Do free zone employees in the UAE follow federal labour law or their own rules?

It depends on the free zone. Most UAE free zones — for example many in Dubai, Sharjah and the northern emirates — do not have a standalone employment law, so employees there are generally covered by the UAE's federal labour law (the private-sector labour law administered by MOHRE), sometimes alongside the free zone authority's own administrative rules on permits and visas. The major exceptions are the two financial free zones with independent legal systems: the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which applies the DIFC Employment Law, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), which applies the ADGM Employment Regulations. Employees in those two zones are governed by that zone's law and its courts, not the federal labour law. So to know which rules apply, identify exactly which free zone your employer is registered in. Because frameworks can change, confirm the current position with the relevant free zone authority or MOHRE. A verified UAE legal professional on LEXAI can confirm which regime governs your specific contract and what it means for your rights.