14 types of leave for federal government employees in UAE
Two female staff interact at an office.
Employees of ministries and federal entities are entitled to 14 types of leave.
This is in accordance with Article 76 of Cabinet Resolution No. 48 of 2023 regarding the executive regulations of Federal Decree Law No. 49 of 2022 regarding human resources in the federal government, which will be implemented in early July.
Learn about these holidays:
1- Annual Leave: The full-time employee is entitled to an annual leave with a total salary as follows: 30 working days for the incumbents of special grade (B) and above and the like, and for the rest of the jobs (22) working days.
2- Maternity: The full-time employee is entitled to maternity leave with total salary for a period of 90 days.
3- Parenthood: An employee who has a newborn, whether he is a father or a mother, is entitled to 5 working days of leave within 6 months from the date of birth.
4- Sick leave: The employee is granted sick leave according to a medical report from an official authority for a period not exceeding 5 consecutive days at a time and a maximum of 15 days per year, and what exceeds the prescribed period will be deducted from the employee’s annual leave days or calculated without salary if he has no balance.
5- Mourning: The employee is granted mourning leave with full salary for a period of 5 days in the event of the death of any of his first-degree relatives, and 3 days for the employee's second-degree relatives.
6- Education: Federal entities may, after the approval of their president or whomever he authorises, grant study leave to the employee on a full or part-time basis, including costs, tuition fees or salary only.
7- National and reserve service: The employee is entitled to a paid leave to perform the national and reserve service in accordance with the legislation in force in the country.
8- Leave without pay: The federal entity or whoever it delegates may grant the employee unpaid leave for a period not exceeding 30 days in one year, provided that the employee has serious reasons that require him to be granted this leave.
9- Waiting period leave (Iddah): The Muslim female employee whose husband dies is granted waiting period leave for a period of 4 months and 10 days from the date of death.
10- Hajj: The Muslim employee is granted 15 days leave with a total salary to perform Hajj for one time during his service period. It is permissible to combine the Hajj leave with the annual leave.
11- Accompanying a patient outside the country: The head of the federal entity may grant the employee a leave if he has a balance, and if he does not have a balance, it is considered without a salary, and this leave may not be extended for another period.
12- Accompanying a sick person inside the country: The national employee is granted an exceptional leave for a period of one month, based on a recommendation from a medical authority, in order to accompany his spouse or one of his parents, according to the following: The first 15 days are paid, and the next 15 days are deducted from the employee’s annual leave balance.
13- Full-time representation of the state: The head of the federal entity or whoever he authorizes may grant the citizen employee an exceptional leave with a gross salary, in order to carry out any work or tasks related to representing the state in national teams, sports or cultural activities, or for any other similar reasons that are not directly related to the work
The federal entity in which the employee works, at the request of the official authorities concerned with those fields, for a period of one month, and it may be extended for similar periods, with a maximum of 6 months.
14- Full-time self-employment: A citizen employee may be granted a leave for self-employment in accordance with the mechanisms and conditions specified by the Council of Ministers in this regard.
