Maternity and Parental Leave in the UAE: The Rules

Maternity leave is one of the most searched questions about UAE employment, and one of the most often answered from memory. The rules changed when Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 replaced the old labour law, and both employees and employers still meet the old figures. This guide sets out the current rules for the UAE mainland private sector, article by article, and what an employer needs in place to apply them.

Who these rules cover

The rules below come from Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the regulation of employment relationships, the UAE labour law, and its executive regulations, Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022. They apply to private-sector employees on the mainland in every emirate. The DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own employment laws, government employees follow federal or local government HR rules, and domestic workers are covered by a separate law, so none of those is covered here.

How much maternity leave the law gives

An employee is entitled to 60 days of maternity leave (Article 30):

Part of the leave	Days	Pay
First part	45 days	Full wage
Second part	15 days	Half wage
Total	60 days

The law sets no minimum period of service before the entitlement starts, so an employee who becomes pregnant in her first months with an employer is covered. The leave applies to a birth after six months of pregnancy or more, including a stillbirth or a baby who dies after the birth.

When the leave can start

The leave can start from the last day of the month before the month in which the baby is expected. For a birth expected in March, that is the last day of February.

Extra leave after the 60 days

The law adds two kinds of leave on top of the 60 days, both needing a medical certificate:

• Illness after the birth. If the mother's own illness, or her child's, follows from the pregnancy or the birth and stops her returning to work, she can take up to 45 more days, unpaid, together or in parts. These days do not count as service when the end-of-service gratuity is worked out.
• A child born unwell or with a disability. If the child is born with an illness or a disability and needs a constant companion, the mother can take 30 more days on full pay once the maternity leave ends, followed by up to 30 more days unpaid.

Nursing breaks

For six months after the birth, a mother is entitled to one or two nursing breaks a day, together no longer than one hour. The UAE Government portal describes these breaks as paid.

Protection from dismissal

An employer cannot dismiss an employee, or give her notice, because she is pregnant, because she is on maternity leave, or because of the extra leave described above. Notice given for one of those reasons is not a lawful termination, whatever the contract says. An employer with a genuine, unrelated reason to end a contract should take advice before acting while an employee is pregnant or on leave, because the timing alone invites the question.

Parental leave, for fathers and mothers

There is no maternity leave for fathers as such, which is why "maternity leave for husbands" is such a common search. What the law gives instead is parental leave: five working days of paid leave for either parent (Article 32). The days can be taken together or separately, at any time within six months of the birth, and the employer can ask for proof of the birth.

The rules at a glance

Entitlement	What the law gives
Maternity leave	60 days: 45 on full wage, 15 on half wage
Illness after the birth	Up to 45 more days, unpaid, with a medical certificate
Child born unwell or with a disability	30 more days on full pay, then up to 30 days unpaid
Nursing breaks	Up to one hour a day for six months after the birth
Parental leave	5 working days, paid, for either parent, within six months
Dismissal	Not allowed for pregnancy or for taking these leaves

What employers need in place

Applying the rules is not hard; applying them consistently is. Four things make the difference.

A leave record that drives payroll. Half-pay days and unpaid days have to reach the payslip in the month they fall, and the unpaid days after an illness must be left out of the service counted for gratuity. When leave is recorded in one system and payroll is run in another, those are the first figures to go wrong. Wages, including half wages, still go through the Wage Protection System.

A plan for the role. Sixty days is long enough that most teams need cover. A temporary hire for the leave period keeps the work moving without reshaping the team, and ends when the employee returns.

Clear dates, agreed early. The start date, the expected return and the nursing break schedule should be agreed in writing, so nobody has to rebuild them from memory.

Managers who know the protection. The dismissal rule is where good intentions go wrong. Anyone who can give notice should know that pregnancy and maternity leave are never a reason for it.

For the rest of the leave rules, see sick leave under UAE labour law and annual leave in the UAE, and for the wider picture, our UAE labour law guide for employers.

The bottom line

In the UAE private sector, maternity leave is 60 days, 45 on full wage and 15 on half wage, with no minimum service, extra leave when the mother or child is unwell, nursing breaks for six months, and protection from dismissal throughout. Either parent also gets five working days of paid parental leave. The law is clear; the risk for an employer is in the records and the managers.

When tamdeed runs the employment administration for a company that sponsors its own staff, leave and payroll sit on one platform, so a half-pay day is on the payslip because it is on the leave record, not because someone remembered it. See how tamdeed runs PEO in the UAE, or for a company with no UAE entity, employer of record.

Sources: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Articles 30 and 32; Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022; the UAE Government portal's guidance on types of leave in the private sector. This guide is general information, not legal advice; confirm your own case with MOHRE or a qualified adviser.

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