Annual Leave in the UAE: Your Entitlement Under the Labour Law

Published · by JOBB GROUP FZE

Most private-sector employees in the UAE are entitled to at least 30 days of paid annual leave for each full year of service. The rules sit in Article 29 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (the UAE Labour Law), with the detail in its implementing regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022. This page answers the questions employees ask most often, with the article numbers so you can check the wording yourself. It reflects the law as published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), checked in November 2026.

The law sets minimums. Your contract or company policy can give you more, but not less.

How many days of annual leave do I get in the UAE?

Article 29(1) sets three rules:

  • A full year of service: at least 30 days of paid leave for each year.
  • More than six months but less than a year: 2 days for each month of service.
  • When you leave part-way through a year: leave for the fraction of that last year you worked.

The law counts leave in days, not working days, so check how your employer counts weekends inside a leave period; many company policies spell this out.

Can I take leave in my first year or during probation?

Yes, if your employer agrees. Article 29(3) allows the employer to let you take days from your annual leave balance during probation. If your employment ends because you did not pass probation, you keep the right to be paid for any balance you had not used.

Outside probation, the two-days-a-month rule above applies once you pass six months of service. For the first six months, the law does not set a separate accrual; what you build up is covered by the part-year rule when you leave, and many employers set their own policy, so read yours.

How is annual leave worked out for part-time employees?

Part-time workers get leave based on the hours they actually work for the employer (Article 29(2) of the law and Article 18 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022). As Gulf News summarised Article 18, the calculation is:

  1. Convert your total working hours into working days, counting at most eight hours as one day.
  2. Divide by the number of working days a full-time employee works in the year.
  3. Multiply by the full-time entitlement of 30 days.
  4. Round any fraction up to a whole day. The minimum is five working days a year.

Illustration: someone who works four hours a day, five days a week, for a full year works roughly half of full-time hours, so their leave comes to about 15 days. Your contract should state your exact entitlement.

Who decides when I take my leave?

The employer can set the dates, but not without you. Under Article 29(4), leave should be taken in the year it falls due. The employer may set the dates according to work needs and in agreement with you, or rotate leave between staff to keep the business running. Either way, the employer must tell you the date at least one month in advance.

In practice, this is why many companies ask for leave requests well ahead, and why peak seasons may be closed to leave in some roles. If you have fixed plans, such as a family event abroad, raise them early and get the approval in writing.

Can I carry unused leave into next year?

Yes, with your employer’s approval and in line with company rules. Article 29(5) lets you carry forward all or part of your balance into the following year. The implementing regulation adds detail on carried-over days and cash allowances, and company policies often set their own limit on how much can roll over. If your balance is building up, agree a plan in writing rather than assuming the days will still be there.

Can my employer stop me from using my leave?

Not indefinitely. Article 29(8) says the employer may not prevent you from using leave you have accrued for more than two consecutive years, unless you choose to carry it forward or take a cash allowance for it, under the company’s rules and the implementing regulation.

Do public holidays during my leave count as leave days?

Yes, unless your contract or company policy says otherwise. Article 29(7) says official holidays and other days off that fall inside your annual leave are counted as part of it. In other words, if a two-day public holiday falls inside a ten-day leave, those two days are normally part of the ten, not added on top. Your contract or the company’s rules can be more generous; check them before you plan travel around a holiday.

Different rules apply if you work on a public holiday: Article 28 gives you either a replacement day off or your normal wage for the day plus at least 50% of your basic wage.

Can I add other types of leave to my annual leave?

Only some. According to Khaleej Times’ reading of Article 21(5) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, annual leave can be combined with bereavement leave, parental leave or unpaid leave. Sick leave and study leave are not in that list, so ask HR how your company handles them before you plan a long absence.

What happens if I fall sick during annual leave?

The law does not deal with this situation directly. Article 31 gives employees who have finished probation up to 90 days of sick leave a year (the first 15 at full pay, the next 30 at half pay, the rest unpaid), but it does not say whether sick days inside a holiday convert from annual leave to sick leave. Some employers allow it if you report the illness straight away and provide a medical certificate. Ask before you assume, and keep the paperwork.

Am I paid during annual leave, and on what wage?

Annual leave is paid. Article 29(6) entitles you to your wage for the leave period, and Article 29(1) describes it as leave “with full wage”. The law ties the cash payment for unused leave to your basic wage (see the next question), which is one reason the split between basic salary and allowances in your contract matters.

Will I be paid for unused leave when I leave the job?

Yes. Under Article 29(9), if you leave before using your accrued leave, you are paid for the unused days, whatever their number, plus leave for the fraction of your last year. The payment is calculated on your basic wage. The UAE government portal confirms this, and it must be paid with your other final dues, which Article 53 requires within 14 days of the contract ending.

How is the payment for unused leave calculated?

Multiply your unused days by your daily basic wage. The law does not say how to convert a monthly wage into a daily one, and two methods are used in practice:

Method Daily basic wage 12 unused days
Monthly basic ÷ 30 AED 6,000 ÷ 30 = AED 200 AED 2,400
Monthly basic × 12 ÷ 365 AED 6,000 × 12 ÷ 365 ≈ AED 197.26 ≈ AED 2,367

Illustrative figures only. If your final settlement looks wrong, ask HR which method they used, and compare it with your payslips and leave records.

Can I take unpaid leave?

Yes, if your employer approves it. Article 33 allows unpaid leave by agreement. Two consequences are easy to miss: unpaid leave does not count towards your period of service, and it does not count for retirement-scheme contributions. Because end-of-service gratuity depends on continuous service, long unpaid breaks can reduce it.

Do these rules apply in free zones?

Two financial free zones have their own employment laws, so the federal rules above do not apply to employees there:

  • Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM): the ADGM Employment Regulations 2024 set a minimum of 20 working days a year, with UAE public holidays on top, and allow at least five untaken working days to be carried over for up to 12 months, after which they expire.
  • Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC): the DIFC Employment Law has its own leave rules. Check the DIFC authority’s guidance and your contract.

Federal and local government employees and domestic workers are outside the Labour Law as well (Article 2) and have their own rules. If you work in any other free zone, confirm with HR or the free-zone authority which rules your contract follows.

Practical tips

  • Keep every leave approval in writing, along with your payslips. If a dispute arises at the end of your contract, these records are your evidence. Saving them as one PDF with free PDF tools makes them easy to find.
  • Check your balance on your payslip or HR system each quarter, so you are not surprised when you leave.
  • If you plan to resign, take or agree payment for your leave before your last day, and confirm in writing how it will appear in your final settlement.
  • If you are weighing a move, update your resume before you hand in notice, not during it.

Where to get help

If you cannot resolve a leave dispute with your employer, you can contact MoHRE through its app, website or call centre on 600590000, or call its toll-free labour claims and advisory line on 80084. This article is general information, not legal advice; for a specific case, speak to MoHRE or a lawyer licensed in the UAE.

Sources

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