UAE Sick Leave Rules — Full Pay, Half Pay, Unpaid Days & What MOHRE Enforces

If you fall ill while working in the UAE, Federal Labour Law guarantees you up to ninety consecutive calendar days of protected leave before your employer can take any further action against your employment. That protection is structured across three distinct pay tiers — fifteen days at full basic pay, thirty days at half basic pay, and forty-five days at no pay — and each tier carries procedural conditions that both employees and employers routinely misapply, generating hundreds of MOHRE complaints every quarter.

The most common dispute pattern reported to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) involves employers deducting salary during what is still a full-pay or half-pay period, or terminating workers before the ninety-day window has legally closed. A second frequent pattern involves employers demanding medical certificates from government hospitals only, rejecting perfectly valid certificates from DHA-licensed private clinics — a position that has no basis in the current law. Understanding precisely how the tiers work, what medical documentation qualifies, and what MOHRE will and will not enforce is therefore essential knowledge for every private-sector expatriate and UAE national.

This guide is grounded in Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, its implementing Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, and MOHRE enforcement guidance current to July 2026. Where the rules differ for free zone employees and domestic workers, those differences are flagged explicitly. The following subjects are covered:

• Exact entitlement and pay rate at each of the three tiers, with worked salary examples
• Medical certificate standards that MOHRE and UAE labour courts accept
• Notification timelines and the records both parties should maintain
• How sick leave interacts with annual leave, end-of-service gratuity, and notice periods
• Grounds on which an employer can lawfully terminate during or after illness
• Step-by-step MOHRE complaint workflow for illegal deductions or premature dismissal
• Special rules during probation, for free zone workers, and for domestic workers

Whether you are trying to understand your rights before going off sick, or you have already returned from illness and found your pay slip short, the sections below walk you through every layer of the law.

Sick leave in the UAE private sector is governed primarily by Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, which came into force on 2 February 2022. This law replaced Federal Labour Law No. 8 of 1980 and introduced meaningful changes: sick leave pay is now calculated on basic salary only rather than total remuneration, the employee notification requirement became more explicit, and the grounds for lawful dismissal during illness were narrowed. The implementing rules are contained in Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 Concerning the Executive Regulations of the Decree-Law.

Several additional legal instruments are relevant depending on your employment category. Understanding which law applies to you is the essential first step before any complaint or negotiation:

• Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 — Executive Regulations spelling out procedural requirements for sick leave notification, certificate submission, and employer record-keeping obligations
• Federal Law No. 10 of 2017 on Domestic Workers — a separate regime for household workers with different day counts and a distinct MOHRE complaint channel
• DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019 (as amended) — applies exclusively to employees whose employment contract is governed by the law of the Dubai International Financial Centre
• ADGM Employment Regulations 2019 — applies exclusively within Abu Dhabi Global Market
• Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 — mandates standardised MOHRE employment contract templates for all new private-sector hires, with pre-printed sick leave clauses aligned to Article 31

Free zones outside DIFC and ADGM — including JAFZA, DAFZA, RAKEZ, Sharjah Free Zones, Dubai Silicon Oasis, and all other federal and emirate-level free zones — generally apply UAE Federal Labour Law unless the free zone authority has issued a specific conflicting regulation. MOHRE retains enforcement jurisdiction over most free zone employees when their employment contracts are registered on the MOHRE Tasheel system.

Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 structures sick leave as a single ninety-day block divided into three consecutive phases with declining pay rates. The three tiers are not separate leave types — they are sequential stages of the same ninety-day entitlement, and days are counted cumulatively across a single employment year. Once the ninety-day total is exhausted and the employee cannot return to work, the employer may lawfully end the employment relationship subject to the procedural requirements described in the dismissal section below.

