If you work in the UAE private sector, your rights come from Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, from a written fixed-term contract registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), and from a work permit that ties your residence visa to one employer. Before you argue about any entitlement, establish which regime you are in: the mainland and most free zones apply the federal law, but the DIFC in Dubai and ADGM in Abu Dhabi run separate employment statutes, separate end-of-service systems and separate courts — and the answers differ in ways that are worth real money.
Which employment law actually applies to me?
There are effectively four answers, and your employer's registered address decides it.
- Mainland (onshore) employers — federal labour law, MOHRE contracts, MOHRE and the onshore courts for disputes.
- Most free zones (JAFZA, DMCC, Dubai South, Sharjah and Ajman zones, and others) — the federal law still applies, but the free-zone authority issues the permit and often runs a first-stage conciliation before anything reaches MOHRE or the courts.
- DIFC — DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019 as amended, the DIFC Courts, and the DIFC Employee Workplace Savings (DEWS) scheme instead of a lump-sum gratuity.
- ADGM — its own Employment Regulations and the ADGM Courts.
Domestic workers (nannies, drivers, household staff) sit under a separate federal law and are not covered by the private-sector statute. Federal and emirate government employees are also outside it. If you are unsure which category you are in, look at the entity name on your labour card or permit, not at where the office physically is — plenty of DIFC-registered employers occupy buildings that feel like ordinary Dubai. Our broader guide to employment rights in the UAE for expats goes through the substantive entitlements in more detail; this guide is about how the system works around you as a foreigner.
What has to be in my contract and my work permit?
Since the 2021 law took effect, every private-sector contract must be in writing and must be for a fixed term, renewable. Open-ended contracts of the kind that existed under the old 1980 law were phased out. The contract registered with MOHRE — not the glossy offer letter you signed abroad — is the document that is enforced onshore, so anything you negotiated (housing allowance, bonus formula, notice period, relocation costs) needs to appear in that registered contract or in a signed side agreement you keep a copy of.
Your work permit and residence visa are sponsored by the employer. Two practical consequences follow. First, changing jobs means cancelling one permit and issuing another; it is now an administrative process rather than the old automatic ban regime, but timing matters and you should not resign before you understand your visa position. Second, it is unlawful for an employer to retain your passport — you are entitled to hold your own travel document, and refusal is something MOHRE will act on.
Wages must be paid through the Wage Protection System (WPS), the federal electronic payroll channel. If your salary is arriving as cash or as an informal transfer, that is a red flag, and it also deprives you of the cleanest evidence you would otherwise have in a dispute.
How much probation, notice and leave am I entitled to?
Probation is capped at six months. During probation an employer must give fourteen days' written notice to terminate. If you leave during probation to join another UAE employer, you owe one month's notice and your new employer is generally liable to compensate the old one for recruitment costs; if you leave the country instead, fourteen days' notice applies, and returning on a new permit soon afterwards can trigger the same compensation obligation.
After probation, notice is whatever the contract says within a range of 30 to 90 days, and it binds both sides equally. Core statutory entitlements are:
- Annual leave — 30 calendar days per year of service; two days per month for service between six and twelve months.
- Working hours — 8 hours a day, 48 hours a week, reduced by two hours a day during Ramadan. Overtime carries a 25% uplift on the normal hourly rate, or 50% for hours worked between 10pm and 4am (shift patterns are treated differently).
- Sick leave — up to 90 days a year after probation: 15 days at full pay, the next 30 at half pay, the remaining 45 unpaid.
- Maternity leave — 60 days: 45 at full pay and 15 at half pay. Both parents are entitled to five working days of parental leave within the first six months after birth.
Under the pre-2022 law, an employee who resigned before five years lost a third or two-thirds of their end-of-service gratuity. That reduction no longer exists. If you have completed one year of continuous service, resigning gives you the same accrual as being dismissed. Employers — and outgoing employees — still repeat the old rule, and people sign final settlements accepting a fraction of what they are owed. Check the arithmetic before you sign anything headed "full and final".
What am I owed when the job ends?
