UAE Labour Law Attendance Rules — Working Hours, Overtime & Leave

Under Article 17 of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, the standard working hours for adult employees in the private sector are 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week. In certain industries — retail, hospitality, and catering — a daily maximum of 9 hours may apply, provided the weekly total does not exceed 48 hours.

Employees may not be required to work more than 5 consecutive hours without a rest break. Any hours worked beyond the standard 8-hour day must be compensated as overtime.

Article 67 of UAE Labour Law sets the overtime compensation rates. Employers must pay a premium on top of the regular hourly rate for all hours worked beyond the standard working day.

Overtime must be pre-authorised by the employer and cannot exceed 2 hours per day unless the work is essential to prevent serious loss or danger. Total overtime must not exceed 144 hours in any 3-month period.

During the holy month of Ramadan, working hours for Muslim employees must be reduced by 2 hours per day from their normal working schedule. This applies regardless of the employee's shift pattern or contract type.

Non-Muslim employees are not legally entitled to the Ramadan reduction, though many employers apply the reduction universally. Employers must configure their attendance systems to apply Ramadan hours only for the duration of the month and revert to standard hours once Ramadan concludes.

UAE Labour Law specifies minimum leave entitlements for private sector employees. Employers may offer more generous terms but cannot provide less than the statutory minimums.

• Annual leave: 30 calendar days per year after 1 year of service; 2 days per month for employees with 6–12 months of service.
• Public holidays: Employees are entitled to paid leave on official UAE public holidays as declared by the government each year.
• Maternity leave: 60 days (45 days full pay, 15 days half pay) for female employees after 1 year of service.
• Paternity leave: 5 working days for male employees within 6 months of a child's birth.
• Bereavement leave: 5 days for the death of a spouse; 3 days for the death of a parent, child, sibling, or grandparent.
• Study leave: 10 days per year for employees who have completed 2 years of service and are enrolled in UAE-accredited education.

Under Article 31 of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, employees who have completed their probation period are entitled to 90 days sick leave per year, structured as follows:

• First 15 days: Full pay
• Next 30 days: Half pay
• Remaining 45 days: Unpaid

All sick leave must be supported by a medical certificate from a licensed UAE healthcare provider. Sick leave taken during probation is at the employer's discretion. An employer may not terminate an employee solely due to illness, but may do so after exhaustion of all sick leave days.

UAE Labour Law requires employers to maintain complete and accurate records of all employee working hours, overtime, absences, and leave. These records must be available for inspection by MOHRE labour inspectors at any time.

Records should be retained for a minimum of 5 years from the date of creation or from the date of an employee's departure, whichever is later. Failure to produce records during an inspection can itself result in penalties, independent of whether any underlying violations exist.

Digital attendance records from biometric or cloud-based systems are fully accepted by MOHRE, provided they are tamper-evident and accurately time-stamped.