Guide · updated 02.09.2026 · 10 min read · Lucent Legal team

Maternity leave in the UAE: how long it lasts and what to do if your employer refuses

Maternity leave in the UAE private sector is 60 days: 45 on full pay and 15 on half pay, under Article 30 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. The right starts on your first working day, with no minimum service. Dismissing a woman because she is pregnant or on maternity leave is banned outright.

The 60 days and how the pay is split

The first 45 days are paid in full, the next 15 at half rate. That is the structure in Article 30 of Law No. 33/2021, and the 60 days are counted as calendar days.

Length of service does not affect the right. Leave is available from your first day of employment. That sets maternity leave apart from gratuity, where a full year is mandatory — the formula is broken down in our guide to rights on termination, which works from the same basic salary figure.

File the request in advance. Sources put the window at up to 30 days before the expected date of birth. If pregnancy or childbirth leaves you ill after the 60 days and you cannot return, the law adds up to 45 more days without pay. You need a medical certificate for that.

If the baby is born ill: another 30 plus 30 days

A separate rule applies here: 30 days on full pay on top of maternity leave, and another 30 unpaid if needed. The grounds are documented medical evidence — illness or disability in the newborn.

This is not childcare leave in the sense many expats expect from home. The UAE private sector has no general long-term entitlement, only these narrow grounds tied to the child's health.

Nursing breaks after you return to work

A returning employee gets one or two extra pauses during the working day, capped at one hour in total. They are paid in full and run for 6 months from the date of birth.

This is a statutory right, not a favour from the employer. The exact timing is usually fitted around the shift schedule.

Parental leave: 5 days for the father or the mother

UAE law has no term for "paternity leave". Article 32 sets out parental leave, which either parent can take: 5 working days within 6 months of the child's birth.

You can take the days consecutively or separately, and attach them to annual leave. Employers normally ask for a copy of the birth certificate. The rule has applied since February 2022 and covers employees of both sexes — formally it is leave for the second parent, and fathers use it more often.

Protection from dismissal on grounds of pregnancy

Article 30(8) of Law No. 33/2021 bars an employer from dismissing an employee or issuing her a warning because of pregnancy, maternity leave, or absence connected to it.

If you were dismissed during pregnancy or maternity leave and have reason to think that was the cause, the unlawful dismissal route applies. The standard of proof and the compensation match a dismissal in retaliation for a MOHRE complaint: up to 3 months' salary. Who has to prove the real reason for a dismissal is covered in unlawful dismissal in the UAE.

What to do if your employer refuses

The route is the same as any UAE labour dispute — through MOHRE.

1. Get the refusal or the delay in writing: email or the company messenger, not a conversation in the corridor.
2. Pin down what exactly was breached: payment deadlines, the split between full and half pay, the right to nursing breaks.
3. File a complaint with MOHRE. Attach the contract, the correspondence, and termination papers if you have already been let go.
4. If MOHRE mediation fails, the case moves to court. That is also where you claim compensation under Article 47.

Filing steps, review timelines, and the list of attachments are set out in our separate guide to the MOHRE complaint. The wider structure of employment rights sits in the UAE labour law hub.

What changes in the government sector

Federal government maternity leave is 90 days on full pay. Women in permanent government posts fall outside Law No. 33/2021; Law No. 49/2022 on federal government human resources applies to them instead.

According to the u.ae government portal, the request is filed in advance here too, and adding annual and unpaid leave stretches the total time away from work. Nursing breaks are paid and more generous than in the private sector; the exact duration depends on the entity's own regulations, so ask its HR department.

Parental leave for the second parent is the same 5 working days. There is also a separate extended leave for caring for a child with special needs.

Emirate-level initiatives matter too. Abu Dhabi has announced its own extended maternity programmes for Emirati women in the private sector. They do not replace Federal Law No. 33/2021 for other employees and cover a narrow group of recipients, so check with your employer or a lawyer whether yours qualifies.

What changes in free zones: DIFC, ADGM and the rest

Most free zones — JAFZA, DMCC and others — follow Federal Law No. 33/2021 on employment matters. That means the same 60 days on the same terms. There are two exceptions: DIFC and ADGM run their own employment regimes, outside the federal law.

In DIFC (DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019) and in ADGM, maternity leave is 65 working days: 33 on full pay and 32 on half pay. The paid portion is tied hard to service, though: sources state a requirement of at least 12 months of continuous employment with that employer before the expected week of childbirth. Federal Law No. 33/2021 has no such condition at all.

If your employer is registered in DIFC or ADGM, check your service length before you go on leave. Fall short of the months and the right to full and half pay may not arise, though the leave itself is normally still protected.

Topic: Family Law in the UAE 2026

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. UAE law changes — a lawyer will assess how it applies to your situation.