UAE Annual Leave Entitlement 2026: 30 Days, Carry-Forward, Leave Pay and Every Other Paid Leave

In short: A private-sector worker in the UAE gets at least 30 calendar days of annual leave on full pay for each year of service, and 2 days for each month once service passes six months but is under a year (Article 29, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021). Weekends and public holidays inside the leave count as part of it. With the employer’s approval, up to half the year’s leave, 15 days, can be carried into the next year (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 19). Unused days are paid in cash on the basic wage when the job ends, within 14 days (Article 53). If leave is blocked or unpaid, MOHRE handles the complaint.

UAE annual leave entitlement is the paid holiday every private-sector worker earns under Article 29 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: at least 30 calendar days on full pay for each year of service, two days for each month once service passes six months but is under a year, and a proportionate share for the final part-year when employment ends. The employer fixes the dates with one month’s notice, may approve carrying up to half the year’s leave into the next year, and must pay any unused annual leave in cash on the basic wage when the contract ends. The detail for part-time workers and for carry-forward is in the Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022.

This guide is written from the text of the Decree-Law and the Executive Regulation on uaelegislation.gov.ae, the u.ae government portal, Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 on public holidays, MOHRE’s 2026 holiday announcements, the Domestic Workers Decree-Law and the published ADGM rules, first checked on 23 September 2026. On 10 October 2026 we re-checked Articles 29, 31, 53 and 54 against MOHRE’s consolidated text of the Decree-Law, the carry-forward and leave-pay rules against our leave law chapter, and every leave rule against the u.ae leave page (updated 24 September 2026). Where the official sources disagree, we show both.

UAE annual leave entitlement at a glance

Each rule, what it says and where it is written. “Decree-Law” means Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021; “Executive Regulation” means Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022.

UAE annual leave entitlement: how MIRDXB PRO helps

People rarely come to us because they do not know that annual leave exists. They come because a number looks wrong: the balance on the HR system is lower than their own count, the final settlement shows leave pay on a figure they do not recognise, or a manager has refused leave for the third year running. We are a PRO and visa services firm in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. We check annual leave balances and settlements against the law, draft the written request to the employer, and file and follow MOHRE complaints when the answer does not come.

If you already know the leave pay or settlement is wrong, the direct route is our labour dispute and MOHRE complaint service. For employers, leave policies, contracts and final settlements sit inside our PRO services in Dubai.

What we do

• Rebuild your balance from the documents: joining date, contract wording, approvals, dates taken and any carry-forward agreement, with the annual leave calculation shown line by line.
• Check the pay: whether leave salary while you were away used the full wage, and whether unused annual leave in the settlement used the basic wage and the right day count.
• Draft the written request to the employer, citing the article that applies, so there is a dated record before anything is escalated.
• File and follow the MOHRE complaint when leave is refused beyond the legal limit or leave pay is withheld, and keep you told at each stage.
• For employers: review the annual leave policy and prepare final settlements that separate leave pay, gratuity and notice pay.

How it works

1. WhatsApp us first with your contract, latest payslip, joining date and whatever leave record you have: HR screenshots, emails, approvals.
2. We run the numbers and send our calculation, with the article behind each step and anything we think is missing.
3. You decide whether to raise it yourself using our note, or have us take it on for a fee quoted in writing.
4. We close the file when the leave is granted, the money is paid or MOHRE has decided, and tell you which documents to keep.

What it costs

Government charges, such as a MOHRE or typing-centre fee where one applies, are passed on at cost with the receipt. Our own fee is quoted in writing before we start and depends on the job: checking one annual leave balance is not the same work as a complaint with a settlement and a visa cancellation behind it. You can see how we price on our fees page.

Why residents use us

• We publish our sources: every rule on this page names the article that sets it and links to the official text.
• We handle MOHRE, GDRFA Dubai and ICP, so a leave dispute, a final settlement and the visa that depends on them are dealt with together.
• We tell you when you do not need us. If the employer’s figure is right, we say so.
• Our office is in Al Barsha 1, open by appointment; whatsApp us any time, 24 hours; office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 (Dubai time), and we can act under power of attorney if you have already left the UAE.

