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• Labour regulations in the UAE are governed by the UAE Labour Law - Federal Law No. 8 of 1980.
• Amendments include Federal Laws No. 24 of 1981, No. 15 of 1985 and No. 12 of 1986.
• *Free zones in the UAE (some or all, check) are not covered by UAE labour law unless both employee and employer agree that it applies (Ref: Khaleej Times Legal View: Free-zone job disputes outside federal law , 14 July - refers to JAFZA).

Nothing on this page (or website for that matter) should be taken as proper, improper, or any other sort of legal advice or interpretation of UAE law. It is only our opinion or understanding of rules, regulations, and procedures in the UAE. You should consult a lawyer and/or the UAE labour department for professional and/or official information. Or at least read the UAE Labour Law yourself, and ignore anything we say, especially if you don't think it agrees with the law.

It is against the labour law in the UAE for recruitment agents and companies to charge job candidates and employees any fees for any part of the recruitment process or residence visa and work permit application. Many still try, and that should set off warning bells regarding the nature of the employer. Within the UAE, they can be reported to the UAE Ministry of Labour who may or may not do anything about it. Either way, job applicants are likely to be better off moving on to another recruitment agent and/or employer who respects the law.

Treat all information on this page as unconfirmed unless directly obtained from an official source (UAE Ministry of Labour for example) as there are media reports with conflicting information. As is common in the UAE, when there are significant changes in the law, there is usually a period of confusion while:

• the authorities try to figure out if what they were reported to have said is what they thought they meant to say,
• if the result is really what they wanted,
• the media, citizens, and expat residents try to figure out what is really going on,
• and targeted groups and organisations try to figure out how to get away with what they were doing before any shakeup, or how much wasta they need to get around any new rules.

Federal Labour Law Number 8 covers most of the essential rules and regulations you need to know with respect to salaries, termination, gratuity etc. It is (or was) available in English online at the UAE Ministry of Labour (MOL) website and in bookshops, and is worth familiarising yourself with.

You will probably hear many people complain that the employment contract is not worth the paper it's written on. Certainly there are people who've had an unpleasant job experience somewhere where things did not seem to go according to what they understood from their contract. Or worse. To minimise the risk of problems, keep in mind the following points.

• Legally, only the Arabic version of a contract is valid in the UAE.
• Having a written contract is at least something. A verbal contract is worth much less.
• You should read your contract carefully before accepting a position and resolve any questions or issues before signing it. Make sure you have a written copy of any changes negotiated, or a revised contract. That's important. If an issue is unresolved before signing a contract, expect it to stay that way no matter what you are told.
• You should be given an English version. Consider carefully the implications of what you are doing if you sign a contract in Arabic without understanding it.
• Alarm bells should go off if a company will not send you a copy of the contract before you arrive, or they ask you to sign what appears to be a different contract when you do arrive.
• If you do have a problem with your employer and want a legal opinion, there are many lawyers available (who charge a fee of course). See a list of possible lawyers in UAE to try.
• It is possible that you end up in a situation where it is difficult to resolve things even if the law is apparently on your side. You can expect that the one with the most wasta (influence, power) will win, in which case, put your tail between your legs and hope the door doesn't hit you on your way out.
• Your embassy or consulate might be able to help by providing you a list of lawyers to contact, but that's about all they'll do. They are often quite good at saying they are doing everything they can to help workers in trouble at the hands of abusive employers who ignore the law, but in reality doing everything they can amounts to mostly just talking about it. Employers keeping employee passports in the UAE is a good example of how embassies turn a blind eye to employers breaking the law and abusing their citizens and property.

Most jobs in Dubai have a probationary period of between one month and one year. During this time you can be dismissed without notice and are not entitled to any end of service benefits. It is not clear if this works both ways i.e. you can resign without notice. Some say the law says no, but people have successfully resigned from their jobs at short notice during probation.

The UAE Labour Law does not cover certain job categories (maids and other domestic workers, federal and government employees, agricultural workers) which seems to mean that people employed in those sorts of jobs have few, if any, rights. For example no gratuity payments. unless something is specified in a contract (but even then it sometimes seems as if a contract is not worth the paper it's written on). The following worker categories are exempted:

1. Employees of the Federal Government and of governmental departments of the emirates of the Federation, employees of municipalities, other employees of federal and local public authorities and corporations, as well as employees who are recruited against federal and local governmental projects.
2. Members of the armed forces, police and security.
3. Domestic servants employed in private households, and the like.
4. Farming and grazing workers, other than those working in agricultural establishments that process their own products, and those who are permanently employed to operate or repair mechanical equipment required for agricultural work.

New UAE labour law changes from January

Retirement age in UAE

• Maximum age that foreign workers can be employed in UAE increased from 60 to 65 years old.