Onshore, end-of-service gratuity is calculated on basic salary only, excluding allowances, and requires at least one year of continuous service. Unpaid leave does not count toward service. Final entitlements — gratuity, accrued leave, outstanding wages — are payable within fourteen days of the end of the relationship.
| Regime | How end-of-service works | Key limit |
|---|---|---|
| Mainland & most free zones | 21 days' basic wage per year for the first five years; 30 days' basic wage for each year after that | Total gratuity capped at two years' wage |
| DIFC | Monthly employer contributions into the DEWS scheme (or an approved alternative) rather than a lump sum at exit | 5.83% of monthly basic for the first five years of service; 8.33% thereafter |
| ADGM | Lump-sum end-of-service under its own regulations, broadly tracking the federal accrual | Calculated on basic salary |
Since 2023 mainland employers may also opt into a regulated savings scheme as an alternative to the traditional lump sum — if your payslip shows contributions to an approved fund, your exit payment will come from there rather than from the employer directly. Separately, dismissal that is found to be arbitrary can attract compensation of up to three months' wage on top of notice and gratuity.
Most workers are also required to hold Involuntary Loss of Employment (ILOE) insurance, a low-cost federal scheme paying a percentage of basic salary for a limited period after non-voluntary job loss. Premiums are set in two bands by basic salary, with a monthly compensation ceiling in each band; the scheme pays nothing if you resigned or were dismissed for misconduct, and you must have subscribed before the loss. Check your own subscription status now rather than after a termination.
Tell us the emirate and the free zone, and we will match you with firms that handle it.
Can my employer stop me joining a competitor or leaving the country?
Post-termination non-compete clauses are permitted but constrained: a maximum of two years, and the restriction must be limited in time, geography and type of work, and must be no wider than needed to protect a legitimate business interest. Clauses are frequently drafted far more broadly than that and are correspondingly harder to enforce. The parties can also agree a buy-out, and a restriction is generally not enforceable against you where the employer was the one in breach.
What actually prevents people leaving the country is rarely the employment clause — it is unrelated civil exposure. Security cheques handed over for a loan, a car, or a rental can trigger enforcement and travel restrictions long after the job ends; our guide to bounced cheques in the UAE explains the mechanics. An "absconding" report filed by an employer after unexplained absence also creates immigration problems that are far easier to prevent than to unwind, so never simply stop attending work.
How do I bring a claim if my employer does not pay?
Onshore, you start with a complaint to MOHRE, which does not charge the worker to file. MOHRE attempts settlement, and for claims below a statutory threshold it can now issue a decision that binds the parties, subject to a short appeal window to the Court of Appeal; larger claims are referred to the labour court. Workers benefit from an exemption from judicial fees for claims up to a set value. Limitation is tight — labour entitlements are generally subject to a one-year period running from the date the entitlement fell due — so the single worst thing you can do is spend six months in polite email correspondence.
In the DIFC and ADGM you go instead to those courts, which operate in English and have small-claims procedures for lower-value disputes. Onshore proceedings are in Arabic and every supporting document — contracts, payslips, WhatsApp threads — needs certified legal translation, which is the main hidden cost of an onshore case. You do not need to remain in the UAE to litigate: a properly notarised and legalised power of attorney lets a local lawyer act while you are abroad.
Do I need a lawyer, and what will it cost?
For a straightforward unpaid-salary or gratuity claim, many people go through MOHRE without representation and do fine. Get advice where the money or the exposure is real: a disputed termination, a bonus or commission argument, a non-compete you want to break, a DIFC or ADGM matter, or any situation where the employer has raised misconduct allegations. Fee models vary widely between firms and emirates, and UAE lawyers quote in different ways for advisory work and for litigation, so ask for the basis in writing before instructing. Contacting a firm through Brisamo costs you nothing; we list 117 verified firms across 13 countries and 24 cities.
If your plan is to leave employment altogether and work for yourself, the analysis changes completely — you move from labour law into licensing, sponsorship and tax, covered in our guides to setting up a mainland company and UAE corporate tax for foreign-owned businesses. And if you are weighing whether to stay in the country long-term, employment status interacts with property ownership: see buying property in Dubai as a foreigner.
Figures last verified August 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this guide. UAE labour rules are amended frequently by federal decree and cabinet resolution; confirm current thresholds with MOHRE or a licensed lawyer before relying on them.
Fuentes oficiales
Las normas, tasas y umbrales cambian. Confirma todo lo de esta guía en la fuente oficial antes de actuar.
- Federal Tax Authorityagencia tributaria
- ICPautoridad de inmigración
- Dubai Land Departmentregistro de la propiedad