Several operating principles about these tiers require emphasis because they generate frequent disputes:

• "Basic salary" excludes all allowances. Housing allowance, transport allowance, meal allowance, and any variable performance bonuses are excluded when calculating sick pay under any tier. If an employer pays sick leave based on total package rather than basic salary, this is more generous than legally required — but an employee cannot demand this as a statutory right.
• Days counted are calendar days, not working days. Weekends, public holidays, and rest days that fall within a sick leave period are included in the count. This is one of the most common points of confusion: an employee who is sick for three weeks has used twenty-one sick leave days, not fifteen working days.
• The ninety-day entitlement resets with each employment year. MOHRE's administrative practice links the reset to the anniversary of the employment contract rather than the calendar year. Consult your specific contract for any alternative provision.
• Multiple spells of sickness within the same employment year are aggregated. If you take eight days sick in April and twelve days in September, you have consumed twenty days total — your next sick day falls into the second tier at half pay.
• Unused sick leave carries no cash value at end of service. Unused sick leave days do not translate into a financial payout when you leave. This distinguishes sick leave sharply from annual leave, which must be paid out as cash on termination.
• A contractual entitlement more generous than the statutory minimum prevails. If your employment contract grants thirty days at full pay rather than fifteen, that contractual right is enforceable. The law sets the floor; contracts may raise it.

Not every employee is automatically entitled to the full ninety-day sick leave structure from the first day of employment. UAE Labour Law attaches eligibility to two primary conditions: completion of the probation period, and the presentation of a qualifying medical certificate. Failing either condition changes the outcome significantly.

The core eligibility conditions under Article 31 and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 are as follows:

• Probation must be completed. An employee who falls ill during their probation period is subject to a different, more restrictive set of rules described in the probation section below. The full ninety-day tiered entitlement only applies to employees who have passed their probation and are confirmed in post.
• The illness must be genuine and documented. The employee must obtain a medical certificate from a UAE-licensed healthcare facility. Self-certification is not accepted under the law. Even a single day's absence should be supported by a certificate if the employee wants it recorded as protected sick leave rather than an unauthorised absence.
• All employment contract types are covered. The 2021 law recognised new contract structures — full-time, part-time, temporary, flexible, and remote. All are entitled to sick leave, with part-time and flexible workers receiving entitlements on a pro-rata basis consistent with their contracted hours.
• UAE nationals in private-sector employment are covered. The law makes no distinction based on nationality. UAE citizens employed by private companies have the same three-tier sick leave entitlement as expatriate employees.
• Workers on employment visas sponsored by their employer are covered. The visa sponsorship structure does not affect sick leave rights. The relevant criterion is whether the employment relationship is governed by UAE Federal Labour Law.
• Mental health conditions are covered equally. The law does not distinguish between physical and mental health illness. A documented psychiatric or psychological condition certified by a licensed practitioner carries the same legal status as a physical illness. MOHRE has not issued separate guidance restricting mental health leave, and courts have applied the standard three-tier structure to mental health absences.

Workers who are in the first three to six months of employment — typical probation length in the UAE — should refer to the probation section for the applicable rules before relying on the three-tier structure. The distinction is material because employer termination rights during probation illness are considerably broader than after probation ends.

The single most litigated procedural question in UAE sick leave disputes is whether a particular medical certificate is valid. Employers sometimes reject certificates; employees sometimes present inadequate documentation. Understanding precisely what the law requires avoids both problems and significantly strengthens any subsequent MOHRE complaint.

Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 provides that the medical certificate must be issued by a medical entity accredited or licensed in the UAE. This means any of the following sources are acceptable:

• Government hospitals and health centres in any emirate — DHA hospitals, SEHA (Abu Dhabi Health Services Company) facilities, Sharjah health centres, and equivalent public health facilities in Ajman, RAK, Fujairah, and UAQ
• Private hospitals and clinics holding a valid licence from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DoH), or the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) for the Northern Emirates
• Telemedicine platforms licensed under DHA's or DoH's telehealth framework, where a licensed physician issues the certificate — stamped PDF certificates with the physician's UAE licence number are advisable to include when submitting to HR
• Corporate occupational health facilities, provided the facility is itself licensed by the relevant emirate's health authority

What an employer cannot legitimately require is a certificate specifically from a government hospital, or from a particular facility on a preferred-provider list. The law requires a licensed facility, not a particular type or name of facility. This is the most common employer misconception and MOHRE conciliators reject it consistently.

