Leave is one of the most practical parts of working life in the UAE — and one of the most misunderstood. Between statutory minimums, company policies, and contract clauses, it’s easy to be unsure what you’re actually entitled to. This Complete Guide to Employee Leave lays out every major leave type under the UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021) for private-sector employees: how much you get, how it’s paid, how to request it, and where people usually go wrong.
Whether you’re new to the UAE workforce or just want to double-check your rights before booking that long holiday, work through this guide section by section — and keep your employment contract nearby, because your employer’s policy fills in the details the law leaves open.
Quick Answer
UAE private-sector employees get a minimum of 30 days’ paid annual leave per year (after one year of service), 90 days’ sick leave per year (15 at full pay, 30 at half pay, the rest unpaid), 60 days’ maternity leave (45 full pay, 15 half pay), 5 working days’ parental leave for each parent, 3–5 days’ bereavement leave, up to 15 days’ unpaid Hajj leave once during employment, and study leave for accredited courses. Annual leave timing is set by the employer, unused annual leave is paid out on termination based on basic salary, and leave without pay is possible only by agreement. Always confirm the details against your contract and company handbook.
Complete Guide to Employee Leave: Every Leave Type
The table below summarises the statutory leave types. Sections underneath explain each one in more detail.
| Leave type | Duration | Pay | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 30 days/year (2 days/month for 6–12 months’ service) | Paid | Full entitlement after 1 year of service |
| Sick leave | 90 days/year | 15 days full pay, 30 days half pay, rest unpaid | After probation; medical certificate required |
| Maternity leave | 60 days | 45 days full pay, 15 days half pay | Nursing breaks of 1 hour/day for 6 months after return |
| Parental leave | 5 working days | Paid | Each parent; within 6 months of birth |
| Bereavement leave | 5 days (spouse); 3 days (parent, child, sibling, grandchild, grandparent) | Paid | Notify employer promptly |
| Hajj leave | Up to 15 days, once during employment | Unpaid | Muslim employees who have not performed Hajj before |
| Study leave | Around 10 days/year | Paid | Enrolment in an accredited UAE institution; exam purposes |
| Leave without pay | By agreement | Unpaid | Employer approval required — not an automatic right |
Annual Leave
Annual leave is the foundation of the UAE leave system. The minimum is 30 calendar days per year once you’ve completed a year of service; employees with six to twelve months of service accrue 2 days per month. Your employer sets the schedule and may split leave into periods, but most companies try to honour employee preferences when requests come in early. If you want to understand how the two biggest leave types compare, read our breakdown of annual leave vs sick leave.
One point that surprises people: annual leave is counted in calendar days, so weekends inside your leave period normally count — but an official public holiday falling inside your annual leave is typically not deducted from your balance. Company policy governs the detail.
Sick Leave
After probation, you’re entitled to up to 90 days of sick leave per year of service: the first 15 at full pay, the next 30 at half pay, and the remainder unpaid. A medical certificate from a licensed facility is required, and employers can ask for reports from a government health facility for longer absences. Keep every certificate — disputes about sick days almost always come down to documentation.
Maternity and Parental Leave
Maternity leave runs 60 days (45 full pay, 15 half pay), followed by nursing breaks of up to one hour per day for six months after the mother returns to work. Separately, each parent gets 5 working days of parental leave to use within six months of the birth. These entitlements sit alongside each other rather than overlapping. Our dedicated guide covers parental leave rules in full.
Bereavement, Hajj and Study Leave
Bereavement leave is 5 paid days on the death of a spouse and 3 paid days on the death of a parent, child, sibling, grandchild, or grandparent. Hajj leave offers up to 15 unpaid days once during employment for eligible Muslim employees performing the pilgrimage for the first time. Study leave — around 10 paid days per year — supports employees enrolled in accredited UAE institutions sitting exams. Each has its own conditions, so check eligibility before you plan around them.
Leave Without Pay
Unlike the leave types above, unpaid leave is not an automatic entitlement: it happens only when your employer agrees. It’s commonly used for extended personal matters, and while it solves an immediate scheduling problem, it can affect service-linked benefits. See our guide to leave without pay for what to clarify with HR before you request it.
How Leave Accrues and When You Can Use It
Accrual is where most confusion starts. Your one year of service for the full 30-day annual leave entitlement includes your probation period — probation is part of continuous employment, not a separate contract. Before six months, employees generally don’t take annual leave; between six and twelve months, you build 2 days per month.
Sick leave’s 90-day scale resets with each year of service and applies after probation. Maternity, parental, and bereavement leave are event-based rather than accrued — they trigger when the event happens. Understanding these mechanics matters most at two moments: when you’re planning a long trip early in a new job, and when you’re leaving a job and calculating what you’re owed.
