What Are The Public Holidays in The United Arab Emirates in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in The United Arab Emirates (2026)

The UAE sets public holidays at the federal level, with final dates for Islamic holidays confirmed by official moon sighting and government announcements. The table below shows the expected 2026 public holidays that employers should plan around.

*Islamic holidays are based on the Hijri lunar calendar and are subject to official moon sighting and government confirmation, so the exact Gregorian dates may shift by a day.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, UAE labour law generally requires employers to provide paid leave on official public holidays for eligible employees, with rules set at the federal level and applying across all Emirates. Under the UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and its Executive Regulations), employees are entitled to full pay on official public holidays announced by the UAE government, provided they are otherwise entitled to wages for that period.

If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, they are typically entitled to either a substitute rest day or additional compensation at a premium rate in line with the Labour Law. The exact mechanism (rest day vs premium pay) should be set out clearly in your employment contracts and internal policies, but it must at least meet the statutory minimum.

Public holidays are federal, so there is no formal regional split between Emirates, though free zones may have additional guidance and public sector calendars can differ slightly from the private sector. In practice, private sector employers follow the official holiday list and announcements from the UAE government and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).

Part-time and variable-hours employees are generally entitled to public holiday pay on a pro-rated basis, depending on their agreed working schedule and pay structure. You should ensure your payroll system correctly pro-rates holiday entitlements and that you document how you calculate pay for employees who do not work a standard full-time schedule.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to provide the required paid public holiday leave or the correct compensation for work performed on a holiday can expose your company to administrative penalties and potential labour disputes. MOHRE is the main enforcement authority for private sector employment matters and can investigate complaints from employees who believe they have not received their statutory holiday entitlements.

Sanctions can include fines, orders to pay outstanding wages and benefits, and, in more serious or repeated cases, restrictions on obtaining new work permits or other administrative measures. While specific fine amounts and enforcement practices can change over time, the safest approach is to assume that underpayment of wages, including holiday pay, will be treated seriously and may also affect your company’s compliance record.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, failing to provide a substitute rest day or premium pay when employees work on a holiday, and miscalculating entitlements for part-time or commission-based staff. Another frequent issue is not updating internal calendars when the government adjusts or consolidates holidays, especially for Islamic holidays that depend on moon sighting.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In the UAE, work performed on an official public holiday is generally treated differently from standard overtime on a regular working day. If an employee works on a public holiday, they are usually entitled to either a paid day off in lieu or additional pay at a premium rate, on top of their normal wage, in accordance with the Labour Law and any more generous contractual terms you have agreed.

Holiday work can therefore increase your effective overtime costs, even if the total weekly hours do not exceed your normal working-time thresholds. For example, if an employee works their usual weekly hours but one of those days is an official public holiday, you may still owe them premium pay or a substitute rest day for the holiday work, separate from any standard overtime calculation.

To stay compliant, you should track hours worked on public holidays separately from regular hours, ensure your payroll system applies the correct premium or rest-day entitlement, and confirm that your employment contracts and HR policies clearly explain how holiday work is compensated. Because Islamic holiday dates can shift, it is important to update your scheduling and overtime planning once the government confirms the official calendar each year.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Navigating UAE public holidays, shifting Islamic dates, and evolving labour rules can be challenging when you are hiring across borders. Playroll helps your company stay compliant in the UAE by combining local legal expertise with automated, accurate payroll and leave management.

When you hire through Playroll in the UAE, we build public holiday rules directly into your employees’ contracts and payroll settings. That means paid public holidays, substitute rest days, and premium pay for holiday work are calculated correctly and in line with UAE Labour Law and current MOHRE guidance.

Playroll also keeps track of official announcements and calendar changes, so when the government confirms the exact dates for Eid or adjusts the holiday schedule, your team’s leave and pay are updated automatically. You get clear visibility into upcoming holidays, forecasted costs, and staffing gaps, helping you plan coverage without risking non-compliance.

Whether you are onboarding your first employee in Dubai or scaling a distributed team across multiple Emirates and time zones, Playroll gives you a single, reliable system for contracts, time off, and payroll. You focus on building your UAE team – we handle the complexity of public holidays, leave rules, and local employment compliance.