If an employer disputes the validity of a certificate from a licensed facility, they have the option to arrange an examination by an independent medical committee — but they bear full responsibility for organising and funding this process. An employee who has presented a valid certificate from a properly licensed UAE facility has fulfilled their legal obligation and cannot be penalised pending any employer-initiated second opinion. If the second opinion validates the illness, the sick leave must be credited. If it does not, the matter becomes a factual dispute that MOHRE or the labour courts will resolve on the evidence.

Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 requires an employee to notify the employer of the illness "without delay." Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 provides that in most circumstances notification must be made within two working days of the onset of illness. The law does not mandate a specific communication channel — written or verbal — but written notification (email, WhatsApp, or HR portal message) is strongly advisable because it creates a timestamped record that both parties can reference if any dispute arises later.

The practical notification obligations for both parties are as follows:

• Day one of illness: Notify your direct line manager and your HR department by the most immediate written channel available. A brief message stating that you are unwell and will be absent starting from that date is sufficient. You do not need a certificate at this moment — the certificate follows within two working days.
• Within two working days: Obtain a medical certificate from a UAE-licensed facility and submit it to HR by email, HR portal upload, or physical delivery. Note the date and method of submission in your own records. Request a written acknowledgement from HR wherever possible.
• For extended illness: If illness continues beyond the period recommended in the first certificate, obtain a renewed certificate before the first expires and submit it without gap. Continuous, unbroken certification is essential for the entire period to be treated as protected sick leave.
• For hospitalisation: The hospital's admission and discharge certificate typically serves as the medical certificate and will show both dates. If you are physically unable to notify within two working days due to the severity of the hospitalisation, notify as soon as you are reasonably able to do so and retain documentation explaining the delay. MOHRE's position is that the notification obligation must be met at the earliest practicable opportunity.

Employers have reciprocal obligations. They are required to record sick leave days in their payroll and leave management systems and must not treat a properly notified, certificated absence as an unauthorised absence. If an employer marks an absence as unauthorised despite receiving valid notification and a valid medical certificate, this classification is itself a violation that MOHRE can investigate. Employers who alter leave records to reclassify sick leave as unauthorised absence — particularly if this is done to support a subsequent dismissal — face disciplinary sanctions under the law.

Both parties should retain all sick leave documentation for at least two years. UAE Labour Law claims have a one-year limitation period from the date the right arose or from the date of termination, but associated employment documents may be relevant to other claims that arise later. Employees should keep personal copies of all certificates, notifications, and HR responses; do not rely solely on the employer's HR system for this record.

Following the correct process from day one protects your entitlement and makes any subsequent MOHRE complaint straightforward. The steps below apply to mainland private-sector employees on standard MOHRE-registered contracts. Free zone employees with MOHRE-registered contracts follow the same process; DIFC and ADGM employees should substitute the relevant portal for their zone.

