UAE Notice Periods: Which Rule Applies to Your Resignation or Termination

In the UAE, there isn’t a uniform notice period: instead, the rates are provided by law, within a range of 30 to 90 days, and the binding amount will be stipulated in each employee’s contractual record (the exact date may be subject to employment law residency). Another factor in determining the applicable rule would also include which National (federal government) or Free Zone (e.g., DIFC, ADGM) entity registered the employee with its local authorities as well as that entity’s local employment law. Under Government Contracts: Dismissal, the position as of September 2026 remains unchanged; the contract continues to exist until either party terminates the agreement and one of the parties will owe the other a Notice Allowance based on the last salary. The government’s own termination page puts the logic plainly.

Thus, the same employment relationship could lead to 2 answers to the original question: Depending on the jurisdiction under which an employee is employed by the employer, he/she may have a minimum notice requirement of 30 days (typically a mainland employee) or 60 days (typically a DIFC or ADGM employee) based on the number of years he/she has been employed. In order to find out which minimum notice is applicable, refer to the employment contract. After reviewing the employment contract, the minimum notice period applicable to a mainland employee can be determined from the registered employment contract, and the minimum notice period for a DIFC or ADGM employee can be determined by examining the offer letter.

This document provides a summary of the applicable laws related to notice period requirements and the source of those requirements. It is not a substitute for advice regarding your specific individual case from a UAE-licensed legal advisor. A licensed legal advisor in the UAE would provide you with personalized legal advice regarding your circumstances based on your specific documentation.

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How the UAE Notice Period Is Fixed, Not Simply Set

In the UAE, there are two levels of the notice period, and the notice period is not a single national value, but rather is controlled by the federal labour law for private-sector jobs and the registered employment contract signed by both the employer and employee.

The notice period is defined in the Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, which is the federal private-sector labour law administered by the MOHRE. The definitions section of this law indicates that the notice period is defined as “the time provided in the contract of employment”, and both the employer and employee must observe this time period if either party wishes to terminate the employment relationship. However, the law does not provide a specific time period; rather, it refers to the contract between the employer and employee to establish the notice period.

So, the statute only defines the range and the procedure that will be used within that range of 30 to 90 days. Under Article 43, either party can terminate the contract for any valid reason, provided that two conditions are satisfied: 1) the other party is provided with written notice, and 2) the contract will be continued to be performed while the notice period is observed until it expires. The language in this section also creates a new structural requirement for the issues that follow – that the contract will continue to be in effect during the notice period and will only end when the notice period has expired.

The basis of everything about notice becomes a wage issue due to that continuing-contract construction. Since there is an ongoing contract, the wages will continue throughout the notice period; therefore, the party that ends the notice period must pay to the other party a “notice period” allowance, which will still be owed even if no loss was sustained and the amount will be based upon the last wages paid to the terminated employee. If the employee is terminated and the employer has initiated the termination, the employer must also provide the employee with one additional payment for one week of unpaid leave to find another job. In addition, Morgan Lewis worked for an employer that provided a package with this same information when the law became effective — the protections were 30 to 90 days under Article 43, plus an additional day to find another job upon termination by the employer.

The law also defines who is not covered by its provisions; before looking at any numerical amount, this is important. Article 3 excludes federal and local government workers, active duty military personnel, law enforcement officers and security persons, as well as domestic staff; domestic staff are covered under their own law, Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022, so they do not receive the 30-to-90-day notice period. Similarly, any firms registered with the DIFC or ADGM financial free zones are to be governed by these respective free zones’ employment regulation frameworks, which are addressed in separate articles. All other private sector employees of companies not operating within the DIFC or ADGM, and in the case of an employer that operates only in the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority’s interpretation of the definition of “Free Zones,” are employed under the MOHRE.

Before you trust any of the previous statements about currency notes and federal legislation you should know that according to the official FPL, the federal legislative platform for this law currently has the status of Active as it relates to its date of passage (2/02/2022) through 3 Amendments, the last of which was amended as of July 2024. The most recent Amendment that became effective on 1/01/2024, adjusted only the labour-dispute article, leaving the notice articles unchanged. Additionally, the FPL states that if there is any discrepancy between the English and Arabic versions of this platform, the Arabic version is the authoritative version. This position has been verified as of 9/30/2026.

In summary, the Band is National, however, the number is not always consistent; there is somewhere between 30 to 90; depending on your History; you may have your number recorded on a single document; and your employer may not be quoting that same document; it may be from a different document!

