Types of Leave in UAE under Labor Laws

Leaves are an essential part of work-life balance in any corporate environment. They sometimes provide you an opportunity to take a break from your regular work life and refresh yourself with a fresh environment. Sometimes, they are used for emergency purposes or religious purposes. If you are working in the UAE or planning to come here, you should be aware of the types of leaves in the UAE. Through this blog, we will provide you with all the necessary information regarding the major types of leaves in the UAE and the key details related to each.

Overview of Types of Leave in UAE

Below is a summary of the different types of leave available to employees in the UAE:

Type of Leave	Description
Annual Leave	Time off for vacations or personal refreshment.
Sick Leave	Time off for illness or medical issues.
Maternity Leave	Time off for childbirth and maternity care.
Paternity Leave	Time off for new fathers.
Hajj Leave	Time off for performing the Hajj pilgrimage.
Study Leave	Time off for attending exams at accredited institutions.
Compassionate/Bereavement Leave	Time off for the death of an immediate family member.

1. Annual Leave

We will begin our list of leaves in the UAE with annual leaves. It is the most common form of leave and as an employee, everyone is entitled to it and can take them according to their requirements. You can use it for vacation, traveling, or even staying at home to refresh yourself.

Requirements:

• According to the UAE labor laws, an employee who has worked for a year or more with a company is entitled to use all the available annual leaves.
• If an employee has worked for less than a year but more than six months, then in that case they will be given annual leaves on a pro-rata basis.

Entitlement:

In case an employee has completed a year with a company, they are entitled to a full 30 calendar days of annual leave. And if they have not completed one year but crossed the month’s mark, their leaves will be calculated based on the number of days worked.

Key Details:

• If the employer agrees, your annual leave can be carried forward to the next year.
• As an employee, you can annual leave within a reasonable period with the approval of your employer.
• During the annual leave, you will get a full salary along with your allowances. Use our Leave Salary Calculator to easily calculate your leave salary based on your entitlements.

2. Sick Leave

The next on our list is sick leave. If an employee is ill or has a certain medical issue, they are entitled to sick leaves by the UAE labor laws.

Requirements:

• The basic requirement to avail of sick leave is by completing the probationary period (typically six months).
• You should have a valid medical certificate from a recognized medical office in the UAE.

Entitlement:

The entitlement of the sick leave is in the following manner:

• The first 15 days are paid
• The next 30 days are half-paid
• The rest 45 days are not paid

Key Details:

• If you are found misusing the sick leaves, there can be strict measures taken against you.
• You will not be entitled to sick leaves in cases of self-inflicted injuries or illness caused by misconduct of any kind. This includes drug abuse or excessive alcohol consumption.

3. Maternity Leave

Maternity leave is for females in the workplace. These leaves are meant to provide them with support at the time of pregnancy and childbirth.

Requirements:

• Maternity leaves are only given to female employees with all benefits who have worked with the firm for more than a year. 
• In the case of female employees with less than one year in the company, they will be given maternity leave but with half pay, that too for the first 45 days.

Entitlement:

The entitlement of maternity leaves is in the following manner:

• 45 days at full pay
• 15 days at half pay

Key Details:

• Other than the leaves, new mothers are given two breaks of 30 minutes in the office to nurse their newborns. There will be no pay cut for 18 months from the date of delivery.
• In any mishappening like miscarriage or cases like stillbirth after 6 months of pregnancy, female employees are entitled to take maternity leave.

4. Paternity Leave

The UAE labor laws are quite liberal and committed to supporting the family life of the employees, including male employees. That’s the reason behind the introduction of paternity leave to provide work-life balance for fathers.

Requirements:

• As a male employee applying for paternity leave, you must provide proof of the child’s birth.
• Paternity leave is provided in both, the public and private sectors.

Entitlement:

Male employees who have become fathers are given a total of five days of paid paternity leave. This they can use within six months from the date of their child’s birth, either consecutively or by splitting, depending on their needs.

5. Hajj Leave

In the UAE labor laws, there is a special provision for Muslim employees to take a break from their work and perform the Hajj pilgrimage.

Requirements:

According to the UAE labor laws, an employee who has worked for a year or more with a company is entitled to be eligible for Hajj leave, that too only once during the employee’s tenure with the company.

Entitlement:

Muslim employees who wish to perform Hajj will be given 30 days of unpaid leave.

Key Details:

• By taking Hajj leave, our annual leave or other types of leave are not affected at all.
• As an employee, you have to inform your employer in advance regarding your plans to perform Hajj. The employer can’t such a request that in line with the employee’s religious obligations.

6. Study Leave

According to labor laws, study leaves are given to employees who are enrolled in accredited educational institutions in the UAE.

Requirements:

• As an employee, if you want to avail the study leaves, you must be with the firm for at least two years of service.
• This leave is only for those employee who are pursuing exams at accredited institutions.

Entitlement:

In the case of study leaves, an employee can take up to 10 days of paid leave per year.

Key Details:

The study leave will only be provided only for attending exams, not for general study purposes.

7. Compassionate/Bereavement Leave

In case of the death of an immediate family member of an employee, a compassionate or bereavement leave is granted.

Requirements:

If an immediate family member dies, the employee is requested to provide valid documentation, like the death certificate, to request this leave.

Entitlement:

The entitlement of compassionate or bereavement  leaves is in the following manner:

• Entitled to 5 days of paid leave in the event of the death of a spouse.
• Entitled to 3 days of paid leave in the event of the death of a close family member, such as parents, siblings, or children.

Key Details:

The compassionate or bereavement leave does not impact annual leave entitlements.

Conclusion

So, this was a comprehensive framework of leave entitlements for the employees in the UAE according to their labor laws. We have seen whether it’s annual leave, maternity leave, or special leave for religious obligations, employees in the UAE are given the freedom to have a work-life balance. Hope you have found this information useful and will share it with all your friends and family to help them understand the leaves in the UAE.