1. Recognise you are unwell and cannot perform your duties. The law does not require a specific severity threshold, but the illness must be genuine and documented. Self-certifying without a licensed physician's assessment will not produce a valid certificate and will not protect the absence from being classified as unauthorised.
2. Notify your employer immediately — in writing. Send a message by email or WhatsApp to your line manager and HR contact on the first day of absence. State clearly that you are unwell and will be absent starting from that date. Screenshot or save the sent message with its timestamp. This timestamped notification is your proof that you met the "without delay" obligation.
3. Attend a UAE-licensed medical facility and obtain a certificate. Ask the attending physician to state on the certificate the number of recommended rest days. Confirm that the facility's name, the physician's full name, and preferably the physician's DHA/DoH/MOHAP licence number appear on the document. Retain the original.
4. Submit the certificate to your employer within two working days. Email a scan to your HR contact, or hand-deliver the original and request a signed receipt. Note the date and method of submission in your own records. If HR acknowledges receipt in writing, save that acknowledgement.
5. Track your cumulative sick day count against the three tiers. Keep a personal spreadsheet or note: mark the start date, count all calendar days (weekends included), and note which tier you are in. Days 1–15 = full basic pay; days 16–45 = half basic pay; days 46–90 = no pay. If your employer is counting only working days instead of calendar days, you will need this record to dispute the calculation.
6. Renew your certificate if illness continues. Before the rest period in your current certificate expires, return to the clinic and obtain a renewal. Submit the renewal promptly. There must be no gap between successive certificates for the entire period to remain protected. A one-day gap can give an employer grounds to classify that day as an unauthorised absence.
7. Review your pay slip carefully on the next payday. Verify that sick pay reflects the correct tier and the correct number of days at each tier. For days 1–15 you should receive your full basic salary rate; for days 16–45 you should receive half your basic salary rate. Allowances are a separate matter — your sick pay calculation excludes them, but your employer should continue paying allowances that are due regardless of attendance unless your contract says otherwise.
8. If the pay is wrong, write to HR formally first. Send a written message citing the pay period, the number of sick days taken, the tier you believe applies, and the specific amount you believe was incorrectly deducted or not paid. Give HR five to seven working days to respond and correct the error. This paper trail is what MOHRE will request.
9. If HR does not resolve it, initiate a MOHRE Amicable Settlement request. Use the MOHRE website at mohre.gov.ae, the MOHRE mobile application, or call 800-60. Select "Labour Complaints" and follow the prompts. Specify the nature of the violation — illegal wage deduction, sick leave misclassification, or unlawful termination as applicable. See the MOHRE complaint section of this guide for the full process.
10. Attend the MOHRE conciliation session with all documents ready. MOHRE will summon both parties. Bring your employment contract, pay slips for the disputed period, all medical certificates with submission records, all notification messages, and any HR correspondence. The conciliator will attempt to reach a mediated agreement. If no agreement is reached, MOHRE will refer the matter to the labour court at no cost to you.

Probation in UAE Labour Law is a period of up to six months during which both the employer and employee have broader rights to end the relationship on shorter notice. Article 9 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 governs probation. The interaction between probation and illness is an area where employee protections are substantially reduced compared with the post-probation position, and employees who fall sick early in their employment need to understand this difference clearly.

The key distinctions during probation are:

• The three-tier ninety-day sick leave structure does not automatically apply during probation. Article 31's tiered entitlement is available to employees who have passed probation and are confirmed in their roles. A probationary employee has no statutory right to the fifteen days of full basic pay sick leave.
• The employer may terminate during probation even while the employee is ill. Provided the employer gives the required notice under Article 9 — typically fourteen days — termination during probation is generally permissible even when the employee is absent due to illness, as long as the termination is not motivated by a discriminatory reason.
• The employee's own contract may grant sick leave during probation. Many MOHRE standardised contract templates are silent on this for the probation period. If your contract explicitly provides sick pay during probation, that contractual right must be honoured by the employer. Review your specific contract.
• Short illnesses during probation may be treated as unpaid absence unless the contract specifies otherwise. The employer is not obligated to pay sick pay during probation under the federal law.
• An illness caused by a work-related accident or occupational disease triggers separate protections even during probation. Occupational injury provisions apply regardless of the probation stage and carry more robust protections. This is a distinct area of the law.

If a serious illness strikes during probation — for example a hospitalisation lasting several weeks — the most constructive course is to communicate clearly with the employer, provide medical documentation, and try to negotiate an extension of the probation period. Some employers will agree to this, and it is a legitimate arrangement under the law provided both parties document the extension in writing. An extension of probation must not take the total probation period beyond six months, which is the statutory maximum.

Because sick pay is calculated on basic salary only — excluding all allowances — the amount an employee actually receives during sick leave depends critically on the ratio between basic salary and allowances in their package. UAE employment contracts commonly split remuneration as basic plus housing, transport, and other allowances. An employee on a high-allowance package may find that their sick pay is significantly lower than their monthly take-home suggests, because the allowances are excluded.