Who these annual leave UAE rules cover

Article 29 is part of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, in force since 2 February 2022. It applies to employers and workers in the private sector across all seven emirates, and to establishments in free zones except where a free zone has its own employment law. The two that matter in practice are the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), which run separate employment codes with different leave rules.

Three groups are outside the Labour Law: government employees, the armed forces, police and security services, and domestic workers employed by households, who are covered by Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022. We summarise the domestic worker, DIFC and ADGM leave rules further down.

Your work permit and contract tell you which rules apply: MOHRE means Article 29, DIFC or ADGM means that zone’s law, and a household contract means Decree-Law 9 of 2022.

Article 29 clause by clause

Most arguments about annual leave come from reading one clause and ignoring the rest. Article 29 has ten clauses: the entitlement (1), part-time workers (2), probation (3), scheduling and notice (4), carry-forward approval (5), leave wage (6), rest days inside leave (7), the two-year limit (8), payment for unused days (9) and a pointer to the Executive Regulation (10). The table at the top of this page maps each one.

The two Executive Regulation articles that matter most are Article 18, which gives the part-time formula, and Article 19, which caps carry-forward at half the annual leave, sets the wage for cash in lieu during employment, and says the cash equivalent paid when service ends is calculated on basic salary. We take each of these in turn below.

A note on wording: the official English translation on uaelegislation.gov.ae is not always elegant, and the Arabic text prevails where they differ. We paraphrase carefully and quote only where the exact words matter. If you want the official wording of Articles 29 to 35 and Regulation Articles 18 to 21 with a plain-English note under each, read our UAE leave law explained chapter; this guide stays with the practical questions: balances, pay and disputes.

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

At least 30 days a year once you have completed a year of service, 2 days a month between six months and a year, and no statutory minimum before six months. The annual leave calculation depends on where you are in your service. There are four stages, and the law treats each one differently.

After one full year: 30 days a year

Once you have completed a year, the entitlement is at least 30 days for each year of service. It does not rise with seniority under the law. Some employers add days for long service or for senior grades; that is a contract benefit, and Article 65(3) makes it binding once it is in your contract or the company’s written rules.

The annual leave year normally runs from your joining date, not from 1 January, unless the contract or policy fixes a calendar leave year. If yours runs on a calendar year, check how the first part-year was handled when you joined; it should have been pro rata.

More than six months but less than a year: two days a month

Article 29(1)(b) gives two days for each month when service is more than six months and less than one year. The ordinary reading, and the one most employers apply, is that the two days count for every month of service once the six-month mark is passed, not only for the months after it. So a worker at seven months has 14 days, at nine months 18 days and at eleven months 22 days.

At twelve months the rule switches to the full year and the balance becomes 30 days. The jump from 22 to 30 between month eleven and month twelve is a feature of the statute, not a mistake on the HR system.

Six months or less, and probation

For the first six months the statute sets no minimum. Many contracts give leave from day one, often at 2.5 days a month, and that is valid. If yours does not, you have no statutory annual leave balance until service passes six months.

Article 29(3) adds a wrinkle. It lets the employer agree to grant leave from the balance during probation, and says that a worker who does not pass probation keeps the right to be compensated for the remaining balance. Because probation cannot exceed six months (Article 9), a worker who fails probation has usually served six months or less, when Article 29(1)(b) gives no statutory days. The two clauses are not easy to reconcile. Our reading is that Article 29(3) protects any balance that exists, from the contract or from service beyond six months, rather than creating a new one. If your contract gives leave from day one, the unused days are payable even if probation ends badly. Our probation period guide covers the probation rules themselves.

The final part-year

Article 29(1)(c) gives leave for the part of the last year worked when service ends before the balance is used. If you leave three years and seven months after joining, you are owed the unused days from the completed years plus 7/12 of 30 days, which is 17.5 days, for the final year. Whether the half day is rounded up is a matter for the contract or policy; the law does not say.

The table shows days earned, not days owed. To get the balance owed you subtract every day taken, including weekends and holidays inside each leave period, and add any days validly carried forward or subtract any already paid in cash.