Which Contract Actually Sets Your Notice Period

There are three different sets of records, all of which could potentially create three different employment numbers. Only one of them is recognised by the Labour Law (the Labour Law references the employment contract). The other two (the two copies of the employment contract) need to be registered with The Ministry of Labour, which creates a conflict based on the records held within the Ministry.

The existence of a conflict does not mean that it is lawful. In a post by a user on r/dubai, they detailed an experience where they quit their job and followed a 30-day notice period stated in their MOHRE employment contract; they were later informed that; per the employer’s definition of the company letterhead contract, they owed three months. Essentially, two documents; two amounts, based on the one issued on the company’s letterhead.

Work through what the law actually establishes. Its definitions article locates the notice period in “the employment contract” — not in an offer letter, a letterhead contract, or a labour card. Its contract article then requires the employer to issue that contract in two copies, one kept by each party, and requires the contract forms to be registered with the Ministry under the same instrument. The registered contract is therefore the only one of the three that exists in the Ministry’s records at all.

Reading the same rules, HR consultants reach identical conclusions about Element MEA’s 2026 booklet on notice rights; specifically, the reason why all notices must come from the registered MOHRE Contract and not the Labour Card or any unofficial agreement. This is the correct professional viewpoint, and the booklet publishes this viewpoint in full. None of the instruments that have been published, however, explain the tie-breaker rule when a company instrument contradicts the registered document. This type of conflict is exactly what the final section of this article explains.

Whichever document includes a figure (numerical), the document establishes a disciplinary structure. A clause providing for a notice period of fewer than 30 days is not permitted, because it violates the statutory minimum notice period of 30 days; concurrently, a clause that establishes a company’s maximum notice period at 90 days also violates that statutory minimum. If two clauses establish minimum notice periods for each party, they must be equal, unless one is less than or more than the other’s minimum period. As such, a clause that establishes a company’s notice period at 90 days and one’s own period at 30 days violates the instrument’s balance rule.

Notice periods can be shortened, but only by the means provided in Article 43, which allows both parties to decrease or eliminate their notice periods by mutual agreement without affecting their rights. There is no rule established by any instrument that allows a clause to be written above 90 days (as stated in the instruments). Therefore, it will be necessary to consult with a licensed legal consultant who is knowledgeable about reading the contractual Arabic language.

The table below lists the five positions that have already been published, and it is created for the use of this guide with all the referenced documents and instruments — not to be used as any type of authority or their classification framework.

Rows number 1 & 2 perform that function, meaning that only registered contracts provide a numerical band, while everything else that the contract contains is compared to that. If another document claims something different from what the registered contract does, it doesn’t require averaging out — it is a disagreement of the named journey and to ignore either route either way results in financial loss.

Two footnotes reference historical paperwork. All contracts that were executed prior to the effective date of the new law (2 Feb. 22) must have been re-documented as fixed-term contracts within a year from 2 Feb. 2022 as referred to in the Morgan Lewis report at that time; from this point, the instrument will treat all renewals and extensions of the original contract term as if they were all implied extensions of the same contract and the original notice requirement has not changed except for amendments to either by the parties.

When keeping the number of days, you count only calendar days. Article 67 of the Law provides for the calculation of all periods within the Law using the Gregorian Calendar, and, in cases where the Law refers to ‘working days’ it states that — whilst there is mention of ‘working days’ in the definition of ‘without notice’ there is no mention of ‘working days’ in Article 43.

Once you have established which number applies to you, then you will need to determine what the value of that number is going to be paid on. The answer is not necessarily (as most people think) the Salary.

What You Are Paid During Notice, and What Payment in Lieu Really Is

An employee that resigns with a full salary is subject to payment during their notice period. The contract cannot be terminated prior to the end of the notice period without compensation. This is according to Article 43 of the Law on the AED & UAE Employment on Notice Periods, updated as of September 2026.

Fear exists that some employers may require an employee to begin serving an “unpaid notice period”. This was demonstrated when an employee posted on Reddit, r/UAE, after he resigned on a one month’s contract, and was told by his employer to serve an “unpaid notice period of 90 days”, and then to leave the office right away. The employee misunderstood how the termination of the contract should be handled, as the notice period would run until the end of the one month’s employment contract. Therefore, his employer is still obligated to pay him during the notice period.

