Maternity Leave in UAE: What You're Actually Entitled To

If you're pregnant and working in the UAE, you've probably heard a dozen versions of what your maternity leave looks like — half of them outdated, the other half pulled from your friend's HR policy in Singapore. The rules changed in 2022, and most clients still get the basics wrong. Here's the real picture.

Quick answer

Maternity leave in UAE private-sector jobs is 60 calendar days: 45 days on full pay, then 15 days on half pay. That's under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (the new UAE Labour Law), and it applies from day one of your employment — no minimum service period. You can take an extra 45 unpaid days for pregnancy-related illness, and another 30 unpaid days if your baby is sick or has a disability. Stillbirth after 6 months and infant death within the leave period are also protected. Government employees get more.

How the 60-day entitlement actually breaks down

The headline number is 60 days. But the structure matters because pay drops mid-leave.

Article 30 of the Labour Law sets it out: 45 days at full pay, then 15 days at half pay. Calendar days, not working days — so weekends count against you. If your baby arrives on a Sunday, the clock starts Sunday, not Monday.

You can start your leave up to 30 days before the expected delivery date. Most women I advise take it 1-2 weeks before, banking more time for after. That's a personal call, not a legal one.

No service requirement. You could start a new job 8 months pregnant and still claim the full 60 days — though good luck getting hired in that scenario, frankly.

The leave is per pregnancy, not per year. Twins don't double it.

What if there are complications

The law builds in three extensions, and people miss these constantly.

First: if you can't return to work after the 60 days because of a pregnancy- or delivery-related illness, you get up to 45 additional unpaid days, continuous or intermittent. You'll need a medical certificate from a licensed UAE health authority.

Second: if your baby is born with an illness or disability, you get 30 extra paid days, extendable by another 30 unpaid days. The medical report has to confirm the child needs constant companionship.

Third: stillbirth after the sixth month, or infant death during the maternity leave period, doesn't cancel your leave. You keep the full entitlement. This was a glaring gap in the old law and it's now explicitly covered.

Watch out: Your employer cannot terminate you because you're pregnant or on maternity leave. Article 30(8) is clear. If they dismiss you and the real reason is the pregnancy, that's arbitrary dismissal — and the compensation can run up to 3 months' wages on top of your end-of-service gratuity.

Nursing hours after you return

Once you're back at work, you get two paid nursing breaks per day, each up to 30 minutes (so an hour a day total), for 6 months after the delivery date.

These are paid. They're not deducted from your annual leave. And they're not a "favour" your manager grants — they're a statutory right under Article 30(6).

In practice, most employers let you bundle them into a late start or early finish. Get it in writing.

Free zones and DIFC/ADGM — read the fine print

The Federal Labour Law covers most of the country, but two financial free zones run their own employment regimes.

DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre): Under DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019 (as amended), maternity leave is 65 working days — 33 days at full pay, 32 days at 50% pay — provided you've been employed for at least one year before the expected week of childbirth. If you haven't hit a year, you still get the leave, but pay is reduced. Note the working-days basis: that's roughly 13 weeks, materially more than the federal 60 calendar days.

ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market): ADGM Employment Regulations 2024 provide 60 working days of maternity leave with similar pay-tapering rules.

Other free zones — DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA, DSO, etc. — apply the Federal Labour Law. Same 60 calendar days.

If you don't know which regime governs you, check your employment contract and your visa-issuing authority. The free zone branding on your office door isn't always the legal answer.

Government and Emirati employees

Federal government employees follow Federal Decree-Law No. 49 of 2022 on Human Resources, which gives 90 days fully paid maternity leave. Some emirates' local government rules are more generous still — Abu Dhabi grants Emirati mothers in the local government 6 months.

Emirati women in the private sector now also qualify for additional childcare support under the Nafis programme, but the base maternity leave entitlement is the same 60 days as everyone else under Federal Law 33.

If you work for a semi-government entity (Etihad, Emirates, ADNOC, etc.), check the internal HR policy. Most of them top up significantly above the statutory minimum.

Pay, gratuity, and what employers try to pull

Your salary during paid maternity leave should include your basic wage plus allowances — the same components you'd receive working normally. Not just basic. I see employers strip housing and transport allowances during leave; that's not legal.

Your maternity leave period counts as service for end-of-service gratuity calculations. It also counts toward your annual leave accrual. You don't lose a year of progression because you had a baby.

Some employers try to push women onto unpaid leave early, or "negotiate" a shorter return. Both are red flags. The entitlement is statutory — it isn't negotiable downward, even with your written consent. Any agreement that gives you less than the law allows is void under Article 65 of the Labour Law.

Costs to know (2024): Filing a labour complaint with MOHRE (the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) is free. If unresolved within 14 days, MOHRE refers it to the Labour Court — also free for claims under AED 100,000 under recent reforms. Translation of medical certificates into Arabic typically costs AED 80-150 per page through a Ministry of Justice-licensed translator.

How to actually take the leave without drama

Notify HR in writing — email is fine — at least 30 days before your expected delivery. Attach the medical certificate stating the expected date.

Submit a follow-up after the birth with the actual delivery date and the birth certificate (or the hospital discharge summary if the official birth certificate is still being processed through the relevant health authority). This is what locks in the start date for nursing hours later.

Keep copies of everything. If a dispute arises 6 months later, the contemporaneous email trail is what wins it. Verbal approvals from a sympathetic manager are worth nothing once that manager leaves the company.

If you're terminated during or shortly after maternity leave, file with MOHRE within 30 days if you want to preserve the strongest position. You can still file later, but speed matters for arbitrary dismissal claims.

For more on related entitlements, see our guide on end of service gratuity and arbitrary dismissal.

What's still missing from the law

Paternity leave exists — 5 working days under Article 32, taken within 6 months of birth — but it's modest. There's no statutory parental leave beyond that. No right to part-time return. No protected right to work-from-home post-leave.

That's the law as it stands. Some employers go well beyond it. Most don't. Know which one you work for before you plan your return.

---

Sources

[1] Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relations, Articles 30, 32, 65 — UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, mohre.gov.ae [2] Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 on the Implementation of the Labour Law [3] DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019 (as amended), Part 8 — difc.ae/laws-regulations [4] ADGM Employment Regulations 2024, Section 35 — adgm.com [5] Federal Decree-Law No. 49 of 2022 on Human Resources in the Federal Government

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →