A Complete Guide to the UAE's Parental Leave Rights
Expecting? Congratulations! Here is what you need to know about your rights to maternity and paternity leave as a UAE expat
5 June 2023
A guide on your rights to maternity and paternity leave as a parent in the UAE.
Planning maternity leave in the UAE? Our law guide for expat mums and dads is here to help, so you can prepare ahead and focus on yours and your baby's wellbeing.
We take a look at the UAE Labour Law for working residents as well as what parents are entitled to when it comes to Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave.
What does the UAE Labour Law say about Maternity Leave?
According to Article 30 of the UAE Labour Law, mothers employed under a private company are entitled to 60 (sixty) days of maternity leave. To be eligible, the mother must have been employed in her current company for at least one year.
How many days of paid maternity leave am I entitled to in the UAE?
Female workers in the UAE have the right to paid leave for the first 45 (fourty five) days of leave.
The female employee is then entitled to half wage in the following 15 (fifteen) days. Any more maternity leave days taken after will count as unpaid leave.
Can I take extended maternity leave?
After taking maternity leave, a female worker in the UAE can take unpaid leave not exceeding continuous or intermittent of 45 (fourty five) days.
If the cause of leave is because she is sick or her child is sick due to childbirth or pregnancy, this must be proven to her company HR team with a valid medical certificate.
Her maternity leave period is not included within her service period, for which she is entitled to send of service benefits such as gratuity.
What if my UAE labour contract does not mention Maternity Leave?
If a female worker's UAE labour contract does not include Maternity Leave, rest assured then that this is not binding as it goes against the rights to maternity leave granted to workers under the UAE Labour Law.
All private sector-employed female workers are entitled to 45 days of paid maternity leave and 15 days of half-wage maternity leave, for a total of 60 days maternity leave.
Are fathers in the UAE entitled to parental leave?
Working dads in the UAE are also entitled for parental leave when a new baby enters his family, as per a new rule which came into effect in September 2020.
Private sector male employees have the right to 5 (five) days of parental leave within the first six months of his child's birth.