While the terminology may differ with regards to payment in lieu of notice (eg, notice period allowance), this issue creates a penalty for both sides of the employer-employee relationship. An employee who leaves their job before the end of the notice period is obligated to pay the employer back for the remaining portion of the wages for that unserved timeframe. Conversely, an employer who terminates an employee without the required notice must pay the employee back for the remainder of the notice period’s wages as well. MIDEAST Law’s termination briefing describes the notice period allowance in accordance with the measure described in Article 43 — the wages that an employee would have earned during that time — and confirms something many people find surprising, that the allowance is payable even if neither side experienced actual damages as a result.

There are no published processes on the mainland informing workers how to force a buy-out on an unwilling employer. Article 43 requires agreement of both parties to either shorten or waive a notice period. A refusal by either party to agree will be resolved in accordance with the dispute route set forth in the last section.

Typically, the number in the notice pay calculation is incorrect. The number used to arrive at the wage is defined by the contract. The definitions article of the instrument separates the two. The basic wage is the dollar amount in the contract exclusive of cash allowances or benefits in kind. The wage is the dollar amount plus the dollar amount for cash allowances or benefits in kind stipulated in either the contract or the law. Notice pay calculations are based on the broader wage; gratuity calculations are based on the narrower basic wage.

The difference shows up the moment you put the end-of-service computations side by side:

The earlier mentioned differences in the calculation of Final Settlement Compensation have already been explained by comparing rows 1 and 2 to row 4 and were again reiterated with regard to the government’s end-of-service page definition of Final Settlement Compensation. Notice Month is paid based on “the entire package” while Gratuity is only paid on Basic Salary. Also, the government’s end-of-service page states, “Gratuity will not include allowance,” for example: Housing Allowance, Transport Allowance, Utilities, Furniture, etc. Therefore, in general, by having most of your money included in allowances as opposed to Basic Salary, you decrease the amount of Gratuity paid without affecting the notice period (for the same total monthly amount, 2 colleagues could have significantly different Final Settlement Compensation amounts).

After the end of the notice period, the Employer’s obligations begin, meaning that all unpaid wages, all entitlements, and Gratuity payments must be made to the Employee within 14 days of the termination of the contract (as shown on the same page, as well as the MIDEAST Briefing letter). This deadline was already given as of September 2026 when the Ministry last updated its records.

As a note, before calculating your own numbers, since the instrument identifies how the Employer is to calculate the compensation, the contract lists what those compensations are; therefore, this section of the letter refers to what line of the payslip each will be calculated from (and does not indicate what the Employee’s total compensation will be). The question about which of these payments is owed by the Employee to the Employer under which circumstances cannot be answered here so is included as a separate matrix.

Who Owes What, and Whether Resigning Instead of Being Terminated Changes It

With regard to all exits from the mainland, an employer or an employee is contractually obligated (to do so) that any exit within the time limit for notice (30 or 90 days) is under the same full wage, and therefore the same contract. The only thing that changes about the exit is the attachments that go along with it; that is the day you look for work every week while on unemployment benefits, that is a claim for unemployment benefits, and/or that is a possibility of going to court.

Let us look at all possibilities first. The mainland-only matrix below was set up from the same instrument that we have used throughout the previous sections of this document.

The reason the without-notice rows are so short is because they only consist of Article 44’s ten separate identifications from the falsifying identification to unsafe conditions leading to an absence exceeding the threshold set by Article 44; and the Government issued Page of Terminations states that an employer may only obtain an exit without notice from the employee after doing a written investigation of the employee.

Article 45, conversely, states that if the employer violates any covenants (with notice given to MOHRE 14 days prior to quitting), if the employee was attacked or harassed (with notice given to the authorities and MOHRE within five working days), if the employee has been moved to a different job (without written consent), or if the employer has knowingly failed to remove a very grave hazard, the employee can terminate their employment without notice and will be entitled to all end-of-service payments. Terminations for anything that does not fall within the four categories listed above will be considered a ‘normal’ termination, and those employees will be treated as members of the same group as all other terminated employees.

There are two things that readers ask about that are included under ‘garden leave’ and ‘notice of termination’. Garden leave is not a pay event as the employee is still on a live contract with the same employer and is, therefore, entitled to receive full pay until such time as they are advised not to return to their place of work. The DIFC Courts have also published a decision which confirms that the same situation exists in the DIFC jurisdiction. Prior notice given to the employee whilst he is on garden leave will not commence until the actual date of the employee’s return to work, unless otherwise agreed by both parties — this is set out in Article 35 of the DIFC and merely pauses the running of the notice period.

