Parental Leave in the UAE: What Mums and Dads Need to Know
Having a baby comes with enough admin already, so understanding your leave from work should not be another complicated task. Here’s what parents working in the UAE private sector need to know about taking time off.
The first few days after having a baby rarely go according to plan. There are hospital appointments, paperwork, sleepless nights, feeds, visitors, older children who still need looking after and, somewhere amongst all of that, the reality that one or both parents eventually have to return to work.
For working parents in the UAE, it is worth knowing that the law provides a specific entitlement designed for exactly this period.
Under the UAE Labour Law, employees covered by the federal private-sector employment law are entitled to five working days of paid parental leave following the birth of a child. Importantly, this is not simply “paternity leave”. The entitlement applies to both fathers and mothers.
Shiraz Sethi, Partner at Dentons & Co, explains that the provision is intended to give parents time to support their family and care for their newborn while remaining fully supported by their employer.
“The entitlement is available to both male and female employees, allowing parents to take time away from work to care for and support their newborn,” he says.
So, how do the five days actually work?
The five days are fully paid working days, and parents have a degree of flexibility over when they use them.
You can take all five days together, or split them across different days depending on what makes most sense for your family. The important part is that they must be used within six months of your baby’s birth.
That flexibility can be particularly useful because, as most parents discover very quickly, support is not necessarily needed only during the first week. You may want to use some leave immediately after the birth and keep another day for a follow-up appointment, a difficult week later on or simply a point when your partner needs an extra pair of hands.
“The five working days of parental leave may be taken consecutively or non-consecutively, providing employees with flexibility to use the leave according to their individual circumstances and family needs,” Sethi explains.
Under Article 32 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, the leave can be taken continuously or intermittently during that six-month window. The law also requires employees to provide relevant proof from the appropriate authorities when claiming statutory leave.
Yes, mums can take it too
This is one point that can easily get lost because conversations about leave after childbirth tend to divide everything into “maternity leave” for women and “paternity leave” for men.
The UAE Labour Law specifically describes this entitlement as parental leave, and states that it is available to both the father and mother of a newborn.
For mothers, parental leave is separate from the statutory maternity leave provisions. UAE Labour Law provides eligible female employees with 60 days of maternity leave, comprising 45 days at full pay and 15 days at half pay, alongside other protections and leave provisions in certain circumstances. The law also states that taking maternity leave does not prejudice a woman’s entitlement to other forms of leave.
That distinction matters, particularly for mothers who may assume that their maternity leave automatically replaces any entitlement to parental leave.
What parents should know before the baby arrives
If you’re expecting, it’s worth having the conversation with HR before your due date rather than trying to work everything out from the hospital room.
Ask how your company processes parental leave, what documentation they require and how they would like the dates recorded, particularly if you plan to split the five days rather than take them together.
And if your company handbook uses the term “paternity leave”, do not automatically assume that the statutory entitlement is restricted to fathers. The federal law expressly provides parental leave to either parent.
For employers, Sethi says the responsibility is equally clear: eligible employees should be able to exercise their entitlement to the five fully paid working days in accordance with the law.
Five days may not sound like much, but they matter
Anyone who has had a baby will probably tell you that five days disappears remarkably quickly. Parental leave is not going to solve the wider challenge of balancing a newborn with work, nor will every family choose to use those days in the same way.
But knowing that those days exist, that they are paid and that parents have some control over when they use them can make an already intense period a little easier to navigate.
Because those first months are not simply about “helping with the baby”. They are about learning how your family works all over again, and having both parents able to be present for at least part of that transition matters.
The quick version for UAE parents:
How much leave? Five working days for each parent.
Is it paid? Yes, fully paid.
Who can take it? Either the mother or the father.
Does it have to be taken all at once? No. It can be consecutive or split across different days.
When do I have to use it? Within six months of the child's birth.
Do I need documentation? Employers may require proof from the relevant authorities.
Does this replace maternity leave? No. Parental leave is a separate statutory entitlement.
Shiraz Sethi is an employment lawyer and Partner at Dentons & Co.
This article refers to employees covered by the UAE's Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regulating private-sector employment. Different employment regimes may apply to government employees, domestic workers and employees working under certain free-zone legal frameworks. Parents unsure about their individual entitlement should check with their HR department or seek professional legal advice.