When a new employer starts the clock again

Annual leave is earned against service with one employer. The old employer pays unused annual leave in cash, and the new job starts from zero, including the six-month period, unless the new contract is more generous or a group company agrees in writing to take over your service.

Is UAE annual leave 30 calendar days or 30 working days?

Calendar days. The law gives 30 days of annual leave, not 30 working days. Article 29(7) says rest days fixed by law or agreement that fall within the leave are counted as part of it, unless the contract or company rules are more beneficial. The u.ae annual leave page puts it the same way for public holidays and agreed days off inside the leave period.

On a Monday-to-Friday week, 30 calendar days contain eight or nine weekend days, so a full year’s leave taken in one block gives about 21 or 22 working days away. Taken in short blocks that start on a Monday and end on a Friday, the same 30 days go further, because each block uses up the weekend only when it runs across it.

A Monday-to-Friday week of annual leave usually costs five days, because the weekends either side are not inside it. A block that runs across a weekend or a holiday costs those days too. If your contract says “working days”, that is more beneficial and it prevails.

Official holidays that fall during your leave

Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 sets the official holidays for both public and private sectors, and Article 3 of that resolution says a holiday is not moved to another day when it falls on a weekend or on another holiday. There is no replacement day when Eid lands on your Saturday. Combined with Article 29(7), the practical result is simple: booking leave across Eid or National Day does not add days to your balance. Booking the days immediately before or after the holiday does.

Who decides when you take your annual leave

Article 29(4) says the worker must take annual leave in the year it is due, and that the employer may set the dates according to work requirements, in agreement with the worker, or grant leave by rotation among staff so the work continues. The employer must tell the worker the dates at least one month in advance.

So the employer controls the calendar, within limits: dates tied to work needs, agreed where possible, and notified a month ahead. Announcing on Thursday a two-week closure from Sunday, booked as annual leave, does not meet that.

The two-year limit

Article 29(8) says the employer may not prevent the worker from taking leave for more than two years, unless the worker wishes to carry it forward or take cash for it under the company’s rules and the Executive Regulation. An employer can refuse an annual leave request in a busy season, but not keep refusing beyond two years.

Shutdowns and compulsory leave

A company can close for a period and book it as annual leave under Article 29(4), provided it gives a month’s notice and staff hold enough balance. A new joiner with four months’ service has none; sending that person home unpaid is unpaid leave under Article 33, which needs their agreement.

Not coming back on time

Article 34 says a worker who does not return straight after annual leave, without a legitimate reason, is not paid for the days of absence that follow. If a flight is cancelled or you fall ill abroad, tell the employer in writing the same day.

Notice given while you are on leave

Article 35 is one of the most useful and least known leave rules. If either side ends the contract during the worker’s leave, the notice period starts only from the day after the worker’s scheduled return, unless both agree otherwise. An employer cannot hand you notice on day two of a three-week holiday and have most of the notice period run while you are away. The same applies to a resignation you send from holiday. Our notice period guide covers notice itself.

What salary do you get while on annual leave?

Article 29(1) gives leave “with full pay”, and Article 29(6) says the worker is entitled to the wage for the period of annual leave. “Wage” is a defined term in Article 1 of the Decree-Law. It means the basic wage plus the cash allowances and benefits in kind due under the contract or the law, such as housing and transport allowances paid in cash. “Basic wage” is also defined, and it excludes all allowances.

The practical consequence is that while you are on annual leave your salary should continue exactly as it would have if you were working, allowances included. A payslip that shows only the basic wage for a month you spent on leave does not match Article 29(6).

Leave salary is usually paid on the normal payday through the Wage Protection System; the Labour Law does not require payment in advance, although some contracts do. How and when salaries must be paid in general is covered in our WPS guide.

How many days of annual leave can you carry forward?

Up to half of the year’s leave, which is 15 days on a 30-day entitlement, and only if the employer approves. Article 29(5) lets the worker carry the annual leave balance, or days of it, into the next year with the employer’s approval and in line with the establishment’s rules. Executive Regulation Article 19 then sets the ceiling: the worker may carry forward no more than half of the annual leave, or agree with the employer to receive its cash equivalent at the wage earned when the leave falls due.