So, to recap and respond to the question the title contains, there was a mid-level professional who posted on r/UAE that HR had told them they were being terminated and had also messaged the employee on WhatsApp to request an email stating they were resigning and had told them “if you do, it will not remain in your records to be used against you in future background checks”. The question that was being asked is how does the manner of exit impact the amount the employee is owed — and the answer is given here is not advice on which option to select. The notice period and payment during notice are identical irrespective of which option is selected. Three things do move:

• The job-search day exists only where the employer terminates.
• The unemployment scheme. The ILOE scheme’s own conditions require the insured to prove the job ended for a reason other than resignation, with no dismissal for disciplinary reasons and no existing abscondment complaint — alongside at least twelve consecutive months of subscription and a claim filed within 30 days of the termination. The thread’s own replies got this half right: one asserted the one-year rule applies only to a first UAE job, which the scheme’s published conditions do not say. A resignation hands the employer the paper it needs to defeat the claim; a termination preserves it.
• The unlawful-termination route. Article 47’s court compensation — capped at three months’ wage on the last wage — exists for a worker who was dismissed for filing a serious complaint or a valid lawsuit, and it sits on top of, not instead of, gratuity and notice dues. None of it is available to someone who resigned.

Regarding the legality of an exit being classified as such, this article cannot provide that determination as that depends upon the facts, documents and timing relating to MOHRE’s mediation process or licensed attorney. The law states that regardless of whether a resignation or termination takes place, the contract will be treated the same and the attachments to the contracts will depend upon whether they were initiated via resignation or termination.

The above is under the assumption of a standard post-probationary employment contract. Under an employee’s probation period, the overall structure changes altogether and the key factor for determining how it will be treated is not necessarily who is leaving but also to where the leaving party is headed.

Leaving During Probation: Why the Answer Turns on Where You Are Going

The notice period rules for an employee that is still on probation are not in the 30-to-90 day range that applies to regular employees (in other words, employees that have completed their first 90 days of employment). There is a completely different set of rules for employees who leave the organization on as well as for those who have worked with an employer for more than 14 weeks or for an employee who is terminated prior to the completion of his/her probation. The amount of time that an employee will have to observe the notice period will depend upon the employee’s destination, as well as the time frame in which the employee will be employed.

The maximum time that an employee can be on probation is six months from the actual start of the employee’s employment, and any employee can only be placed on probation once by the same employer. However, once the employee has been on probation, the employee will have completed the probationary period and will be considered as having completed the initial service requirement. While inside it, three routes exist, each with its own written-notice figure under the consolidated instrument:

1. The employer ends the contract — at least 14 days’ written notice before the termination date.
2. The worker leaves to exit the UAE — at least 14 days’ written notice, a route the instrument writes for the foreign worker.
3. The worker leaves to join another employer in the UAE — at least one month’s written notice, and here the mechanism flips: the new employer compensates the original one for its recruitment or contracting costs, unless the parties agree otherwise. The longer period exists because a UAE-to-UAE move transfers a cost the destination employer is best placed to carry.

In terms of the logic of determining an employee’s destination, there is one more step than is included in the standard summaries of “14 days in probation.” If the former employee returns to the organization due to being away for three months, then the new employer will still provide that same recruiter compensation to the previous employer (this statement is also incorporated into the same article of the Law that covers compensation).

When the parties to the employment relationship terminate employment without adhering to the above provisions, each party will owe the other party payment equal to the employee’s salary for that employee’s notice period or for the remainder of the employee’s notice period. The way that this will be calculated will follow the same format as is used for the wages that are stated in Article #43.

People truly get scared of this part of the agreements — it speaks to the part of the agreements (the Ministry of Labour’s provisions) and not merely marketing slogans about the agreements.

Article 9 states that any foreign worker who leaves the State without completing the probationary provisions of the agreement will be banned from obtaining an additional work permit for a one-year period following the date that they left — however, the Ministry also has the power under Article 9 to waive this restriction by allowing some job classification or skill level to be exempt from this requirement. The one-year ban is not a blanket ban that every worker must adhere to for early departures; it is driven by the unique circumstances that each individual has experienced during their particular employment and will ultimately be based on the rigorous review of each situation by MOHRE or a licensed professional, and not something that can be determined by the information provided on this page. However, I can appreciate the fear that accompanies that question, but my honest answer is that it will depend on the unique circumstances surrounding each individual’s departure from employment, and will not just be a simple yes or no.