The calculation formula for each tier:

• Daily basic salary = Monthly basic salary ÷ 30 (UAE Labour Law uses a 30-day month for daily rate calculations regardless of the actual days in the month)
• First tier sick pay (days 1–15): Daily basic salary × number of sick days in this tier
• Second tier sick pay (days 16–45): (Daily basic salary ÷ 2) × number of sick days in this tier
• Third tier (days 46–90): AED 0 — no pay obligation

The mid-level high-allowance example above illustrates a critical real-world issue. Two employees earning the same total monthly package of AED 15,000 — one with a basic salary of AED 10,000 and another with a basic of AED 6,000 — will receive very different sick pay despite nominally identical total compensation. This makes the basic-to-allowance ratio one of the most consequential terms in any UAE employment contract, particularly for roles where health absences are more probable.

Commission, overtime payments, annual bonuses, and performance incentives are all excluded from the sick pay calculation. Variable elements are not averaged or estimated for sick leave purposes. Public holidays and weekends within the sick leave period also do not generate additional pay — because the law counts calendar days, a sick period spanning two full weeks uses fourteen sick leave days, not ten working days, which is why the first tier of fifteen days can feel very short in practice.

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 includes several explicit protections for employees during sick leave periods. Violations of these protections are actionable through MOHRE and, if unresolved at the conciliation stage, through the UAE labour courts. Knowing what is prohibited helps employees recognise violations quickly and respond correctly.

The following employer actions are prohibited under the New Labour Law:

• Terminating the employee during the first forty-five days of sick leave — the combined first and second tier — where the reason is related to the illness. The law does not permit dismissal during tiers 1 and 2 on illness grounds, except where a separate, valid dismissal reason under Article 44 (gross misconduct) exists and is properly pursued through the prescribed disciplinary process.
• Deducting pay beyond what the applicable tier permits. If the employee is in tier 1 (days 1–15), any reduction from the full basic salary rate is an illegal deduction. If the employee is in tier 2 (days 16–45), deducting more than fifty percent of basic salary is illegal. Any illegal deduction is recoverable through MOHRE.
• Refusing to accept a valid medical certificate from a UAE-licensed facility. The employer cannot reject a certificate on the grounds that it comes from a private clinic rather than a government hospital, or because it does not disclose the diagnosis. Rejection of a valid certificate that causes pay loss or disciplinary action is a violation.
• Classifying a notified, certificated sick absence as unauthorised absence. This reclassification has payroll and disciplinary consequences. Where the absence was properly notified and documented, this classification is unsupportable and MOHRE will reject it.
• Terminating an employee because of illness itself. Illness is not a valid reason for dismissal under Article 44. A termination letter that cites long-term illness, incapacity, or health-related poor attendance as the reason — before the ninety days are exhausted — may constitute arbitrary dismissal under Article 47, entitling the employee to compensation of at least three months' total wage.
• Withholding end-of-service gratuity on the basis of sick leave days taken. Sick leave days — including the unpaid third tier — count as days of service for gratuity calculation. The employer cannot reduce gratuity because of time spent on sick leave.
• Requiring the employee to use annual leave to cover sick days. The two entitlements are legally separate. An employer who automatically converts sick days to annual leave balance without the employee's written consent is violating both the sick leave provisions and the annual leave provisions of the law.

One important nuance on the dismissal protection: once the full ninety-day entitlement has been exhausted and the employee genuinely cannot return to work, the employer may terminate with payment of all entitlements. This is not arbitrary dismissal — it is a lawful outcome of a defined legal process. The distinction between a premature termination (unlawful) and a termination after ninety days are fully used (lawful) is sharp, and the day count matters precisely.

Annual leave and sick leave are separate entitlements in UAE Labour Law, each with its own day count and its own financial treatment at the end of employment. Understanding how they interact in common real-life situations prevents both employers and employees from making costly errors that generate MOHRE disputes.

