compassionate leave in uae

Compassionate Leave in UAE: What the Law Actually Says

If you're dealing with a death in the family and trying to figure out what leave you're entitled to, the short answer is: UAE law gives you bereavement leave, not open-ended "compassionate leave." The exact days depend on who died.

The Quick Answer

Compassionate leave in UAE — formally called bereavement leave — is set by Article 32(1) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (the UAE Labour Law). You get 5 paid days if your spouse dies, and 3 paid days if a parent, child, sibling, grandchild, or grandparent dies. The leave starts from the date of death. It applies to all private-sector employees regardless of length of service or probation status. Public sector and free zone rules (DIFC, ADGM) differ slightly. ^[1][2]

Who Counts as Family for Bereavement Leave

The law is specific, and honestly, most clients get this wrong. The 5-day entitlement is limited to the death of a husband or wife. Everything else — mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter — falls under the 3-day bracket. ^[1]

What's not covered? In-laws, uncles, aunts, cousins, close friends. If your father-in-law passes away, the Labour Law gives you zero statutory days. You'd need to use annual leave, unpaid leave, or rely on your employer's goodwill policy. Some companies — particularly larger groups and multinationals — extend compassionate leave in UAE policies beyond the statutory minimum. Check your contract and HR handbook before assuming.

A practical point worth flagging: the leave is paid at full wage, and your employer cannot deduct it from your annual leave balance. That's settled. ^[1]

How to Actually Take the Leave

Notify your employer as soon as practically possible. The law doesn't impose a strict notice deadline — obviously, because nobody plans this — but you should expect to provide a death certificate or equivalent proof when requested. For deaths outside the UAE, an attested death certificate from the relevant authority is usually accepted.

The 3 or 5 days run consecutively from the date of death, not from when you return to work or finish funeral arrangements. If the death happens on a Friday and you're off Saturday-Sunday anyway, you don't get to start counting Monday. The clock started Friday.

If you need more time — and frankly, grief doesn't follow a 3-day calendar — you have options:

• Request additional annual leave (Article 29)
• Apply for unpaid leave with employer consent
• For mental health impact, a medical certificate can support sick leave under Article 31

Watch out: some employers try to push you onto annual leave for the bereavement days themselves. That's a clear breach. File a complaint with MOHRE (the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) through their app or hotline 600 590000. ^[2]

Free Zones and Public Sector

DIFC employees fall under DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019. Article 39 grants 3 working days of paid compassionate leave for the death of an employee's spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, parent-in-law, step-parent, step-child, or step-sibling. Notice how DIFC includes in-laws and step-relatives — broader than federal law. ^[3]

ADGM follows similar lines under its 2019 Employment Regulations, also covering a wider family definition than the federal statute.

Federal government employees are governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 49 of 2022 and its executive regulations, with bereavement entitlements that generally match or exceed the private sector floor.

What If Your Employer Refuses

Refusing statutory bereavement leave is a labour violation. Your route:

1. Raise it in writing with HR first — email, keep the thread.
2. If unresolved within a reasonable window, file a complaint with MOHRE.
3. MOHRE attempts mediation; unresolved complaints go to the Labour Court.

Penalties for the employer can include fines and, in repeat cases, restrictions on the company's MOHRE file. You don't lose your job for asking — termination for exercising a statutory right is itself unlawful under Article 47 of the Labour Law. ^[1]

One last thing. If you're on probation when the death occurs, you're still entitled to compassionate leave in UAE under the same Article 32. Probation doesn't strip you of bereavement rights. A lot of HR teams get this wrong. Don't let them.

Citations

^[1] Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, Article 32. UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. https://www.mohre.gov.ae

^[2] MOHRE — Leaves and Holidays guidance. https://www.mohre.gov.ae/en/our-services.aspx

^[3] DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019, Article 39. https://www.difc.ae/business/laws-regulations

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