Private-sector employees covered by the UAE’s federal Labour Law can take up to 90 days of sick leave per year after probation: the first 15 days at full pay, the next 30 at half pay and the remaining 45 without pay. The leave can be continuous or split across separate illnesses. The employee must notify the employer within three working days and submit a medical report issued by a recognised medical authority.
Law and government services checked 29 July 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules for government employees, domestic workers, DIFC and ADGM are different; use the scope section below before relying on the 90-day table.
UAE sick leave in 2026: the quick table
| Sick-leave days used in the year | Federal private-sector entitlement | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1–15 | Full pay | Notify the employer and submit a medical report |
| Days 16–45 | Half pay | Keep the approved certificate and payroll record |
| Days 46–90 | Unpaid | Leave remains within the statutory 90-day maximum |
| After day 90 | No further entitlement under Article 31 | If the employee cannot return, the employer may end service and must pay legal entitlements |
The legal basis is Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, as amended. The official UAE Government sick-leave page gives the same 15/30/45 structure.
Who does the 90-day UAE sick-leave rule cover?
This guide’s main rule applies to workers in the UAE private sector who fall under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Article 3 expressly excludes federal and local government employees, armed forces and security personnel, and domestic workers. Employees registered in the UAE’s two financial free zones—DIFC and ADGM—also work under separate employment regulations.
| Employment regime | Maximum sick leave | Pay structure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal UAE private sector | 90 days per year after probation | 15 full + 30 half + 45 unpaid | Federal Labour Law, Article 31 |
| DIFC | 60 working days in 12 months | 10 full + 20 half + 30 unpaid | DIFC Courts employment FAQ |
| ADGM | 60 business days in 12 months | 10 full + 20 half + 30 unpaid | ADGM Employment Regulations 2024 |
| Domestic workers | 30 days per contractual year | 15 full + 15 unpaid | UAE Government domestic-workers guidance |
If your work permit, contract or employer is tied to DIFC or ADGM, do not use the 90-day onshore calculation. If you work for a government entity, consult that entity’s human-resources law and policy. A free-zone company outside the two financial free zones may still fall under the federal law, so check the authority named on the employment contract instead of guessing from the office address.
How many paid sick days do UAE private-sector employees receive?
The 90 days are not 90 paid days. Only the first 45 carry statutory pay, divided into two bands:
- First 15 days: full pay.
- Next 30 days: half pay.
- Final 45 days: no pay.
The bands accumulate across the entitlement year. If an employee uses 10 sick days, returns to work and later uses another 10, the first five days of the second absence complete the full-pay band; the remaining five move into half pay. Article 31 allows the 90 days to be continuous or intermittent.
Is sick-leave pay based on basic salary or total wage?
The statute uses the terms full pay and half pay. The Labour Law separately defines “wage” as the basic wage plus cash allowances and benefits in kind stipulated for the work under the contract or law. That is different from end-of-service gratuity, for which official guidance specifically uses basic salary.
Do not accept a social-media calculator as the final answer for a disputed payroll. Check the wage components recorded in your MOHRE contract and payslip, ask payroll to show its calculation in writing, and seek a MOHRE ruling or legal advice if the employer applies half pay only to a figure you believe is wrong.
Do you get paid sick leave during probation?
No statutory paid sick leave is due during probation under Article 31(2). The employer may grant unpaid sick leave when a medical report says it is necessary, but that wording makes the leave discretionary rather than an automatic paid entitlement.
An employer can offer a more generous contractual benefit. Check the employment contract and staff policy, but a company policy cannot reduce the minimum rights that apply after probation.
Is a medical certificate required for one day of sick leave?
Article 31 does not create a one-day exemption. It says the worker must notify the employer within no more than three working days and submit a medical report issued by the medical entity. An employer may operate a more generous internal policy, but an employee who wants statutory protection should not assume a self-certified day will be accepted.
Use a licensed healthcare facility and keep the electronically issued certificate. Screenshots of an appointment, pharmacy receipt, prescription, invoice or laboratory result are not the same as an approved sick-leave certificate.
How quickly must you tell your employer?
The law gives a maximum of three working days to notify the employer or its representative and provide the medical report. That is a legal ceiling, not a recommended waiting period. Notify your manager or HR on the first day when possible, then follow the company’s stated submission channel.
A defensible record contains:
- a written message or email stating that the absence is illness-related;
- the first day of absence and expected return date, if known;
- the certificate or its official digital reference; and
- an acknowledgement from HR, the manager or the company leave system.
A medical report contains sensitive health data. Send it through the authorised HR channel rather than a public group chat, and keep your own copy.
When must a UAE sick-leave certificate be attested?
