Labour / Employment — UAE Legal Guides
49 UAE legal guides on Labour / Employment.
DEWS in the DIFC: How the Employee Workplace Savings Plan Works
Your DIFC employer must pay at least 5.83% of your monthly basic wage into DEWS or another certified scheme every month, rising to 8.33% after five years. Who is covered, how the 50% floor works, what UAE and GCC nationals are owed, and how to get the money out.
Non-Renewal of an Employment Contract in the UAE: Notice, Sample Letter and Final Dues
UAE labour law sets no separate notice period for letting a fixed-term contract expire, but silence can extend it on the same terms. What a non-renewal letter should say, two neutral sample letters, what is owed within 14 days, and the visa steps.
Basic Salary in the UAE: What Counts, the Percentage Question, and Which Entitlements Use It
Basic salary is the contract wage before housing, transport and other allowances. UAE law sets no minimum ratio to your total package, yet overtime, gratuity, holiday premiums and unemployment insurance all run on it. Here is what counts, what does not, and how to check your own figure.
Do You Need Your Employment Contract in Arabic? The UAE Rules Explained
An onshore UAE employment contract is registered with MOHRE on a bilingual template, and the Arabic text is the one the labour authorities and the courts read. This guide explains where that rule comes from, when the English version still matters, and what to check line by line before you sign.
Emergency Leave in the UAE: What Labour Law Gives You When a Family Crisis Hits
UAE labour law has no leave called emergency leave. Here is what the named leaves give you when a family crisis hits, which days need your employer's agreement, and how to ask for time off without risking your job.
Involuntary Loss of Employment in the UAE: How the ILOE Scheme Works
A plain-English guide to the UAE unemployment insurance scheme — what counts as involuntary loss of employment, who has to subscribe, the two premium categories, how the monthly compensation is calculated and capped, the conditions a claim has to clear, and the 30-day window you have to file in.
UAE Labour Law Changes: What Actually Applies to Your Job in 2024
The 2024 changes are not a new statute. They are the 2021 labour law reaching full effect — fixed-term contracts for everyone, gratuity that survives resignation, and a faster route for smaller wage claims.
MOHRE Labour Fees in the UAE: What a Labour Charge Covers and Who Pays It
A labour charge in the UAE is a MOHRE fee on your employer's labour file, not a bill for you. Here is what each fee covers, what changes the amount, and what to do if it lands on your payslip.
Transferring Jobs in the UAE: What Happens After Your Contract Ends
You can change employers in the UAE without your current company's permission, but notice, permit cancellation and visa timing decide whether the move is clean or costly. Here is the sequence, in order.
UAE Labour Law (FDL 33/2021): Full Guide and Where the Official PDF Lives
The "new UAE labour law 2022" is Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. This guide explains what the law covers — contracts, probation, working hours, leave, dismissal and gratuity — and points you to the only two places the official PDF should ever come from.
Emiratisation Rules for Private Companies in the UAE: Targets, NAFIS and Penalties
A plain-English guide to the UAE's Emiratisation rules for private employers — which companies are in scope, the skilled-jobs targets for firms with 50 or more employees, the separate rule for companies with 20 to 49 staff, what NAFIS is, and the financial contributions and fines that follow a missed target.
How to Cancel an Employment Visa in the UAE: Steps for Employers and Employees
A step-by-step guide to employment visa cancellation in the UAE — the MOHRE work permit stage, the ICP or GDRFA residence visa stage, the signature you should not give before your dues are paid, the grace period that follows, and how the final settlement interacts with the whole process.
Salary Deductions in the UAE Private Sector: What an Employer Can and Cannot Take
UAE law lets a private sector employer deduct from your monthly salary only on a closed list of eight grounds, each with its own cap, and never more than half your wage in one month. Here is the list, the maths, and the complaint route.
Addendum to a UAE Employment Contract: When It Binds You and When You Can Refuse
An addendum changes a live employment contract rather than replacing it. This guide explains which terms need your written consent, what an employer may change alone, how MOHRE registration makes a change effective, and the clauses to check before you sign.
Limited vs Unlimited Contracts in the UAE: What Changed and What Your Contract Says Now
The limited and unlimited labels stopped being legal categories in the UAE private sector in February 2022. This guide sets the two regimes side by side, explains what the mandatory conversion did to accrued service, and shows what an unconverted contract means today.
Resignation Under UAE Labour Law: Notice, Final Pay, Visa and the Mistakes That Cost You Your Gratuity
A step-by-step guide to resigning from a private-sector job in the UAE: how long your notice really is, what the letter must say, when Article 45 lets you leave immediately, why resigning no longer cuts your gratuity, and what happens to your visa.