On a 30-day entitlement, half is 15 days. The rule is written as a cap on what can be carried into the following year. It does not say the other half disappears. Read with Article 29(4), which requires leave to be taken in the year it is due, and Article 29(8), which stops the employer blocking leave for more than two years, the sensible reading is this: take the rest, or agree cash for it. A balance left untouched for years is the annual leave balance most likely to be argued over at the end.

Federal law sets no date by which carried days must be used; company policies often do, for example by the end of the first quarter. A policy that simply cancels days is hard to square with Article 29(9), which pays accrued days on leaving whatever their number, so ask for any forfeiture rule in writing and keep the email.

Where u.ae and the Regulation differ

The u.ae annual leave page says unused days carried over with the employer’s consent are paid “on the basis of basic salary”. Executive Regulation Article 19 says cash in lieu during employment is paid at “the wage he earns at the time the leave is due”, which reads as the full wage. The Regulation is the legal instrument and the portal is a summary, so the Regulation should prevail. But an employer following the portal is not acting in obvious bad faith. If a meaningful amount turns on it, put the question in writing and, if needed, ask MOHRE.

Get every carry-forward and cash agreement in writing, with the number of days and the rate. A single email from HR confirming “15 days carried into 2027” is worth more than any calculation at the end.

When is unused annual leave paid out, and at what rate?

With your final settlement, within 14 days of the contract ending (Article 53), at your basic wage unless the contract gives more. Article 29(9) says a worker who leaves before using the leave is paid for the days due, whatever their number, and that the part-year leave is calculated on the basic wage. Article 29(1)(c) adds the part of the final year. Executive Regulation Article 19 says the cash equivalent of the leave balance due by law is paid, when service ends, on the basic salary. The u.ae annual leave page states the same: payment for any unused annual leave, regardless of its duration.

That gives four practical rules for the unused annual leave line on a final settlement:

• Every unused day is paid. There is no minimum and no forfeiture for resigning, for being dismissed, or for the contract simply ending.
• The final part-year counts, in proportion to the months worked.
• The rate is the basic wage, not the full package, unless your contract gives more.
• It is due within 14 days of the end of the contract, with all other entitlements (Article 53).

The daily rate

Neither the Decree-Law nor the Regulation states how to turn a monthly basic wage into a daily rate. Most UAE employers divide the monthly basic by 30; some divide the annual basic by 365, which gives slightly less. Neither is written into federal law, so check your contract or policy.

Resignation, termination, contract expiry and dismissal

The annual leave payment does not change with the reason the job ended. The worker who resigns, the worker whose limited contract expires and the worker who is terminated all receive the cash value of unused annual leave on the same basis. Even a worker dismissed without notice under Article 44 keeps it: Article 29(9) contains no exception, and the only amounts an employer may set off against final dues are the deductions permitted by Executive Regulation Article 29, such as loans and advances.

When you took more leave than you had earned

If the employer let you take leave in advance, for example 30 days in your eighth month, and you then leave, the extra days were effectively paid in advance. Employers commonly recover that as an advance against the final settlement. The law does not deal with it expressly, so the fairest approach is a clear written record at the time the leave is approved, stating that it is taken in advance. If the settlement shows a deduction for “negative leave”, ask for the calculation.

Serving notice while you have leave left

The employer can schedule unused annual leave inside the notice period, provided the dates are set under Article 29(4). Agree in writing whether the remaining days are to be taken or paid, and when the notice ends.

Leave pay is not gratuity

A final settlement has separate lines for unpaid salary, unused annual leave, end of service gratuity and notice pay. Ask for the breakdown if you receive one lump sum. Our end of service gratuity guide explains that line in full.

Worked annual leave calculation examples

The figures below were checked arithmetically. Each assumes a monthly package of AED 10,000 made up of basic AED 6,000, housing AED 3,000 and transport AED 1,000, and the divide-by-30 daily rate, unless stated otherwise.

Example 1: leaving after eight months

Service is more than six months and less than a year, so the balance earned is 2 days x 8 months = 16 days. The worker took 4 days, leaving 12. The settlement line is 12 x (AED 6,000 / 30) = AED 2,400.

