Annual leave refers to the time off from work as per the law and jurisdictions. An employee gets access to paid time off (PTO), which is also known as the annual maximum. This leave in UAE allows employees to take rest at home, travel with their family, visit their relatives and especially get a break from their hectic schedule. Annual leave provides a break and rejuvenate the employee so that they can perform well in the workplace.
What are the major pointers regarding leave in UAE ?
Here are some key pointers to better understand about the annual leaves in UAE:
• Duration of Annual Leaves in UAE – According to Article 29 of UAE labour law every worker is eligible for annual leave of 30 days if they have completed 1 year of service. However, employees are entitled to two monthly annual leaves after completing six months in the company. If your company fires you before you’ve used your annual leave, you are entitled to a reimbursement of the remaining sum.
• Flexibility to carry forward – If the organization or employer approves to carry the unused annual leaves to the next year then you can do so. If the employee accumulates his annual leaves over the next two years Article 29 states that you can encash them.Â
By law, companies must give each employee at least one month’s notice about their annual holidays so that the employees can schedule their days off appropriately.
 • Points to remember – The law states that annual leaves should also be granted to part-time employees. However the employer will decide how long and how many leaves to take.
What are the types of annual leave ?
The UAE grants the following kinds of annual leaves to its employees:
1. Sabbatical Leave
A sabbatical leave is the same as annual leave but only Emirati workers are eligible for this kind of leave. Also known as academia.
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.
2. Study Leave
It is the dream of every employee to advance in their career. The same is available for employees in the UAE.
According to Article 32 of UAE Labour Law employees who are in service for two or more years are eligible for ten days of study leave to sit in their examination recognized by educational institutes in UAE.
3. Bereavement Leave
This 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 five five-day leave in the event of the death of a spouse and three days on the death of grandparents or siblings.
4. Hajj and Umrah Leave
Pilgrimage is referred to as one of the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim should undertake it at least once in a lifetime.Â
Employees can take up to 30 days of unpaid leave for Hajj.
Hajj Leave is mandatory while Umrah has no such provisions.Â
5. 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. If the baby is sick or suffers some kind of disability then leave can be extended to 30 days.
6. Parental Leave
This leave is provided to male fathers on the birth of the newborn. According to Article 32 of the Federal Decree-Law No. 33, five full days of paid leave will be provided as parental leave.
7. Official National Holidays
As per Article 28 the employees in UAE get paid off during the national holidays such as Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day, New Year’s Day, Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year, Prophet Mohammed’s birthday, Commemoration Day, and National Day.
If the employer wants employees to work during national holidays they must be provided 150% of their basic salary.
8. Sick Leave
Article 31 of the UAE Labour Law states that workers should be provided with 90 sick leaves annually out of which full payment for the initial fifteen days will be provided. The next thirty days are half-paid, and the remaining forty-five days are unpaid.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Two days of annual leave can be taken every month for a period of six months to a year. After a year of employment, 30 days of leave are available.
An employee has the proper to 30 calendar days of annual leave in UAE.
Yes providing annual leaves to employees is mandatory for organizations in UAE if they have serve for more than 6 months in the organization.