UAE Final Settlement Calculation: Every Component You Are Owed When You Leave
Your final settlement is not one number from HR. It is a stack of separate entitlements: wages, leave encashment, gratuity, notice pay, arrears and a ticket home. Here is how each line is built, what may be deducted, and when it falls due.
The UAE Labour Contract: Contract Types, Mandatory Terms and MOHRE Registration
Every private-sector job in the UAE now runs on a fixed-term contract registered with MOHRE. This guide explains the contract types and work models, the terms the document must state, how the offer letter becomes the registered contract, and how to pull your own copy.
UAE Probation Period Rules: The Six-Month Cap, Notice, and How Either Side Can End It
Probation in the UAE is capped at six months and cannot be renewed. This guide sets out the statutory cap, the employer's 14-day notice, the two ways an employee can resign on probation, who pays recruitment costs, and how probation affects gratuity and leave.
UAE Work Permit: Types, Eligibility, and How MOHRE Issues One (2026)
Working in the UAE without a valid MOHRE work permit is illegal for both the worker and the employer. This guide sets out the 13 permit categories, the conditions MOHRE checks, the offer-letter-to-contract sequence, the fee bands, and what cancellation does.
UAE Maximum Pension Salary: Contribution Limits and Deductions Explained
The UAE calculates pension on a capped contribution salary, not on total pay. This guide explains the floor and the ceiling, what counts toward the contribution salary, how employer and employee shares split, and why expatriate staff receive end-of-service gratuity instead of a pension.
Warning Letter UAE Labour Law: Rules, the Penalty Ladder and Your Rights
A written warning is a formal disciplinary penalty under UAE labour law, not an informal telling-off. Learn what a valid warning must contain, which sanctions an employer may impose and in what order, how many warnings can precede dismissal, and how to contest one.
Salary Certificate in the UAE: What It Is, How to Get One, and What to Do If Your Employer Refuses
A salary certificate proves your income for banks, embassies, and government bodies in the UAE. This guide explains what it must contain, how it differs from a salary transfer letter, when attestation is needed, and the MOHRE complaint route if your employer refuses.
Repatriation Ticket in the UAE: When Your Employer Must Pay Your Flight Home
UAE law places the cost of a worker's repatriation ticket on the employer in most end-of-service situations. This guide explains when the employer must pay, when the duty falls away, what the obligation covers, and how to claim through MOHRE.
Archive Clerk and MOHRE Skill Levels: How Your UAE Job Classification Is Decided
Your UAE work permit carries more than a job title. It carries a MOHRE skill classification that feeds into permit category, family sponsorship decisions and insurance tiers. Here is how the classification works, how to check yours, and how to correct a wrong title.
MOHRE Offer Letter in the UAE: What It Binds and What to Check Before You Sign
The MOHRE offer letter is the bilingual job offer you sign before your work permit is issued, and the registered contract is supposed to reproduce its terms. What it binds, what to check line by line, and what to do when the contract arrives worse.
3 Months' Salary on Termination in the UAE: Arbitrary (Unlawful) Dismissal Compensation Explained
UAE labour courts can award up to three months' wage when a dismissal is unlawful under Article 47 of Federal Decree-Law 33/2021. Learn what counts as unlawful termination, how judges set the amount, and how it stacks with notice pay and gratuity.
Article 121 UAE Labour Law: What It Said, When It Was Repealed, and What Applies Now
Article 121 let workers quit without notice under the old UAE Labour Law, Federal Law 8 of 1980. That law is repealed. Here is the current equivalent, Article 45 of Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021, and how to use it correctly.
ADGM Employment Lawyer: How ADGM Disputes Differ From Onshore & DIFC
ADGM runs its own English-common-law employment system, separate from onshore UAE and from DIFC. Here is how the rules and courts differ, the disputes that come up most, and when hiring an ADGM employment lawyer is worth it.
UAE Labour Law Working Hours and Overtime: A Practical 2026 Guide
A plain-English guide to UAE labour law working hours: the 8-hour day and 48-hour week caps, how overtime is paid, Friday and rest-day work, the Ramadan reduction, exemptions, and what to do if your overtime goes unpaid.
Labour Law for Domestic Workers in UAE: Your Rights Explained (2026)
Domestic work in the UAE has its own dedicated law — Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022. Here is who it covers and what it says about contracts, rest, leave, end of service, and disputes.