Example 2: three years and seven months, some leave carried

Example 3: leave salary for a month’s holiday

The worker takes 30 days of leave in July. Article 29(6) entitles them to the wage for that period, so July’s payslip should show AED 10,000, not AED 6,000. Paying only the basic for a month on leave underpays by AED 4,000.

Example 4: selling ten days during employment

The employer agrees to buy ten days of the year’s balance instead of carrying them. Executive Regulation Article 19 prices cash in lieu at the wage earned when the leave falls due: 10 x (AED 10,000 / 30) = AED 3,333.33. On the u.ae basic-salary reading it would be 10 x AED 200 = AED 2,000. The gap is why the rate should be agreed in writing before the days are sold.

Example 5: working on a public holiday

Article 28(2) gives either another rest day for each holiday worked, or the normal day’s wage plus at least 50% of the basic wage for that day. On this package the cash option is AED 333.33 + (50% x AED 200) = AED 433.33 for the day. The article does not spell out whether this is on top of the monthly salary, which already covers the holiday as paid leave under Article 28(1); in practice it is paid as an addition, and your payslip should show it as a separate line. Article 28(2) does not say who chooses between the day off and the payment; in practice the employer decides, unless the contract or company rules say otherwise.

Example 6: the same balance on two packages

Two workers leave with 20 unused days each and a total wage of AED 12,000. A’s basic is AED 9,000; B’s is AED 4,000. On leaving, A receives 20 x AED 300 = AED 6,000 and B receives 20 x AED 133.33 = AED 2,666.67. The same days are worth less than half as much, because the payout uses basic wage.

Annual leave UAE rules for part-time, flexible and other work models

The Executive Regulation recognises several work models besides full-time: part-time, temporary, flexible, remote, job-sharing and others. Our guide to UAE employment contract types explains each. For leave, the one with its own formula is part-time.

The part-time formula (Executive Regulation Article 18)

Article 18 gives a part-time worker annual leave according to the hours actually worked for the employer. In outline:

1. Work out the worker’s yearly contracted hours, counting at most eight hours a day.
2. Divide by the yearly hours of a full-time worker in the same establishment, and multiply by 100 to get a percentage.
3. Apply that percentage to the leave the law gives a full-time worker.
4. Count any part of a day as a full day.
5. Whatever the result, the leave is not less than five working days a year.

Article 18 speaks of converting hours to working days and of a minimum in “working days”, while the full-time entitlement in Article 29 is 30 days. The text does not say whether the percentage is applied to calendar or working days, so the contract should state the figure. A part-time worker with more than one employer earns leave separately from each.

Flexible, remote and job-sharing

Remote workers on a full-time schedule have the same 30-day entitlement as office staff. Flexible and job-sharing arrangements are not given a separate leave formula in the Executive Regulation; in practice they are treated like part-time, pro rata to hours. Temporary contracts for a single task follow Article 29 for the period worked. Where the model is unusual, write the annual leave figure into the contract.

Other paid leave for private-sector workers

Annual leave is one of several leave rights in the Labour Law. Each of the others is separate: sick leave, maternity leave and the rest do not come out of the annual leave balance. The table gives the headline figures; the sections after it give the conditions.

Sick leave in the UAE (Article 31)

A worker who falls ill, other than through a work injury, must tell the employer within three working days and provide a medical report from the medical authority. After probation, sick leave is up to 90 days a year, continuous or intermittent: the first 15 days on full pay, the next 30 on half pay, and the rest unpaid. During probation there is no paid sick leave, although the employer may grant unpaid sick leave if a medical report supports it.

Executive Regulation Article 20 removes pay for sickness caused by the worker’s own misconduct, such as alcohol or drug use, or by breaking safety instructions, including traffic rules. Article 31(5) lets the employer end the contract once the full sick leave has been used and the worker still cannot return, provided all dues are paid.

Falling ill during annual leave

The law does not say whether sick days during annual leave convert to sick leave. The Article 31 duties still apply while you are away, so the safe course is to notify the employer within three working days and obtain a medical report from the treating hospital. If it was issued abroad, expect the employer to ask for it to be attested. That keeps open the argument that the days are sick leave rather than holiday. Whether the employer agrees depends on its policy; if it refuses and the amount matters, MOHRE can decide.