Part time work permits for students and other expat residents

• From January , university and college students sponsored by the institute in the UAE at which they are enrolled can legally work part-time under certain conditions. Students need to apply for a part-time work permit from the UAE Ministry of Labour (MOL). Not clear if students must be studying full-time, or if the new labour law decree also applies to part-time students.
• A report in Gulf News 08 February said Gobash recalled an incident when the son of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, was denied the right to take up a part-time job in a company because there was no law regulationg [sic] these work permits. Implying that UAE National students also need a part-time work permit to be legally employed.
• The part-time employment permit is also available to expat residents working full-time who have a valid labour card, and to expat wives sponsored by their husband. Not clear if expat husbands under wife sponsorship can also obtain a part-time work permit.
• The part-time employment permit allows the holder to be employed in more than one part-time job.

Juvenile or teenage work permits

• Students and housewives can work part-time in the UAE according to changes in the UAE Labour Law from January .
• Part-time work permits will be available for one year at a time (fee AED 500), but female dependents and students with UAE residence visas will not need a work permit. Unclear if expat husbands sponsored by expat wives can work part-time without a permit.
• Expatriate male dependants (husbands and sons) of Emirati women do not need a work permit to work part-time.

New rules for NOC, employment permit, and labour ban in Dubai and UAE - January

Tel 800-6655 (toll-free in UAE) MOL helpline for questions.

• As of Saturday 01 January , new rules in the UAE reduce the employment period for which an NOC is no longer required when changing sponsors from 3 years to 2 years.
• As far as we know, this does not apply to employees on fixed term contracts who leave before the end of their contract (which, unless a contract specifically allows this or the employer agrees to an early departure, means the employee has broken the terms of their contract and might still be subject to a 1 year labour ban instead of the automatic 6 month labour ban that usually applies when leaving a job in the UAE).
• This information to be updated as the new law becomes more clear.

NOC no longer needed in UAE?

• A Gulf News report 20 December said a government official clarified that the new law completely scraps the no objection certificate (NOC) (the official might have been Humaid Bin Deemas, Acting Director-General of the Ministry of Labour? Not confirmed). Which was not actually that clear. The NOC is no longer needed only for workers who have completed 2 years of employment. An NOC is still required for employees who have completed between 1 and 2 years of an unlimited contract. For those working less than 1 year, or breaking a limited period contract, a 1 year ban is still possible.

New law for NOC and ban period in UAE

On 16 December , the official UAE news agency, WAM, published news about the new UAE labour law regarding ban periods (Cabinet Resolution No 25 of regarding internal work permit at the Ministry of Labour, issued by the UAE Minister of Labour, Saqr Gobash).

1. Transfer without NOC or ban is only possible if the employee has worked at least 2 years with the employer, and the employee and employer have terminated their relationship cordially . The WAM report said The resolution says that the new employment permit will only be granted to the worker after the end of his work relationship with his employer without consideration of the legitimate six month period which is usually calculated after the cancellation of the worker's labour card, but stipulates two must-do conditions. firstly, the two contracting parties must have ended their work relationship cordially and secondly, the worker should have worked with his employer for two years at least- the duration of the new labour card which will be issued by early January.
2. However, an employee can obtain a new work permit without the agreement of the sponsor at the end of the contractual period (2 years minimum?) in 2 cases: First. when the employer fails to honour his legally or contractual obligations. Second, in the condition of expiry of work relationship where the worker takes no responsibility such a complaint filed by the worker against his firm.
3. Or, there are 3 situations in which a worker can get a new work permit even if s/he has been employed less than 2 years. First: When joining his new job, the worker should be classified in the first, second or third professional class and that his new salary should not be less than Dh 12,000, Dh 7,000 and Dh 5000 if he is in the first, second and third class respectively. Second:Non-compliance of the employer with legal, labour obligations towards the worker or in the case where the worker has no role in terminating the work relationship. Third: Shifting of the worker to another firm the employer owns it or has stakes in it.

Other points to note about the new Labour Law regulations (all unconfirmed as of December )

• Labour card fee to be reduced to AED 300 (should be payable by employer) for companies at the top level of 5 categories - those employing at least 20% skilled workers, and 15% Emirati nationals. Other companies will pay AED 600 to AED 5,000 per employee for labour cards?
• Skilled workers divided into 3 categories:
  1. University degree holders
  2. Partial college level study completed (diplomas, certificates, etc beyond secondary education)
  3. Secondary school education completed
• Cheaper labour card costs for companies employing minimum 20% skilled workers, of whom 15% are Emiratis, and being paid a minimum salary as in the table below (system introduced mid-December ) (unclear if minimum salary requirement is for Emiratis only, or all nationalities):