Two boundary notes. In a non-financial free zone, the same federal routes apply — the JAFZA Authority’s own summary restates the 14-day, 14-day and one-month figures verbatim for the zone it administers. In the DIFC, the position flips entirely: the DIFC Courts’ published answers state that during probation either party may terminate without notice unless the contract itself provides one. And once probation is passed, the destination logic disappears with it — the exit falls back to the band, the contract figure, and the verification steps that come next.

Checking Your Own Notice Position Before You Rely On It

You now have the frame; this section is going to give the numbers to what you have already gathered. Before you start using these numbers listed anywhere in this article, you have to establish three things from your own documents: which contract you have as registered, what the notice clause of that contract says, and what documentation you have available for proof of that contract. All three of these documents are items that you can check without anybody else’s approval.

First, get a copy of the registered text of your contract. The law requires a contract to exist in two forms as a matter of record — your own copy will be the one that you received during your onboarding session when you checked in against MOHRE — you will be able to view and verify this copy through the Ministry’s own contracts. According to their service directory, there is a View Approved Contract service where you will be able to view the approved contract details that were submitted by MOHRE’s own division to the Ministry of Human Resources & Employment through the list of labour services when you perform the check for September 2026. If the clause that you remember signing is not in the registered copy of your contract, the registered copy is what you will need to refer to. The same reasons as stated in the Contract section of the guide.

Now complete the checklist. The checklist is a functional guide to complete the lists of documents and verification described above; the checklist is a tool created for the purpose of this guide, it is not a certified or published classification or framework from any government authority.

• The registered contract — the notice figure, whether it sits inside 30–90, and whether it is equal for both parties.
• The company contract and offer letter — note every place they disagree with the registered text. A mismatch is a question to raise, not a number to average.
• Any probation clause — if you are inside probation, the destination routes from the previous section apply, not the band.
• Your written notice and its proof — a dated resignation letter or email you can show was sent, plus any acknowledgement. Under Article 43 the instrument requires written notification, and the practical weight sits on being able to prove the date it reached the employer.

More disputes arise from the last item than any other, because the clock question is a proof question. With regard to an employee who resigned on 30 November with a date of 29 December for the end of his employment: the employer told the employee that his period of notice would not begin until 29 December, which would have resulted in the employee’s final day of work being after the start date of his new job in January. In a Legal Advice Middle East thread, this case involved an employee whose last day would have been after his new job started.

The Legal Advice Middle East thread has two named practitioners commenting: Khaled Ebid, Laila Hamza Al Mulla Advocates and Legal Consultants is indicating that the time period from the end of November to the end of December; while Dr Khalifa Alketbi, Khalifa Bin Huwaidan Advocates & Legal Consultants is indicating that the notice period starts on the date the resignation letter has been delivered to and received by the employer, and that there is the option of lodging a MOHRE complaint if the employer disputes the date.

This is a practitioner’s interpretation of the provisions of the instruments, and not a codified starting point from which all practitioners must work — the instruments themselves contain an express requirement for written notice and do not set out when the period of notice begins counting — but it does show what fact is important: to prove that you delivered the written notice on a particular date.

Evidence that two behaviors caused something to occur can be shown by documentation sent from an address you own (and can reference), maintaining the chain of emails, and stating a definite end date in your documentation. It is important to clearly state when your work will stop (example: “X will be my last working day”) so there can be no interpretation. Also, avoid signing any documents that may potentially alter your current employment agreement or that are already subject to some sort of dispute, including any amendments or corrections to either your current contract or an offer received while still employed by another company. By signing any documents while under dispute, a disagreement would then have to be resolved before you could file a grievance against the company for terminating your contract.

If you find that your documents aren’t answering the questions you have, it is time for you to seek out a legal professional who specializes in providing written documentation. The first question to ask of any documentation you receive is: What is the entity that your agreement is filed under? This question is important because it helps to identify which legal system you will fall under regarding the registered document. The second question is: What does the document actually state? What is the original figure or rate, and is there a probationary period? The third question is: If the registered documentation conflicts with the employer’s documentation, what does the actual written conflict look like? Compare and contrast each of the documents to answer the first two questions. As a result, using the contracts you received from your previous employer and the current registered contract will provide you with the names of the entity and the legal system in which you have filed your employment contract as well as the number that was provided by your previous employer and the corresponding number assigned to you at the time of your employment.