Maternity leave in the UAE (Article 30)

A female worker gets 60 days’ maternity leave: 45 days on full pay and 15 days on half pay. There is no minimum service. She can start it from the last day of the month before the month in which the birth is expected, on a medical certificate. It also applies to a birth after six months of pregnancy or more, whether the baby is stillborn or dies after birth.

She may then take up to 45 more unpaid days if she or the baby is ill because of the pregnancy or birth (not counted for gratuity), and 30 more days on full pay, plus 30 unpaid, if the baby needs a constant companion. For six months after the birth she is entitled to one or two nursing breaks a day, not exceeding one hour in total. Article 30(8) bars dismissal or notice because of pregnancy or maternity leave, and Article 30(6) keeps her other leave, including annual leave, intact.

Parental leave (Article 32)

Either parent gets five working days’ paid parental leave, taken continuously or intermittently within six months of the child’s birth. A birth certificate or similar proof is needed (Executive Regulation Article 21). It is additional to maternity leave for the mother.

Bereavement leave (Article 32)

Paid bereavement leave (the law calls it mourning leave) is five days on the death of a spouse and three days on the death of a parent, child, sibling, grandchild or grandparent, starting from the date of death, with proof. The official English text lists mother, father, son, brother, sister, grandson, grandfather or grandmother. In-laws, uncles, aunts and cousins are not listed; employers often grant compassionate leave for them by policy.

Study leave (Article 32)

Article 32(2) says a worker with at least two years’ service who is enrolled, full-time or by affiliation, at an approved educational institution in the UAE may be granted ten working days’ paid study leave a year to sit examinations. The wording is “may be granted”, so it reads as a right subject to the conditions rather than an automatic allowance, and the employer can ask for proof of enrolment and of the exam dates (Executive Regulation Article 21).

National service leave (Article 32)

A UAE national worker called up for national or reserve service is entitled to paid leave for it, under the national service legislation. The employer cannot treat the absence as unpaid leave.

Hajj leave: what the sources say

This is where official sources do not match. The u.ae leave page (updated 24 September 2026) says employees “may be granted” a special Hajj leave that is unpaid, no longer than 30 days and granted once with the same employer. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, in MOHRE’s consolidated text with its amendments, and its Executive Regulation contain no Hajj leave: neither mentions Hajj or pilgrimage, and the Regulation’s leave articles (18 to 21) do not either. Either way there is no paid Hajj leave in the law. In practice Hajj is taken from annual leave, as unpaid leave under Article 33, or under a company policy that grants it; such a policy or contract term is binding. For Umrah, u.ae says the law has no provision and the employer decides whether to approve it from annual leave or as unpaid leave.

Unpaid leave (Article 33)

A worker may take unpaid leave beyond annual leave and the other legal entitlements with the employer’s approval. Article 33(2) says the unpaid period is not counted in service with the employer or for pension contributions. For expatriates, that means the days are deducted from service for end of service gratuity (see also Article 51(4)), and they do not earn annual leave either.

Combining leave

Executive Regulation Article 21 lets the worker, with the employer’s agreement, join study, bereavement or parental leave to annual leave or unpaid leave and take them as one block.

UAE public holidays 2026 and your leave

Article 28 gives every worker paid leave on the official holidays set by the Cabinet. Since 1 January 2025, Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 has set one list for the public and private sectors. Islamic holidays follow moon sighting, and MOHRE announces the private-sector dates each time. Under Article 2 of the resolution the Cabinet may move any holiday except the two Eids to the start or end of the week, as it did for the Prophet’s birthday in 2026.

That is 13 days of paid official holiday in 2026. Commemoration Day is not a separate holiday in the 2024 resolution. A holiday that falls on a weekend is not moved to a working day (Article 3), and one that falls inside annual leave counts as part of the leave (Article 29(7) of the Labour Law). A worker required to work on an official holiday gets another rest day or the day’s wage plus at least 50% of the basic wage for that day (Article 28(2)).

The 2026 dates come from MOHRE and UAE Government Media Office announcements, as reported by Khaleej Times, Gulf Business and The National; the rules come from the resolution and the u.ae public holidays page (updated 2 July 2026).

