The benefit that people search for as medical leave in UAE labour law is labelled sick leave in the statute. Mainland private-sector employees can take up to 90 days per year of service, and pay follows a fixed scale: 15 days at full pay, 30 days at half pay and 45 days unpaid.
Key Takeaways
- There is no separate statutory benefit called “medical leave” in the UAE. Private-sector law regulates sick leave, and “medical leave” is the everyday label for it.
- Mainland private-sector employees may take up to 90 days of sick leave per year of service, continuously or intermittently, after completing probation (u.ae).
- Pay is tiered: 15 days at full pay, 30 days at half pay, 45 days unpaid (u.ae).
- Paid sick leave does not apply during probation. An employer may grant unpaid sick leave based on a report from a recognised medical authority (u.ae).
- Notify your employer within a maximum of three days and submit a medical report from the treating medical entity (u.ae).
- A contract or internal policy can be more generous than the statutory tiers — but only if it is written down.
- Free zone, DIFC and ADGM employees follow their own employment regulations. Check your authority’s rules instead of applying mainland figures.
Is Medical Leave in UAE Labour Law Different From Sick Leave?
No. Both names describe one benefit, and only one of them appears in the legislation.
Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 governs private-sector employment in the UAE, and it sets out an entitlement to sick leave. No separate statutory category called medical leave exists (u.ae).
Why does a naming point matter outside a debate about wording? Because the name tells you where your rights come from. Statutory sick leave comes from the law, so it applies whatever your contract says. An internal “medical leave” category comes from your employer instead, which means the wording of that policy governs what you actually receive.
Where the confusion comes from:
- Offer letters and contracts use “medical leave” as a heading while meaning the statutory sick leave entitlement.
- Insurance forms, HR portals and leave-tracking systems label the category loosely.
- Some employers create a more generous internal category on top of the statutory minimum — for example, extra paid days, or days that need no certificate.
A useful rule of thumb: if a benefit beats the statutory sick leave — extra paid days, certificate-free days, remote work during recovery — it comes from your contract or staff handbook, not from the law. Read that document before you rely on it, because it is the source of the extra entitlement.
Which rules apply to you: this guide covers mainland private-sector employees. Employees in free zones, the DIFC and ADGM fall under their own employment regulations, which may set different terms. Check your authority’s published rules directly rather than assuming the mainland position applies.
How Many Sick Leave Days Are You Entitled to in the UAE?
An employee is entitled to sick leave of not more than 90 days per year of service, whether taken continuously or intermittently, after completing the probationary period (u.ae).
What “per year of service” actually means. This is not a single lifetime allowance. It is a 12-month entitlement cycle tied to your service, and it resets. Take 20 days this year, recover, and you have not “used up” a career total — the next cycle starts fresh. Long-serving employees sometimes avoid taking sick leave out of fear of exhausting a benefit that does not work that way.
“Continuous or intermittent” in practice. Both patterns draw on the same 90 days:
- Continuous: one recovery period — 40 days off after surgery, for example.
- Intermittent: repeated short absences — three days here, one day there — adding up across the same 12-month cycle.
What the 90 days does not automatically include:
- Discretionary days above the statutory entitlement, which come from policy if they exist at all.
- Paid time off to care for a spouse or child, unless your contract grants it.
- Travel time for treatment abroad.
The caveat that catches people out: 90 days of entitlement is not 90 days of pay. The entitlement sets how long you may be absent from work. Payment follows a separate sliding scale, explained next.
How Is Sick Leave Pay Calculated in the UAE? (15/30/45 Explained)
The pay tiers that apply to medical leave in UAE labour law are fixed rather than negotiable: full pay for the first 15 days, half pay for the next 30 days, and no pay for the remaining 45 days (u.ae).
| Sick leave days | Pay rate | Days in this tier |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 – 15 | Full pay | 15 days |
| Day 16 – 45 | Half pay | 30 days |
| Day 46 – 90 | No pay | 45 days |
Worked example 1: 20 days off
Hypothetical example. Assume a monthly salary of AED 12,000 and a daily rate of AED 12,000 ÷ 30 = AED 400.
- Days 1–15 at full pay: AED 400 × 15 = AED 6,000
- Days 16–20 at half pay: AED 200 × 5 = AED 1,000
- Total paid for the 20-day absence: AED 7,000
The remaining 70 days of entitlement stay untouched, and the cycle resets with the next year of service.
Worked example 2: 70 days off
Hypothetical example, using the same AED 12,000 salary and AED 400 daily rate.
- Days 1–15 at full pay: AED 400 × 15 = AED 6,000
- Days 16–45 at half pay: AED 200 × 30 = AED 6,000
- Days 46–70 unpaid: AED 0
- Total paid across the 70 days: AED 12,000
Spread across monthly payroll cycles, the same absence looks like this:
| Month of absence | Days in each tier | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 (days 1–30) | 15 full, 15 half | AED 9,000 |
| Month 2 (days 31–60) | 15 half, 15 unpaid | AED 3,000 |
| Month 3 (days 61–70) | 10 unpaid | AED 0 |
By month three there may be no salary to transfer at all. That is the statutory outcome rather than an employer error — and it is exactly the kind of outcome that needs documenting before payroll runs.