If You Are Registered in a Free Zone: How the Notice Rule Changes

If your employer is licensed to operate within either the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) or ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market), the law regarding notice periods on the mainland is not applicable to you as it pertains to both the length of time until your last working day as well as the notice period itself. Your obligations for giving notice at the end of employment will be based entirely upon the employment law for whatever free-zone that company is in as of September 2026.

The most important determining factor in the notice period requirement will not be where your employer is headquartered but instead will be which authority regulates the employment legislation of that employer’s license. The JAFZA Authority has set out the reverse criteria: any onshore UAE company follows Federal Law concerning employment in such instances; whereas all companies in all non-financial free zones must comply with their employment legislation as well as Federal Law (for example: if you were to work for a JAFZA-registered logistics company, you would be included in that company’s Article 43 Contractual Framework). The employer will provide you with answers regarding your particular employment entity and/or license; no other factors will be of importance.

The three regimes, each from its own instrument:

When comparing the minimum notice periods under the law applicable to DIFC and those under the mainland, we see that the main structural difference is that on the mainland, a company’s minimum notice period remains the same throughout the employee’s tenure; this means that an employee will only receive the same (as stated in the contract) as the length of time specified in the notice period. Under the laws of the DIFC and ADGM, the contracts automatically provide for a minimum notice period that increases with service. The DIFC Courts’ published answers have provided clarification regarding the two most significant aspects of the contracts’ answer: The notice period may be extended, shortened, or waived by mutual agreement and the employer may prevent you from working during the notice period but is required to continue paying you.

Just like the ADGM rulebook regarding Section 56, it also contains gateways — approval in writing from an employer for an in-lieu payment must be obtained once an employee has received notice. In addition, if at any time beyond minimum entitlement there remains unpaid wages due to the employer’s past failure to make minimum payment, that indicates the employer must also pay for any other employee’s benefits accrued during the unpaid period.

Caveat — what is stated in various employer guide publications is often based upon a misunderstanding of what constitutes standard industry practice in DIFC and is often taken at face value. The DIFC published position reflects that paying entitlement in lieu of notice is an entitlement that only occurs pursuant to a settlement agreement — an employer may only be entitled to an entitlement in lieu of notice when given in accordance with the rules set forth in Section 8 and Section 23 respectively with reference to DIFC Rules and Regulations.

Caveat 2 — before you rely solely on this information — The original base law for DIFC is no longer exhaustive. The DIFC has previously provided guidelines for this information; however, the guidelines on the current website still show that as of 2019 there will not be any further updates of those guidelines because of the passage of amendments pursuant to DIFC Laws (Amendment No. 1) 2025. The legal database flags the 2019 law’s page inactive and lists amendments through DIFC Laws Amendment Law No. 1 of 2025.

The current published rulebook of ADGM reflects the Employment Regulations of 2024 and current consolidated amended versions exist in the rulebook of ADGM 2025. In addition, unless otherwise expressly stated, there are no rules/requirements in ADGM or DIFC for minimum notice period during probation period. In addition, section 1 of Article 9 of the Labour Code is the same or should again be taken at face value.

All the content discussed earlier should apply if your regime row is the mainland one. If your regime row is not the mainland one then all the content regarding the figure, in-lieu rule, and forum would change to reflect that, and consequently the way to deal with a disagreement outlined in the last section would also be different as a result.

Where a Notice Dispute Goes, and What to Ask Before It Does

In the mainland, if a dispute arises regarding the interpretation of a contract, it should be referred to the labour complaint service at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) as this is a free service with specific process guidelines, completion time frame (14 working days), and with judicial support in case mediation fails. This is confirmed in September 2026 by the Ministry’s website.

