitled to one or two paid nursing breaks per day, totaling no more than one hour.
Parental and Paternity Leave
Both birthing and non-birthing parents are entitled to five days of paid parental leave in the UAE. For fathers, this time is typically referred to as paternity leave. For mothers, parental leave is in addition to the 60 days of maternity leave they receive.
Parents can use their parental leave within the first six months of their child’s life, and can take it all in one stretch or break up the days.
Bereavement Leave
Employees are entitled to paid bereavement leave when they experience the death of a close family member, which includes:
- Five days for the death of a spouse
- Three days for the death of a parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild
Study Leave
UAE employees who are also students receive 10 days of paid study leave each year to complete their exams. To qualify, employees must:
- Complete two years of continuous employment with their employer
- Be enrolled in a UAE university accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education
Public Holidays
Employees are entitled to paid leave for UAE public holidays, like the Islamic New Year (Hijri) and the end of Ramadan (Eid Al-Fitr). Employees who are required to work on public holidays receive either another day off or their normal pay for that day plus at least 50% of their basic daily wage.
Manage Paid Leave in the UAE With RemoFirst
Paid leave is just one of the many employment requirements companies need to manage when hiring in the UAE. And for companies without a local HR or legal team, keeping up with everything can be a challenge.
That's where an Employer of Record (EOR) like RemoFirst can help. We make it possible to employ people in the UAE without setting up a local entity, handling employment contracts, payroll, taxes, benefits, and ongoing compliance.
RemoFirst helps companies employ people in 185+ countries, including the UAE. Want to learn how we can support your international hiring plans? Schedule a demo.