Medical-certificate issuance and attestation sit with the health authority, and the process can differ by emirate. The current MOHAP attestation service states:
- certificates from private facilities must come from a licensed facility;
- five days or fewer can be attested instantly;
- more than five days and up to one month require electronic attestation and approval by the emirate’s medical sub-committee;
- more than one month requires electronic attestation and approval by MOHAP’s Higher Medical Committee;
- documents already attested by Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Dubai Health Authority or Sharjah Health Authority do not need another MOHAP attestation; and
- handwritten sick-leave certificates are not approved by that service.
MOHAP currently lists the service as free and says certificates issued through its own sick-leave system are already certified. For Dubai, licensed professionals issue certificates through the DHA sick-leave service. In Abu Dhabi, use the Department of Health / TAMM attestation route. Do not submit a certificate repeatedly to multiple authorities when the competent local authority has already attested it.
What happens if the illness was caused by misconduct?
Paid sick leave can be withheld in the cases set out by Article 31 and Article 20 of the Executive Regulation. The current regulation identifies illness resulting from worker misconduct such as alcohol or drug use, and illness linked to a worker’s violation of applicable safety instructions that the worker had acknowledged.
This is not an invitation for an employer to label any disputed illness “misconduct”. The Executive Regulation says a report from the competent UAE authorities is required to establish the alcohol/drug misconduct case.
Are work injuries counted as ordinary sick leave?
No. The 90-day structure covers illness that is not caused by a work injury. Occupational injury and disease have a separate compensation and reporting framework. UAE Government guidance says the employer bears treatment costs and provides different wage protection during treatment for a qualifying work injury.
If the condition arose while performing work or because of it, do not let it be recorded automatically as ordinary sick leave without checking the official work-injury rules.
Can an employer dismiss someone during sick leave?
Official UAE Government guidance says an employer may not dismiss an employee or give termination notice while the employee is on sick leave. Article 31(5) allows the employer to terminate service after the employee has finished the statutory sick-leave entitlement and remains unable to return, provided the employee receives all financial entitlements due under the law.
There is a separate timing rule for notice connected with leave. MOHRE’s Labour Law guide explains that an employment relationship can be terminated during a leave period, but the notice period begins on the first working day after the leave ends, unless the parties agree otherwise. Because termination disputes turn on the reason, dates and documents, ask MOHRE or a qualified lawyer to review the actual notice rather than relying on a single sentence online.
Does illness automatically convert annual leave into sick leave?
The federal private-sector provisions do not state that annual leave must automatically be restored whenever an employee becomes ill during it. Do not rely on the common claim that a medical certificate always “converts” annual leave. Check the company policy, contract and the legal regime governing the employer, then obtain written confirmation from HR.
DIFC expressly says vacation leave is not converted to sick leave unless the employer agrees. Government-sector rules also differ. This is another reason to identify the employment regime before using a general UAE answer.
What records should an employee keep?
- The employment contract and applicable leave policy.
- Every medical certificate and attestation reference.
- The original notification to the employer and its timestamp.
- HR approval, rejection or request for more evidence.
- Payslips showing how each sick-leave day was paid.
- A running total of full-pay, half-pay and unpaid sick days used in the entitlement year.
Ask HR to correct a payroll or leave-balance error in writing. A clear chronology is much more useful in a dispute than a collection of undocumented phone calls.
What can you do if an employer refuses lawful sick leave or pay?
First, send HR a concise written request that cites Article 31, attaches the approved certificate and identifies the exact days or pay band in dispute. If the issue is not resolved, eligible private-sector employees can use MOHRE’s Register Labour Complaints service.
MOHRE lists the service as free, available online and through its app, with a stated completion duration of 14 working days. Supporting documents should be attached where available. The ministry’s 24/7 assistance number is 600 590 000. Employees of DIFC, ADGM, government bodies and domestic workers should use the complaint route for their own regime.
UAE sick-leave myths that cause real problems
| Claim | Reality |
|---|---|
| “Everyone in the UAE gets 90 paid sick days.” | False. The federal private-sector structure is 15 full, 30 half and 45 unpaid, and other regimes differ. |
| “No certificate is needed for one day.” | Article 31 does not provide a one-day exemption. |
| “Probation employees get the normal paid entitlement.” | False. The employer may grant medically supported unpaid leave during probation. |
| “All free zones use the same rule.” | False. DIFC and ADGM have their own 60-day systems. |
| “A pharmacy receipt proves sick leave.” | False. The law requires a medical report from the medical authority. |
| “A Google calculator settles which salary components count.” | False. Use the contract, statutory definitions and MOHRE for a disputed calculation. |
Bottom line: identify the law that covers your employer, notify the employer immediately, obtain an authorised electronic medical certificate and track the 15/30/45 pay bands. Those four steps prevent most avoidable sick-leave disputes.