The main interaction scenarios and the applicable rules:

• Falling ill during approved annual leave: If you become sick while on approved annual leave and can produce a valid medical certificate covering that period, you may request that those days be reclassified as sick leave and the equivalent number of annual leave days be restored to your balance. This principle — that annual leave and sick leave cannot run concurrently against the same days — has been consistently applied by MOHRE conciliators and UAE labour courts. Submit the certificate to HR immediately upon return and make the request in writing.
• Sick leave exhausted but annual leave balance remains: An employee who has used all ninety sick leave days and still cannot return to work may agree with the employer to take accrued annual leave immediately afterward. This extends the protected period before any termination can occur. The employer is not legally required to agree — but many do, and the arrangement should be documented in writing.
• Annual leave cannot be offset against unpaid sick leave without consent: An employer cannot automatically subtract annual leave days to "fill" the unpaid third tier (days 46–90) unless the employee has consented to this in writing. The two entitlements run sequentially only by agreement.
• Employee returns before ninety days are used: Remaining sick leave days are preserved and can be used later in the same employment year if illness recurs. The employee cannot be required to use them on a particular condition or for a particular period of recovery.

One financial distinction worth emphasising: annual leave that is unused at the end of employment must be paid out as a cash entitlement equal to the daily wage for each unused day. Unused sick leave has no cash value at exit. This asymmetry means that when an employer and employee agree to convert a sick leave period to annual leave, the employee gains access to a cashable entitlement. MOHRE permits this arrangement when both parties agree, but it must be documented in writing to be enforceable.

MOHRE conciliation records and UAE labour court decisions from 2022 to 2026 reveal a consistent set of employer errors in sick leave administration. These mistakes fall into three broad categories: miscalculation of the applicable tier or pay basis, procedural violations around documentation, and improper termination. Identifying the specific mistake quickly allows employees to target their challenge precisely — and makes MOHRE complaints easier to process.

When an employer makes one of these mistakes, the challenge sequence is consistent: first raise it in writing with HR, citing the specific legal provision and the amount in dispute. Give HR five to seven working days to respond. If the error is not corrected, file an Amicable Settlement request with MOHRE through mohre.gov.ae or by calling 800-60. Keep all written exchanges because MOHRE conciliators will request this documentation at the first session.

Do not sign any document offered by the employer — including separation agreements, full and final settlement forms, or mutual termination letters — until you have verified that all sick pay owed has been correctly calculated and included in the settlement amount. MOHRE conciliators routinely warn employees about premature settlements before any document is signed in their presence, but documents signed outside the MOHRE process are much harder to reverse.

UAE Labour Law carefully delineates the circumstances in which illness can lead to lawful dismissal. Outside these circumstances, a dismissal connected to illness is either unlawful or constitutes arbitrary dismissal under Article 47, both of which carry financial penalties for the employer. Understanding the permitted grounds helps employees immediately assess whether a termination is challengeable.

The legally permitted dismissal scenarios where illness is a factor are:

• After the full ninety-day sick leave entitlement is exhausted and the employee cannot return. Once an employee has taken all ninety days — fifteen at full pay, thirty at half pay, forty-five at no pay — and still cannot return to work, the employer may terminate the employment relationship. The employer must pay all outstanding wages, the full end-of-service gratuity calculated on the employee's entire service period (including the sick leave days), a cash payment for any unused annual leave, and any other contractual entitlements. Most interpretations of the law do not require the employer to pay a notice period in this specific scenario, but all other financial obligations are mandatory. The employee cannot be dismissed without payment of these sums.
• Termination for gross misconduct under Article 44, even during sick leave. Article 44 of the New Labour Law lists grounds for summary dismissal without notice — including theft, assault, violation of safety rules, and disclosure of confidential commercial information. These grounds remain valid even if the employee is on sick leave, but the employer must follow the Article 44 disciplinary procedures, which include notifying the employee in writing and giving them the opportunity to respond before any final decision. Skipping this process makes even a valid misconduct dismissal procedurally challengeable.
• Genuine business restructuring during sick leave. A true company restructuring that eliminates a position can lead to termination during sick leave, but employers must exercise extreme caution. If the timing coincides closely with the start of sick leave, MOHRE conciliators and labour courts will scrutinise the real reason for termination closely. A restructuring that eliminates only the role of the currently sick employee, without documentary evidence of a broader organisational change, is likely to be treated as arbitrary dismissal.