Leave Pay Rules
How each leave type is paid — and on what salary basis — is summarised below. “Basic salary” means your salary excluding allowances, unless your contract says otherwise.
| Leave type | Pay basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | Paid (basic salary, typically plus housing allowance) | Unused balance paid out on termination on basic salary |
| Sick leave (days 1–15) | Full pay | Medical certificate required |
| Sick leave (days 16–45) | Half pay | Medical certificate required |
| Sick leave (days 46–90) | Unpaid | Extended absence may lead to termination proceedings |
| Maternity leave (days 1–45) | Full pay | Plus nursing breaks after return |
| Maternity leave (days 46–60) | Half pay | Additional unpaid leave possible with medical report |
| Parental / bereavement | Full pay | Fixed short durations |
| Hajj / unpaid leave | Unpaid | By agreement; may affect benefits |
When employment ends, your final settlement should separately show: unused annual leave payout, notice-period pay, and end-of-service gratuity. Check all three lines on your final payslip — errors here are common and worth catching immediately.
Requesting Leave the Right Way
Good leave hygiene prevents most disputes. Follow this routine every time:
- Check the policy first. Notice periods, blackout dates, and approval chains live in your company handbook — read them before you ask.
- Request in writing. Use the HR system or email your manager and HR together. Verbal approvals evaporate when memories differ.
- Give maximum notice. The earlier the request, the harder it is to refuse on scheduling grounds.
- Attach supporting documents immediately. Medical certificates, exam schedules, or travel bookings for Hajj — don’t make HR chase you. Our employee leave documentation checklist lists what to keep for each leave type.
- Keep your own copies. Save every request, approval, and certificate in a personal folder. If a balance looks wrong months later, your records are your evidence.
- Confirm the return date in writing. A short confirmation email before long leave avoids “we expected you Monday” misunderstandings.
What Employers Can and Cannot Do
Employers have real authority over leave scheduling: they set annual leave dates, can split leave into periods, and can decline specific requested dates for business reasons. They can require medical certificates and set documentation standards through company policy.
What they cannot do is strip the statutory minimums. They cannot refuse your annual leave entitlement outright, pay less than the sick-leave scale, or dismiss you for taking leave you’re entitled to. If leave is repeatedly postponed without a genuine reason, or a balance mysteriously shrinks, raise it in writing with HR first — most issues are administrative errors, not malice. Persistent problems can be taken to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), which handles private-sector labour complaints.
Special Cases: Probation, Part-Time and Resignation
Probation
During probation (up to six months), paid sick leave under the statutory scale doesn’t apply, and annual leave is generally not taken. Your service time still counts toward the one-year threshold for full annual leave, and toward gratuity and other service-linked rights. Always check what your employment contract says about probation terms, since some employers offer more generous terms than the legal minimum.
Part-time and flexible workers
Part-time employees have pro-rated leave entitlements based on their working pattern. The exact calculation follows executive regulations, so confirm with HR how your company computes it rather than assuming a simple fraction.
Resignation and termination
Leaving a job triggers the leave questions that cost people money: unused annual leave must be paid out, leave during the notice period needs mutual agreement, and your final settlement should itemise everything. If you’re planning an exit, read our guide on how to resign from a job properly alongside this one, so the leave and resignation timelines line up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can unused annual leave be carried to the next year?
Yes, if your employer’s policy allows it — many companies permit a limited carryover and lapse the remainder. There is no universal statutory carryover rule, so your handbook decides.
Do public holidays extend my annual leave?
A public holiday falling inside your annual leave is typically not counted against your leave balance, which effectively extends your time off. Confirm how your employer treats this, as payroll systems vary.
Can my employer cancel approved leave?
Employers can recall employees from leave in genuine business emergencies, though it’s uncommon and usually compensated. Routine cancellations of approved leave without good reason are worth challenging in writing.
Is there paternity leave separate from parental leave?
The 5 working days of parental leave apply to fathers as well as mothers — there is no separate additional paternity entitlement in the private sector. Take it within six months of the birth.
What if I get sick during my annual leave?
If you fall genuinely ill during annual leave and obtain a medical certificate, the sick days can typically be reclassified as sick leave, preserving your annual leave balance. Report the illness promptly and submit the certificate — don’t wait until you’re back.
Can leave be denied during peak business periods?
Yes — employers may block leave during defined peak periods through company policy. These blackout windows should be communicated in advance and applied consistently, not invented ad hoc to block your specific request.
Does unpaid leave break my continuous service?
Short agreed unpaid leave generally doesn’t reset your service clock, but long unpaid absences can affect benefits tied to continuous service. Clarify the impact with HR before agreeing to extended unpaid leave.
The Bottom Line
Employee leave in the UAE is generous by regional standards, but only if you know the system: the 30-day annual leave minimum, the 90-day sick leave scale, maternity and parental entitlements, and the smaller leave types that people forget until they need them. The law sets the floor; your contract and company policy build the rest. Learn both, request everything in writing, keep your own records, and check your final settlement line by line. Do that, and leave stops being a source of workplace stress and becomes what it should be — time off you can actually enjoy. For the official text behind these rules, the UAE government’s official portal is the definitive reference.
Last Updated: 8 October 2026
About the author: Zaviyar Sultan is a UAE-focused writer at Paxi, covering driving, visas, banking, insurance and everyday UAE life. His guides are researched from official UAE government and regulator sources and updated regularly.
Paxi is an independent informational website, not affiliated with the UAE government or any agency mentioned; content is general information only, not legal, immigration or financial advice; verify critical details with official sources before acting.