DIFC Employment Law vs Onshore UAE: What Actually Differs in 2026
DIFC employment runs on its own statute, its own DEWS savings scheme and its own courts. Here is how it differs from onshore UAE labour law on gratuity, notice, late-payment penalties and where you file a dispute.
Maternity Leave in the UAE: Your 2026 Guide to Days, Pay, and Protection
A plain-language guide to maternity leave in the UAE private sector — the 60-day entitlement, the 45-plus-15 pay split, eligibility, extensions, nursing breaks, dismissal protection, and how the DIFC and free zones differ.
UAE Labour Law Sick Leave: Your Day Tiers, Pay, and Rights in 2026
How UAE labour law sick leave works in 2026: up to 90 days a year split into full-pay, half-pay and unpaid tiers, plus the probation rule, the 3-working-day reporting duty, dismissal limits, and how work injuries differ.
Was the UAE Labour Ban Removed in 2022? What Actually Changed
Many UAE workers still believe changing jobs triggers an automatic six-month or one-year labour ban. Here is what the 2022 labour-law reform actually changed about work permits, NOCs and non-compete clauses.
Employment Contract Termination in the UAE: Lawful Grounds and Your Rights
A plain-English guide to ending a UAE employment contract lawfully: valid grounds, employer- vs employee-initiated termination, summary dismissal, arbitrary dismissal, and what each side is owed.
UAE Gratuity Law Explained: End-of-Service Pay Rules, Formula & Rights (2026)
A plain-English guide to UAE gratuity law: eligibility, the 21/30-day formula on basic salary, the 2-year cap, what resignation changes, and how to claim unpaid end-of-service pay.
Job Loss Insurance UAE: ILOE Subscription, Claim & Fines (2026 Guide)
Job loss insurance in the UAE is mandatory under the ILOE scheme. Here is who must subscribe, the two premium categories, the claim window, the monthly compensation cap, and the AED 400 non-subscription fine — with every figure linked to the official iloe.ae and MOHRE pages.
How to File a Labour Complaint with MOHRE: Step-by-Step UAE Guide
A practical, step-by-step guide for private-sector employees in the UAE on filing a labour complaint with MOHRE — eligibility, channels, evidence, and what happens if amicable settlement fails.
UAE Leave Salary Calculation 2026: Formula, Examples and Common Mistakes
Calculate UAE leave salary the right way in 2026 — the formula, three worked examples, and the four mistakes that cost employees money.
UAE Labour Law: Complete 2026 Guide
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 explained — contracts, gratuity, termination, MOHRE complaints. The complete LEXAI guide to onshore UAE labour law for employees and employers.
UAE Notice Period and Garden Leave: 2026 Guide
How the UAE notice period works under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 — 30-90 day range, garden-leave mechanics, gratuity and leave accrual during notice, and how far a non-compete actually reaches.
Sharjah Labour Court 2026: Federal Court Filing, MoHRE Conciliation and Appeals
How the Sharjah labour court works in 2026 — MoHRE conciliation, filing at the Federal Court of First Instance, Arabic-language rules, expedited tracks, appeals to Sharjah and cassation in Abu Dhabi.
Dubai Gratuity Calculator: The Math Behind Your End-of-Service Pay (2026)
End-of-service gratuity is a lump-sum payment your employer owes you when your full-time employment in the UAE ends. It is not a bonus, not a gift, and not optional. It is a statutory entitlement set out in Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021,…
Paternity Leave in UAE: 5 Paid Days, Rules & Refusals 2026
Fathers in the UAE private sector get 5 paid working days of paternity leave under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (the UAE Labour Law) Article 30. The leave covers fathers of a newborn child and must be taken within six months of the birth. Salary is paid…
Labour Court Dubai in 2026: Filing, Conciliation, Fees and Timelines Explained
How the labour court Dubai system handles wage, termination and end-of-service claims in 2026 — from MoHRE complaint to judgment, including DIFC tribunal differences.
UAE Annual Leave Entitlements 2026: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021
Article 29 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 — the UAE Labour Relations Law that replaced the 1980 statute on 2 February 2022 — sets the baseline annual leave entitlement at 30 calendar days for every full year of service. The count is in calendar days,…
UAE Labour Termination: Notice, Just Cause & Your Rights (2026)
Your employer might be terminating you the wrong way. Here is how UAE Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021 defines notice periods, just cause under Article 44, and the remedies you actually have when it goes wrong.
UAE End-of-Service Gratuity: The Verified 2026 Formula
Your employer''s gratuity number is probably wrong. Use the verified UAE Labour Law formula in Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021, see worked AED examples, and learn what to do if disputed.