An employee who receives a termination letter during sick leave should not resign, should not sign any document presented by the employer — including mutual separation agreements — and should not return company equipment or access cards in circumstances that could be interpreted as accepting the termination, until they have assessed whether the dismissal is lawful. Contact MOHRE at 800-60 immediately for guidance. The MOHRE complaint can be filed online at mohre.gov.ae without needing to attend an office first, and MOHRE can flag the employer's file to monitor for any adverse immigration action during the complaint process.

MOHRE operates a two-stage dispute resolution process for mainland private-sector employees: an Amicable Settlement stage, and if that fails, referral to the competent labour court. The process is free to initiate, conducted in Arabic with Arabic-English support available, and the amicable stage typically concludes within two to four weeks. MOHRE has the authority to issue compliance notices and — in serious cases — to suspend the employer's ability to hire new workers or process permit transactions, which gives the process meaningful leverage over employers.

The step-by-step complaint process:

1. Gather your documents before filing. You will need: your Emirates ID or passport copy, your signed employment contract, pay slips for the disputed period, all medical certificates (originals or scanned copies), notification records (WhatsApp screenshots with timestamps, emails with headers showing sent date), any HR correspondence about the disputed deduction or dismissal, and — if terminated — the termination letter. Incomplete files delay the conciliation process significantly.
2. Submit the complaint through the MOHRE online portal or mobile application. Visit mohre.gov.ae and select "File a Labour Complaint" from the services menu, or download the MOHRE application (available on iOS and Android) and navigate to "Labour Complaints." The portal and app are available in Arabic and English. You will need your Emirates ID number to create an account and will be asked to provide the employer's trade licence number, the type of violation, and the monetary amount claimed.
3. Alternatively, call MOHRE at 800-60. A call agent will register your complaint verbally and advise on next steps. This option is useful if you are having difficulty navigating the online portal or if your situation is urgent.
4. MOHRE assigns a case number immediately upon submission. Use this case number for all tracking and follow-up. MOHRE will notify the employer of the complaint within one to three working days. The employer must respond; failure to respond is noted against them in the conciliation process.
5. A conciliation session is scheduled, typically within 7–14 working days of filing. Both you and a representative of your employer are summoned to attend at the relevant MOHRE office — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, or the Northern Emirates office depending on where the employer is registered. The conciliator (a MOHRE Labour Relations Officer) hears both sides and works toward an agreed resolution.
6. If a settlement is reached, a formal written agreement is signed before the conciliator. Both parties sign at the MOHRE office. The agreement is legally binding and enforceable. Verify the amounts carefully before signing — ensure the calculation reflects the correct tier, the correct number of days, and the correct basic salary figure. If the employer fails to pay within the agreed timeline, MOHRE can execute the agreement.
7. If no settlement is reached, MOHRE issues a court referral letter within one to two weeks. This letter formally opens the judicial stage at the competent labour court in the relevant emirate. Filing fees at the labour courts are waived for employees earning below AED 20,000 per month in wage-related claims — a threshold that covers the majority of mainland private-sector employees.
8. The labour court issues judgment, typically within two to six months for straightforward cases. Where the facts are clearly documented — correct day counts, clear pay slips, and valid certificates — sick pay deduction cases are often resolved at the lower end of this range. The court can order repayment of the underpaid amount, compensation for arbitrary dismissal where applicable, and statutory interest. The employer may appeal but must deposit the judgment amount with the court before the appeal is heard, giving the winning employee substantial practical security.

Throughout the process, keep your Emirates ID and residency visa current. MOHRE complaints do not automatically affect immigration status, but if your residency is sponsored by the employer you are disputing, seek immigration advice in parallel. MOHRE has an internal protocol for discouraging employers from cancelling the visas of employees who have active, genuine complaints, but this protection is administrative rather than absolute. Documenting all communications from the employer about visa status during the complaint period is important.

