Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (effective February 2, 2022) replaced the UAE's 42-year-old Law 8/1980 and reshaped private-sector employment. Key changes: all contracts now limited (no more unlimited), resignation reductions removed, remote-work provisions added, maternity + parental leave expanded. This guide covers every provision an HR manager needs to know — hours, overtime, probation, EoS, leaves, termination.
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Max 48 hours per week, 8 hours per day. Ramadan: 2-hour daily reduction for Muslim employees (6-hour working day). Rest periods: 1 hour after 5 consecutive hours, weekly rest of 24 consecutive hours (typically Friday).
Day overtime (6am-9pm): base wage + 25%. Night overtime (9pm-4am): base wage + 50%. Rest-day overtime: regular wage + another day off in-lieu, OR 50% premium if no in-lieu. Max 2 hours overtime per day without exceptional permission.
Maximum 6 months. Must be written in contract to apply. Employer may terminate during probation with 14 days written notice. Employee may terminate during probation with 14 days notice (30 days if moving to new UAE employer). No EoS during probation.
21 days basic salary per year for first 5 years + 30 days per year after year 5. Cap: 2 years of basic salary total. Based on LAST basic salary (excluding allowances). No resignation reduction post-2022. Payable within 14 days of termination.
30 calendar days annual leave per year (equivalent to ~22 working days excluding Fridays). Hajj: one-time 30-day entitlement for Muslim employees. Maternity: 60 days (45 full pay + 15 half). Parental: 5 days for both parents. Sick: 90 days tiered (15 full + 30 half + 45 unpaid).
Wage Protection System mandatory for all UAE employers since 2009. Monthly salary payments via WPS-registered bank; SIF (Salary Information File) uploaded in MOHRE-mandated format. Non-compliance = AED 10K/employee fines, labour-ban on new visas.
Pre-2022: unlimited + limited contracts coexisted with different EoS rules. Post-2022: only limited contracts allowed, typically 2-year renewable. Historical unlimited-contract employees have transition clauses to migrate to limited.
Pre-2022: resigning employees in unlimited contracts had EoS reductions (1/3, 2/3, full based on tenure). Post-2022: full EoS payable regardless of whether employer or employee initiates termination. Only exception: Article 44 gross misconduct.
33/2021 explicitly recognizes remote work + part-time + temporary + condensed-hours arrangements. Employer-employee must document arrangement in contract. Equal rights to benefits regardless of work mode.
Pre-2022: 45 days maternity at full pay. Post-2022: 60 days (45 full + 15 half) + protection against dismissal during pregnancy + 5 days parental for BOTH parents (new provision). Nursing-hours protected 6 months post-birth.
33/2021 introduced explicit prohibition of discrimination based on race, religion, color, gender, disability. Sexual harassment, bullying, workplace violence specifically prohibited with employer duty to investigate. MOHRE complaint mechanism.
February 2, 2022. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 was issued in November 2021 with 90-day transition period. It replaced Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 which had governed UAE private-sector employment for 42 years. All employment contracts entered after February 2, 2022 fall under 33/2021. Pre-existing contracts had transition provisions to migrate.
Unification of contracts. Pre-2022, UAE had limited (fixed-term) and unlimited contracts with different EoS rules — resigning employees in unlimited contracts had their gratuity reduced. Post-2022, ONLY limited contracts are allowed (typically 2-year renewable), and resignation reductions were removed entirely. This significantly improved worker protections.
Generally yes for employment-rights floor. UAE mainland employers (DED-licensed) follow 33/2021 directly. Free-zone employers (DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA, etc.) typically follow 33/2021 or their free-zone-specific regulations, whichever is MORE favourable to the employee. Exception: ADGM (Abu Dhabi) and DIFC (Dubai) operate under separate common-law employment regulations.
Monthly electronic wage payment via MOHRE-registered WPS bank is mandatory. Employer generates SIF (Salary Information File) with employee details + salary amounts + labor-card numbers, uploads to WPS bank. Bank disburses to each employee + reports to MOHRE. Non-compliance triggers AED 1,000-10,000 per employee per month + potential labour-ban on new visas.
Yes, natively. All provisions of Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 are pre-configured — working hours (48/week), overtime (25%/50%), probation (6M max), EoS formula (21+30 days, 2-year cap), annual leave (30 cal days), maternity (60 days), hajj entitlement, WPS SIF generation. When MOHRE updates ministerial decisions, AttendUX engine updates automatically.
This page summarizes key provisions of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 for general informational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Labor laws are amended periodically; AttendUX makes no warranty about completeness or current validity. For your specific situation — including employment terminations, disputes, cross-border cases, or policy design — consult a labor-law attorney licensed in the relevant jurisdiction and verify with the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
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