Domestic workers: a different law and different leave

Housemaids, nannies, cooks, drivers and other domestic workers employed by households are covered by Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on Domestic Workers, not by the Labour Law. Article 10 of that law gives them:

• Annual leave of at least 30 days a year, with two days a month when service is more than six months and less than a year, and the leave wage paid before the leave.
• A return ticket home once every two years if the worker travels to take leave, paid by the employer.
• Work during leave only against payment: if the employer needs the worker during the leave, it pays the wage plus a leave allowance for the days worked, and it cannot do so more than once in two years.
• Cash for unused leave when the contract ends or is terminated, equal to the wage for the days due. Note that this law says “wage”, not basic wage.
• Sick leave of up to 30 days a contract year: 15 days on full pay and 15 on half pay, with no pay if the illness results from the worker’s misconduct.
• A paid weekly rest day and at least 12 hours’ rest a day, eight of them consecutive (Article 9).

Households can use our domestic worker visa service.

DIFC, ADGM, other free zones and government employees

Most free zones apply the federal Labour Law to annual leave. The two financial free zones have their own employment laws and courts.

The ADGM figures come from the ADGM Employment Affairs Office guidance. We could not open the DIFC Authority’s pages when writing this, so check DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019, as amended, before relying on the DIFC column. Government staff follow their own HR laws.

Long leave abroad and your residence visa

Annual leave is an employment right, but spending it abroad touches immigration rules that run separately. Thirty days on its own will never cause a problem. Annual leave followed by weeks of unpaid leave, a family emergency and a delayed return can.

Under Article 59 of Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022, the executive regulation of the entry and residence law, a residence permit becomes void when the holder stays outside the UAE for more than 180 consecutive days, with exceptions in Article 60 and for Golden, Green and Blue residence holders. If that happens, a resident whose visa was issued in Dubai applies to GDRFA Dubai for a return permit for residents outside the UAE for more than six months; residents of the other emirates apply to ICP. The previous version of this guide said the return route did not apply to Dubai-issued residences; that was wrong. Our UAE return permit guide covers the conditions and fees.

Before long leave, check four expiry dates: your residence visa, your Emirates ID, your passport and each dependant’s residence. Get the annual leave approval in writing with the dates, and count the total days you will be out, including any unpaid extension.

If a trip may run long, tell the employer in writing and agree the extra time as unpaid leave under Article 33 before your annual leave ends. An employee who simply does not come back risks an absence report under MOHRE’s rules, which is far harder to undo than a leave request. More on the visa side: what happens if your UAE visa expires and Emirates ID late renewal fines.

Keeping a record of your annual leave balance

Most annual leave disputes are evidence disputes: both sides believe a different number and neither can prove it.

Once a year, send HR one line: “Please confirm my annual leave balance as at today and how many days are being carried into next year.” An employer that confirmed 18 days in January will struggle to argue for 6 at your exit interview.

Rebuilding a balance you never tracked

Start from the joining date on the contract or work permit, count completed years and the months of the final part-year, collect every approval you can find, count days taken in calendar days, check payslips for leave already paid in cash, and apply the carry-forward rules honestly. A precise figure with workings is treated very differently from a round number asserted on the last day.

When annual leave is refused or not paid

Most annual leave problems end with a clear written request setting out the balance, the calculation and the article behind it. Many employers correct the figure once they see it laid out.

If they do not, the next step is a MOHRE labour complaint. MOHRE first tries to settle the matter. Under Article 54 of the Decree-Law, as amended by Decree-Law No. 9 of 2024, it decides claims up to AED 50,000 itself, and either side can challenge that decision at the Court of First Instance within 15 working days; larger claims go to court. Claims must be brought within two years of the end of employment. The u.ae portal still shows one year in places, which is out of date. MOHRE’s labour claims and advisory line is 80084, and its general call centre is 600590000.

The step-by-step filing is in our guide to filing a MOHRE complaint, and if salary itself has stopped, read what to do when your salary is not paid. Whatever happens, do not simply stop going to work: absence creates a separate and much bigger problem than a leave dispute.

For employers: a leave policy that prevents disputes

A written annual leave policy that settles these points will stand up at MOHRE.

Pay leave salary at the full wage, pay unused annual leave on the basic wage within 14 days of the contract ending, and show leave pay as its own line on the final settlement. If you run payroll through WPS, the leave month is paid like any other month.

UAE annual leave entitlement: six cases, worked through

These are illustrative scenarios built from the questions people ask most often, not records of particular clients. Each shows which rule decides the outcome.

1. Retail supervisor told “you have no leave until you finish a year”

Nine months in, the supervisor asked for a week off and was told nothing is earned until the first anniversary. Article 29(1)(b) gives two days for each month once service passes six months, so the statutory balance at nine months is 18 days. A short email citing the article is usually enough: if HR approves five days, it should confirm 13 remaining in writing. No complaint is needed.

2. Accountant whose settlement paid leave on “basic plus housing”

Leaving after four years with 26 unused days. Basic AED 8,000, housing AED 4,000. The employer pays 26 x AED 400 = AED 10,400, using basic plus housing, and the accountant expects the full wage. Executive Regulation Article 19 uses basic salary on termination, so the legal minimum is 26 x AED 266.67 = AED 6,933.33. The employer has paid more than the law requires because its own policy says so, and there is nothing to claim.

3. Engineer refused leave for three years running

Every request for three years has been refused “because of the project”, leaving 70 days on the HR system. Article 29(8) stops an employer preventing leave for more than two years. The next step is a written request for dates within the coming months or a written cash agreement, with a deadline. If nothing comes back, a MOHRE complaint is the route. Any deal that follows, such as leave for part of the balance and cash for the rest, should be recorded in writing with the days and the rate.

4. Office administrator given notice on the second day of her holiday

The employer emails termination with 30 days’ notice two days into a three-week holiday, and counts the notice from that day, so it would end about ten days after she returns. Article 35 says notice given during leave starts from the day after the scheduled return, unless both agree otherwise. A short note citing it moves the end date by nearly three weeks, which also adds to her salary and service.

5. Part-time designer on 20 hours a week

Employed for two years on a part-time permit, 20 hours against a full-time week of 40 hours in that company. The contract is silent on leave and the employer has given none. Executive Regulation Article 18 gives 50% of 30 days, 15 days a year, so 30 days over two years. A fair fix is leave for part of the balance, cash for the rest by written agreement, and a contract amendment that states the figure.

6. Nurse who stayed abroad after her leave

She takes 30 days’ annual leave, then her mother falls ill. She agrees two months’ unpaid leave by WhatsApp with her manager, then stays longer and reaches 170 days outside the UAE. The safe course is to return before day 180 and have the unpaid leave confirmed on company letterhead. Past 180 days, a Dubai-issued residence needs a GDRFA return permit.

What circulates online that is not true

How to verify every figure in this guide

What we will and will not do

We will rebuild your balance from your documents rather than from assumptions, show the annual leave calculation with the article behind each step, tell you which wage applies and why, write to your employer, file and follow a MOHRE complaint when needed, help employers write a leave policy that holds up, and act for you under power of attorney if you have left the UAE.

We will not tell you a claim is strong when the carry-forward rules say otherwise, claim unused annual leave pay on the full wage when the Regulation says basic, promise an outcome that MOHRE or a court decides, advise you to stop going to work to put pressure on an employer, or charge a fee that was not quoted to you in writing first.

Related guides

• UAE leave law explained: the official text of Articles 29 to 35, article by article
• End of service gratuity: the other large line in a final settlement
• Notice period under UAE labour law: how much notice you owe and are owed
• Probation period rules: what applies in your first six months
• Employment contract types: full-time, part-time, flexible and temporary models
• How to file a MOHRE complaint: the claim process step by step
• Salary not paid: what to do when wages stop
• How to cancel an employment visa: the normal route when the employer co-operates
• Re-entry permit after six months abroad: when long leave goes past 180 days
• What MOHRE is and does

Checking your UAE annual leave entitlement, leave pay and final settlement, and following a MOHRE complaint when the numbers are wrong, is what our PRO services in Dubai team handles.