The typical timeline from filing to first payment in a settled case is three to eight weeks. Court-referred cases average four to eight months; complex multi-claim matters take longer. The vast majority of sick pay deduction cases — where the day count is clear and the certificate is valid — settle at the MOHRE conciliation stage without court referral.

For the majority of UAE free zone employees, the answer is yes — UAE Federal Labour Law applies and MOHRE is the enforcement authority. The important exceptions are the two financial free zones — DIFC and ADGM — which have established their own employment law regimes with distinct sick leave entitlements. Determining which framework governs your employment is the critical first step before relying on the three-tier structure described in this guide.

The position by zone category:

• DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre): Employees whose contracts are governed by DIFC law fall under DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019. Sick leave under DIFC law is sixty calendar days per year, divided into thirty days at full pay and thirty days at half pay. There is no unpaid tier within the sixty-day window. After sixty days the employment relationship and further absence are governed by the DIFC Employment Law. Disputes go to the DIFC Courts Employment Division at difccourts.ae — not MOHRE.
• ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market): Employees under ADGM Employment Regulations 2019 receive sixty days of sick leave per year — thirty at full pay and thirty at half pay. The ADGM Courts and Employment Tribunal handle disputes at adgm.com. MOHRE has no jurisdiction inside ADGM.
• All other UAE free zones: Employees in JAFZA, DAFZA, RAKEZ, Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone), Hamriyah Free Zone, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, and all other federal and emirate-level free zones outside DIFC and ADGM are subject to Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and MOHRE's enforcement jurisdiction, provided their employment is registered on the MOHRE Tasheel system.

To confirm which law governs your employment, check your employment contract for a governing law clause — typically located near the end of the document. If the clause names DIFC law or ADGM law, you are in one of the special regimes. If it names UAE Federal Labour Law, or if it is silent, you are almost certainly on the federal framework. Calling MOHRE at 800-60 and providing your Emirates ID is the fastest way to verify whether your employer and work permit are registered on the MOHRE Tasheel system — the agent can confirm this within minutes.

Domestic workers — including housemaids, nannies, cooks employed in private households, drivers employed by private families, gardeners, household security staff, and similar roles — are not covered by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. They fall under the separate Federal Law No. 10 of 2017 on Domestic Workers and its implementing Cabinet Resolution No. 47 of 2017. The sick leave entitlement under this law differs from the private-sector three-tier structure in both the total day count and the absence of an unpaid tier within the defined period.

Under Federal Law No. 10 of 2017, a domestic worker is entitled to the following:

• Thirty calendar days of sick leave per year — a single block, not divided into three tiers in the same way as the private-sector structure
• The first fifteen days are at full pay based on the contracted monthly wage (not basic salary only — the domestic worker's wage is typically a single figure)
• The following fifteen days are at half pay
• After thirty days of sick leave in a year, the employer may terminate the contract with appropriate notice (thirty days) and payment of all entitlements
• The sick leave entitlement accrues after the worker completes at least three months of continuous employment with the same employer
• The employer must provide necessary medical treatment during the sick leave period, or arrange for the worker to access healthcare — this is an obligation unique to the domestic worker regime and does not appear in the standard private-sector framework

Domestic workers who have a dispute with their employer over sick leave should contact the MOHRE Domestic Workers Department. MOHRE operates the Tadbeer network of domestic worker service centres across the UAE, where workers can seek in-person assistance with complaints, document translation, and advice. Domestic workers in distress or unsafe situations can also access the National Foundation for Families and Individuals shelter network (Ewaa) by calling 800-EWAA (800-3922). Importantly, domestic workers whose complaints are under active MOHRE investigation are afforded shelter and support while the dispute is resolved — MOHRE protocols are designed to prevent retaliation by the employer during the process.

Medical certificate requirements for domestic workers follow the same principle as for private-sector employees: any UAE-licensed healthcare facility produces a valid certificate. An employer who insists the domestic worker return to work during a certificated rest period, or who deducts pay during the first fifteen days of illness, is violating Federal Law No. 10 of 2017 and is subject to MOHRE enforcement action including fines.