How half pay meets payroll. Ask which salary components form the base for the half-pay calculation, and get the answer in writing before the first reduced payslip arrives. Unpaid days also change the amount transferred through the Wage Protection System, so payroll teams should record the tier each absence falls into at the time, not at month end. A one-line note per absence — dates, tier, certificate reference — prevents most later disputes.
What unpaid sick days should not become. Treat claims that unpaid sick days break your service with caution, and confirm how your employer records continuous service, leave accrual and end-of-service calculations against the current law text before you sign anything.
The generosity caveat. Where a contract or internal policy is more generous than the statutory tiers, the more generous term generally applies. Always check the offer letter first.
Can You Take Paid Sick Leave During the Probationary Period?
Not as a paid entitlement. A worker is not entitled to paid sick leave during the probationary period. However, the employer may grant unpaid sick leave during that time, based on a medical report issued by a recognised medical authority showing that the leave is necessary (u.ae).
Practical translation: during probation, treat sick leave as discretionary and unpaid. Negotiate it in writing rather than assuming it.
If you fall ill during probation:
- Notify your line manager immediately, by a channel that leaves a record.
- Obtain a report from a recognised medical authority.
- Request unpaid leave in writing, so the absence is documented and never treated as unexplained.
- Keep the acknowledgement with the certificate.
The HR side: probationary absences still need a paper trail. A clear internal rule on how probationary sick days are recorded avoids arguments later at attendance reviews and performance assessments.
The common mistake: employees treat probation like normal employment and assume days 1–15 will be paid in full. They will not be, unless the employer agrees otherwise in writing.
What Documents Can Your Employer Ask For — and by When?
Under the sick leave provision cited by u.ae, the employee must notify the employer about the sickness within a maximum of three days and submit a medical report on the condition, issued by the medical entity (u.ae).
The three-day window, explained. This is a maximum notification period, not a licence to disappear for three days. Tell your line manager on day one, then file the paperwork inside the window. Employees who rely on a colleague to pass the message on are the ones most often refused.
What counts as acceptable documentation. A medical report or certificate from the treating medical entity — a clinic or hospital — showing the dates of the recommended leave and the medical reason.
Longer or extended illnesses. Separate Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) processes exist for approving medical leaves and related companion or patient leave. Check MOHAP’s official service page for the current process rather than working from memory.
What employers generally should not do. Demanding blanket access to full medical history, or insisting on one specific private clinic, goes beyond a report from a medical entity. Treat that as good practice guidance and confirm the current legal position before refusing or complying.
| Document | Why it matters | Practical tip |
|---|---|---|
| Dated notification (email or message) | Proves you met the three-day rule | Send it on day one, not day three |
| Medical report from the treating entity | Supports the reason and the dates | Check the dates and issuing facility are printed on it |
| Employer acknowledgement | Shows the absence was reported, not unexplained | Reply to HR’s email and keep the thread |
| Record of days taken | Tracks progress against the 90-day cap | Update it monthly against your payslip |
What Should You Do If Your Sick Leave Request Is Refused?
Refusals are rarely random. Most come down to paperwork, policy wording, or a genuine misunderstanding of the entitlement — so work through the steps in order.
**
Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Leave In Uae Labour Law
How many days of sick leave am I entitled to in the UAE?
Mainland private-sector employees may take up to 90 days of sick leave per year of service, after completing the probationary period. The leave can be taken continuously or intermittently and the entitlement resets with each year of service.
Is sick leave paid in the UAE, and how much do I get?
Pay follows a fixed statutory scale: the first 15 days at full pay, the next 30 days at half pay, and the remaining 45 days unpaid. Note that the 90-day entitlement sets how long you can be absent, while the pay tiers set what you receive.
What is the difference between medical leave and sick leave under UAE labour law?
There is no separate statutory benefit called medical leave in the UAE. The law regulates sick leave, and medical leave is the everyday label used in contracts, HR portals and insurance forms. The distinction matters because statutory sick leave applies regardless of what your contract says, while any extra medical leave benefit comes from your employer’s policy.
Can my employer refuse my sick leave or reject my medical certificate?
An employer should generally accept a medical report from a recognised medical entity, but you must notify your employer within a maximum of three days and submit the report. If your request is refused, work through the paperwork and policy wording first, as most refusals stem from documentation gaps or misunderstandings of the entitlement.
Do I get paid sick leave during my probation period in the UAE?
No. You are not entitled to paid sick leave during probation. However, your employer may grant unpaid sick leave based on a report from a recognised medical authority showing that the leave is necessary.
Can I be terminated while on sick leave in the UAE?
The article does not contain information on whether an employee can be terminated while on sick leave, so no answer can be provided from the available content.
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