The Register of Labour Complaints is intended to resolve disputes when an employee has been mistreated by their employer by breaching any of their contractual obligations. Examples of this would be failing to pay an employee’s wage, giving an employee a notice of longer than required, or failing to honour a registered clause in an employee’s contract. The Ministry publishes five steps, in this order:

1. Register the claim through the website or the smart app, entering the employee’s details (passport number, name, date of birth, nationality); the ID card number is mandatory for everyone, and employers filing must add the establishment or licence number.
2. Confirm with the OTP sent by text or email — not needed for requests made inside the smart application.
3. Mediation with a legal advisor: the assigned employee examines the complaint and, after consulting the competent legal advisor, contacts both sides to resolve it amicably; failing that, a meeting is scheduled and the date arrives by text message.
4. Second contact, then referral: if amicable resolution still fails, the complaint goes to the competent court — or the work permit is cancelled where that is what the claim requires.
5. Outcome by SMS — the result is communicated by text message.

In order to use the Register of Labour Complaints, the employee must be registered with the Ministry, and there cannot be any pending complaints or court cases regarding the same employment relationship that are currently in process unless the employment relationship is continuing or if the complaint is being made to cancel the employee’s work permit. The Ministry only requires the supporting documentation for the complaint, for example: a resignation or termination letter, which is what the verification section has instructed employees to retain.

The Register of Labour Complaints is governed by the provisions for employee disputes under Article 54 of the UAE Constitution, which has been replaced in its entirety by Article 5 of the Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2023. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) first attempts mediation between the parties to the dispute; if mediation fails, and if the claim is for an amount lower than AED 50,000, then the Ministry will render a final judgment regarding the dispute. If either party disagrees with the Ministry’s decision, then that party has 15 working days to appeal the decision at the Court of Appeals.

In addition, the changes to the law create a few beginning points to keep in mind when you are waiting for a contracted notice of a dispute: if you have a complaint about non-payment, the Ministry may direct full compensation to you of up to two months’ salary; and you must file a lawsuit within one year of the date your entitlement arose. Waiting too long during adjudication of a dispute with a contract creates confusion in determining, or establishing, whether or not the notice you received is valid.

However, if your employer is registered in DIFC or ADGM, none of this applies. The location of your contract will determine where you file your dispute resolution. Claims made under DIFC employment law will be adjudicated by the DIFC Courts under the DIFC jurisdiction’s timeline; i.e., you must file within six months of termination of your employment. Employees registered in the ADGM will file through the Employment Affairs Office, and their claims will be decided through the ADGM Courts’ jurisdiction.

The limits of this article: whether or not your contract is valid and enforceable will be determined by a licensed legal consultant with access to your contract and supporting documents. The legal consultant will be able to answer those questions as they relate to your particular circumstances.

To that end, the questions that will now arise for you are regarding your claims: what regime governs your contract; what documentation do you have; whether you are entitled to a notice of pay; whether you are entitled to an allowance; whether you are entitled to file a claim for wrongful termination; what do the laws say about each of the claims above, including the time limits for filing; whether your contract is valid and what does it state regarding the figure generating interest over 90 days; and, finally, who do you go to for answers. A legal expert will be able to answer all of these questions; an article will only give you direction to the right legal consulting office.

The Practical Verdict

Your registered contract is the basis for this one habit: your notice period is defined in the mainland’s 30-to-90 days notice period and in a financial free zone, according to the tenure-tiered minimum set by that center’s law as of September 2026. Therefore, before you issue a notice, counter one, or enter into a new agreement, review your copy of the registered text and read the clause yourself. It’s acting on an unverified number that causes individuals to lose wages for an unregistered clause, or allowances for an uncompleted period of notice. It takes only a few minutes to confirm the information; an incorrect number will affect you for the remainder of your exit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose my end-of-service gratuity if I’m dismissed for misconduct?

The old withholding clause was eliminated under current mainland law (i.e., employers may not withhold a gratuity from an employee, regardless of whether the employee has been dismissed for cause). However, the gratuity is still contingent upon an employee having at least 1 year of uninterrupted employment before getting their gratuity (updated as of Sept 2026).

Will I be banned from working in the UAE if I leave without finishing my notice?

In the mainland, payment for unserved notice is typically a wage-based allowance. The one-year restriction to receive a work permit only comes into play if there is a credible report of work abandonment. Additionally, if an employee leaves the country during the probation period and does not follow the Article 9 process, the one-year bar will apply to them (updated as of Sept 2026).

Does my notice follow my current employer’s rules or my next employer’s?

Your exit from your employer’s premises is governed by their regulations. When you exit from a MOHRE (Ministry Of Happiness & Wellbeing) registered employer, mainland regulations apply, while DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) and ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market) have specific law regulating your exit according to their respective jurisdictions. Your next employer’s regime will only come into effect with their contract.