Leave Application (UAE): Annual, Sick and Emergency Leave Samples

A leave application is how an employee asks for time off, and in the UAE the Labour Law decides how much of it they are entitled to: annual leave, sick leave, maternity and parental leave, bereavement leave and study leave, each with its own rules on pay and proof. This page sets out every statutory leave, what each application should contain, and gives three editable samples in Word and PDF: annual leave, sick leave and emergency or bereavement leave. The rules were checked against Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and its Executive Regulation, and apply to private sector employees under the Labour Law; DIFC and ADGM have their own rules.

UAE leave entitlements at a glance

Annual leave

The employee must take annual leave in the year it is earned. The employer sets the dates according to work needs, in agreement with the employee or on a rota, and must tell the employee the dates at least one month in advance. Weekly rest days inside the leave count as part of it unless the contract or company rules say otherwise; public holidays are separate paid days off. Leave during probation is possible only if the employer agrees.

With the employer’s approval and under the company’s rules, unused leave can be carried into the next year, up to half of the annual entitlement, or paid in cash at the current wage by agreement. The employer may not stop an employee from taking leave accrued for more than two years unless the employee chooses to carry it or be paid for it. When employment ends, the balance is paid in cash on the basic salary.

Sick leave

An employee who falls ill, other than through a work injury, must inform the employer within three business days and provide a medical report from the medical authority. During probation there is no paid sick leave, although the employer may grant unpaid sick leave on a medical report. After probation the employee can take up to 90 days a year, continuous or in parts: the first 15 days on full pay, the next 30 on half pay, and the rest unpaid. No sick pay is due for an illness caused by the employee’s own misconduct, such as alcohol or drug use.

Maternity, parental and bereavement leave

Maternity leave is 60 days, the first 45 on full pay and the next 15 on half pay, and can start from the last day of the month before the expected month of birth. A mother can add up to 45 unpaid days for an illness linked to pregnancy or birth, and 30 days on full pay, plus 30 unpaid, if the child is sick or disabled and needs constant care. An employer may not terminate or give notice to a woman because of pregnancy or maternity leave. Either parent is entitled to 5 working days of parental leave within six months of the birth, continuous or split. Bereavement leave starts on the date of death, and the employee brings proof of the death on returning.

Study and other leave

An employee enrolled at an institution approved in the UAE can have 10 business days a year to sit exams, once they have two years of service; the employer may ask for proof of the exam dates. UAE nationals receive paid leave for national and reserve service. Other leave types exist only if the Cabinet creates them. The Labour Law and its Executive Regulation do not mention Hajj or Umrah leave; any such leave is company policy, or taken from annual or unpaid leave. Mourning, parental, annual and unpaid leave can be combined.

What a leave application should contain

• The date, your name, employee ID and job title, and the manager it is addressed to.
• The type of leave and the exact dates, including the day you return.
• For sick leave, the medical report and its date.
• For bereavement or parental leave, the proof the law asks for, or a note that you will bring it.
• Who covers your work, and how to reach you for anything urgent.
• A space for the manager’s approval, signature and date.

An employee who does not come back when the leave ends, without a legitimate reason, is not paid for the days of absence, and a long unexcused absence can lead to dismissal. If notice of termination is given during leave, the notice period starts only the day after the scheduled return.

For the rest of the employment picture, see UAE labour law and employee rights, and for the notice rules when you leave a job, the resignation letter guide.