Key takeaways
- Two documents make up UAE labour law for the private sector. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets the rights, duties and penalties (74 articles). Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, its Executive Regulation, fills in the detail: work permit types, work models, leave rules, disputes and inspections (39 articles).
- It covers private-sector employers and workers across the UAE. Government employees, the armed forces, police and security, and domestic workers are outside it (Decree-Law Art. 3). Domestic workers have their own law.
- The rules are current. The Decree-Law has been in force since 2 February 2022 and has been amended three times. The official portal lists its last update on 29 July 2024, which includes the change letting MOHRE decide claims of up to AED 50,000 (Art. 54).
- The law is a floor, not a ceiling. Anything in your contract or company policy that gives the worker more than the law wins. Any term that gives less is void, and so is any waiver of rights the law grants (Art. 65).
- If the English and Arabic texts ever differ, the Arabic wins. We quote the official English translation and explain it in plain words.
- This library explains every article, in order, in simple English: a short quote from the official text, what it means, an example, and what it means for you.
The two laws at a glance
Think of it like this. The Decree-Law is the rulebook: it says how long probation can be, how much annual leave you get, how notice works and how gratuity is calculated. The Executive Regulation is the how-to manual: the twelve types of work permit, what “remote work” means, how leave can be carried forward, and how MOHRE handles a complaint. Many details, such as fees, are then set by Ministerial resolutions and MOHRE’s service cards.
This library is about the law itself. If you need the practical steps for something specific, such as how to file a MOHRE complaint or get or check a labour card, our step-by-step guides cover that.
Who the labour law applies to
The words the law uses, and the two that matter most
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021
“Basic Wage: The wage specified in the employment contract … and does not include any other allowances or benefits in kind.”Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 1
In plain English
Article 1 defines more than twenty words. Two of them decide most money questions:
- Basic wage is the salary written in your contract without allowances (housing, transport and so on). Gratuity and overtime are calculated on the basic wage.
- Wage is the basic wage plus the cash allowances and benefits the contract gives you. Notice pay and leave pay are worked out on this.
Other useful definitions: a worker is a person authorised by MOHRE to work for a licensed establishment; a juvenile is anyone aged 15 to 18; a work injury includes an accident on your normal route to or from work; and the worker’s family means the husband or wife and the children.
Example
Sara’s contract says AED 6,000 basic plus AED 3,000 housing and AED 1,000 transport. Her basic wage is AED 6,000. Her wage is AED 10,000.
Read your contract for the basic wage figure before you calculate anything. Our gratuity calculator asks for the basic wage for exactly this reason.
What the law is for
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021
“Regulating labour relations and determining the rights and obligations of the parties in this legal relation in a balanced manner.”Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 2(2)
In plain English
The law sets five aims: an efficient labour market that attracts talent, balanced rights for both sides, flexibility (including in exceptional times), better skills for private-sector workers, and protection for both employer and worker.
Example
The “flexibility” aim is why the law allows part-time, temporary and flexible work, not only full-time jobs.
The law is written to protect both sides. Employers have clear rights too, such as probation, non-compete clauses and dismissal for serious misconduct, as later chapters show.
Who is covered, and who is not
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021
“The provisions of this Decree by law shall apply to all Establishments, Employers and Workers in the Private Sector in the State.”Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 3(1)
In plain English
The law covers every private-sector employer and worker in the UAE. Three groups are not covered:
- Employees of federal and local government bodies.
- Members of the armed forces, police and security.
- Domestic workers, who have their own federal law.
The Cabinet can also take other groups out of the law, fully or partly. Companies wholly owned by the government are treated as private sector unless their articles of association put them under another law.
Example
A receptionist at a private clinic in Dubai is covered. A nanny employed by a family is a domestic worker and falls under the domestic workers law instead.
The DIFC and ADGM financial free zones run their own employment laws, so check which regime your employer is under before relying on this library. For a mainland or most free zone private-sector job, this is your law.
No discrimination, and equal pay for women
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021
“A woman shall be paid a wage similar to a man’s wage if she performs the same work, or another work of equal value.”Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 4(4)
In plain English
Employers may not discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, nationality, social origin or disability, whether in hiring, keeping a job or the rights that come with it. Women must get the same pay as men for the same work or work of equal value. Rules that promote the employment of UAE citizens are not counted as discrimination.
