Annual Leave in UAE

What is Annual Leave?
Annual leave is a time off from work enforced by the law to employees across various countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) annually. The leave entitlement allows employees to take a break from work and rest at home, go on vacation, or visit family and friends. In other words, annual leave is a period of paid time-off granted by employers to employees to be used for whatever the employee wishes. The main goal of providing annual leave is to provide a break and rejuvenate the employee so that they can perform better in the workplace.

Important Points about Annual Leaves in UAE

1. Duration of Annual Leaves in UAE

According to Article 29 of the UAE Labor Law, every worker is eligible for a fully paid annual leave of 30 days if they have completed 1 year of service period. However those who have completed 6 months are eligible for two days per month. Also, if your employer terminates your service before you’ve exhausted your annual leave balance, you get leave for a fraction of your final year of service. You can learn about leave salary calculation in UAE here.

2. Leave carry forward

If the company or employer approves to carry the unused annual leaves to the next year then you can do so. According to Article 29, if employee accumulates annual leave for more than two years, you have the option to receive a cash payment instead of taking a leave.

3. Advance Notice

According to the law, employers must notify the employees at least a month in advance about their annual leaves so they can plan their leaves accordingly.

Other Types of Leaves in the UAE

Companies in the UAE offer different types of paid and unpaid leave to their employees. These leaves fulfil specific events that may affect your availability or productivity as an employee. Here are some of these specialized leave categories:

Sabbatical Leave

Like annual leave, a sabbatical break is a paid time off work. However, only Emirati workers are eligible for this leave. While the sabbatical leave is commonly linked to academia, it serves a different purpose here. This leave is provided to national workers for national service. The national service lasts between 11 months and 3 years and it is mandatory for males but optional for females. Workers must provide proof from relevant authorities to obtain this leave.

Maternity Leave

This leave is provided to the female employees who are expecting their baby. According to Article 30 of the UAE Labour Law 60 days of maternity leave with 45 days full pay and 15 days half-pay. If the birth of a child is complicated they are provided an additional 45 days of unpaid leave.

A request for leave extension due to sickness during maternity leave in the UAE must be supported by a valid medical certificate. An employer cannot terminate the employee during maternity leave, citing that as a reason.

After returning to work, new mothers have an entitlement to one or two daily additional breaks for up to six months to breastfeed their child.

Hajj And Umrah Leave

Pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every Muslim must undertake it at least once in their lifetime.
According to the UAE’s official website, private sector employees can take up to 30 days for Hajj, but unlike other leaves, it’s unpaid and granted only once during their employment. Hajj Leave is mandatory while Umrah has no such provisions.

Sick Leave

Article 31 permits employees to take up to 90 days of sick leave in a year, with full paid for the initial 15 days. The next 30 days are half-paid, and the remaining 45 days are unpaid.

Employees must inform their employer within 3 working days of falling sick and provide medical certificate to qualify for paid sick leave. Read to learn more about paid sick leave in UAE.

Compassionate Leave

Compassionate leave is provided to employees in the UAE to take time off in the event of the death of their relative or family member.
Article 32 of the Federal Decree-Law grants workers compassionate or bereavement leave. In the event of the death of a spouse, it’s five days. For a sibling, child, parents, or grandparents, it’s three days, starting from the day of death.

Official National Holidays

Based on the Article 28 of UAE law, the employees get paid leave during the national holidays such as Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha, Arafah Day, New Year’s Day, Hijri New Year, Prophet Mohammed’s birthday, Commemoration Day, and National Day.

Based on business needs, if employers require workers to work on these holidays, they must compensate it. This is either by paying a wage of at least 1.5 times of the basic salary for the day or granting a day off in lieu.

In Conclusion

The UAE labour law intends to strike the right balance between productivity and liberty. Therefore, employers are expected to grant leave whenever the employees really need them. Even the employees are expected to use them discreetly and honestly. The above register of leave types is only a quick reference guide and not an official document.