Example
Two accountants do the same job in the same team. Paying one less because of her gender breaks Article 4.
Emiratisation rules are lawful under Article 4(2). If you think you were treated unfairly for one of the listed reasons, the dispute route is in the disputes chapter of this library and our guide to filing a MOHRE complaint.
The Regulation’s definitions, and how companies and workers are classified
Cabinet Resolution 1/2022
“Workers … shall be classified into categories according to criteria that include levels of skills, education, productivity or profession or wages”Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 3(1)
In plain English
- Article 1 adopts the Decree-Law’s definitions and adds one: “Legislation” means MOHRE’s resolutions, guides and circulars on employment.
- Article 2 says companies are classified by activity, size of workforce, diversity, compliance and support for Emiratisation and training. Each category gets different privileges, set by the Cabinet.
- Article 3 says workers are classified by skill, education, productivity, profession, wage or residency category.
Example
This is why MOHRE fees differ from one company to another, and why a worker’s skill level appears on the work permit.
A company’s MOHRE category affects what it pays for work permits. Skill levels also matter elsewhere, for example in some Golden Visa routes.
The rules that sit over every chapter
The law is the minimum, and you cannot sign your rights away
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021
“The rights stipulated in this Decree by law represent the minimum rights for Workers”Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 65(1)
In plain English
- The law sets the minimum. A contract, policy or agreement that gives the worker more always applies.
- Any contract term that breaks the law is void, unless it is better for the worker.
- A worker cannot waive rights the law gives. A signed “release” that gives them up is void.
- Money owed to a worker or their family ranks ahead of the employer’s other debts, after amounts owed to the public treasury and court-ordered maintenance for the employer’s wife and children.
- For old unlimited contracts made before the law came in, either side could end the contract with written notice of at least 30 days (under 5 years’ service), 60 days (over 5 years) or 90 days (over 10 years).
Example
An employer asks a leaving worker to sign a paper saying “I have no claims” before paying the gratuity. If the gratuity owed under the law has not been paid in full, that waiver is void under Article 65(3).
Do not assume a signed paper ends your rights. If your final settlement looks short, check it against the gratuity and leave chapters, then use the MOHRE complaint route.
Arabic is the official language; a month means 30 days
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021
“a calendar year shall be deemed as three hundred and sixty-five (365) days, and the month shall be deemed as thirty (30) days.”Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 67
In plain English
- Article 66: contracts, records and workplace instructions must be in Arabic. If the worker does not read Arabic, the employer must add a language they understand, and the two versions must match. If they differ, the Arabic text wins.
- Article 67: all periods follow the Gregorian calendar. For the law’s calculations a year is 365 days and a month is 30 days.
Example
The “30 days” in a gratuity calculation is a fixed 30-day month, so a basic wage of AED 6,000 gives a daily rate of AED 200.
Ask for your contract in a language you understand alongside the Arabic. Use the 30-day month when you check any figure your employer gives you.
The switch to fixed-term contracts, appeals, and who makes the detailed rules
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021
“Employers must rectify their situation and convert indefinite-term employment contracts into fixed-term employment contracts”Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 68(2)
In plain English
- Article 68: the old “unlimited” contracts from the 1980 law had to be converted into fixed-term contracts within one year, which the Minister could extend. Gratuity for the unlimited period may be calculated under the old contract terms.
- Article 69: both sides can file a grievance against a MOHRE decision, using the procedure in the Regulation.
- Articles 70 to 72: the Cabinet classifies companies and skill levels, sets fees, and can change the periods, percentages and amounts in the law. MOHRE proposes policy, and the Cabinet issues the Executive Regulation.
- Articles 73 and 74: the old Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 is repealed, and the new law took effect on 2 February 2022.
Example
Someone who has worked for the same company since 2015 on an unlimited contract should now hold a fixed-term contract with that employer. Their service still counts from 2015.
Article 70(7) lets the Cabinet change the numbers in the law. That is why we date every page and check it against the official portal. Our guide to MOHRE contract types covers the practical side of today’s contracts.
Emergency situations, and when the Regulation took effect
Cabinet Resolution 1/2022
“Implementation of working remotely. … Granting the worker an unpaid leave. … Reduction of the worker’s wage.”Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 36(1)
In plain English
In an emergency declared by the Cabinet, employers may use special arrangements that consider both sides’ interests, such as remote work, paid leave, unpaid leave or a reduced wage. The Minister issues the detailed rules. The Regulation took effect on 2 February 2022, the same day as the Decree-Law, and any conflicting older rule is repealed.
Example
These are the kinds of measures employers used during the pandemic. Under Article 36 they need a Cabinet-declared emergency, not just a slow month.
An employer cannot cut your wage on its own decision in normal times. Outside a declared emergency, a change to your pay needs your agreement and an updated contract.
Every article, mapped to its chapter
This library covers all 74 articles of the Decree-Law and all 39 articles of the Regulation. Chapters are published one at a time, each checked against the official text. The table shows where each article is explained.
| Chapter | What it covers | Decree-Law 33/2021 | Resolution 1/2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| This page | Definitions, scope, minimum rights, language, transition | 1–4, 65–74 | 1–3, 36–39 |
| 1. Work permits, recruitment and work types | Juveniles, the 12 work permit types, freelance, recruitment agencies, work models | 5–7 | 4–9 |
| 2. Contract, probation and non-compete | The employment contract, probation, non-compete, outsourcing, changing duties | 8–12 | 10–13 |
| 3. Employer and worker duties | What each side must do, forced labour, harassment, a worker’s death | 13–16 | 14 |
| 4. Working hours and overtime | 8-hour day, breaks, overtime pay, rest days, public holidays | 17–21, 28 | 15 |
| 5. Wages and deductions | Paying wages, deductions, minimum wage, being unable to work | 22–27 | 16–17 |
| 6. Leave | Annual, maternity, sick, mourning, parental, study and unpaid leave | 29–35 | 18–21 |
| 7. Safety, work injuries and discipline | Health and safety, injury compensation, penalties, suspension | 36–41 | 22–24 |
| 8. Ending a contract | How contracts end, notice, dismissal without notice, unlawful termination | 42–48 | 25–26 |
| 9. Transfer, absence and gratuity | Moving job, absence from work, end-of-service gratuity, final pay | 49–53 | 27–30 |
| 10. Disputes, inspections and penalties | MOHRE complaints, the AED 50,000 rule, court fees, fines | 54–64, 69 | 31–35 |
Who wrote this, and how it is checked
Every chapter is written by Mir Ali, founder of MIRDXB PRO, a licensed PRO consultancy and Amer and Tasheel authorised typing centre partner in Al Barsha, Dubai. We read each article on the UAE Legislation portal, quote it word for word, then explain it the way we explain it to clients at our counter: short sentences, real examples and the practical next step. Where the law leaves a detail to a Ministerial resolution or a MOHRE service card, we say so. Each page shows the date it was last checked against the official text.
UAE labour law: frequently asked questions
What is the current UAE labour law?
Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations, in force since 2 February 2022, together with its Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022. It replaced Federal Law No. 8 of 1980. The official portal lists its last update on 29 July 2024, after three amendments.
Does the UAE labour law apply in free zones?
The law applies to private-sector employers and workers in the UAE (Article 3). The DIFC and ADGM financial free zones have their own employment laws, so workers there should check those first.
Does the UAE labour law cover domestic workers?
No. Article 3(2) excludes domestic workers, who are covered by a separate federal law on domestic workers. Government employees and the armed forces, police and security are also excluded.
Can my contract give me fewer rights than the labour law?
No. Article 65 says the law sets the minimum rights. A term that gives the worker less is void, and any waiver of rights the law grants is void. Terms that give the worker more do apply.
Are unlimited employment contracts still valid in the UAE?
No. Article 68 required employers to convert unlimited contracts into fixed-term contracts within one year of the law taking effect, which the Minister could extend. Service under the old contract still counts.
Which language does a UAE employment contract have to be in?
Arabic, under Article 66, with another language the worker understands if they do not read Arabic. If the two versions differ, the Arabic text prevails.
Please note. Quotes are from the official English translation on the UAE Legislation portal, checked on 1 October 2026; the Arabic text in the Official Gazette prevails. Examples use invented names and are illustrative. This page is general information, not legal advice; MOHRE’s or a court’s decision on your own case is final.
