UAE National Day 2026: How to turn 1, 2 or 3 leave days into a longer break

Dubai: The UAE's final public holiday of 2026 will be National Day, also known as Eid Al Etihad, giving residents one last chance to stretch their annual leave before the end of the year.

With some careful planning, employees may be able to turn a two-day public holiday into a much longer break, depending on how many annual leave days they have available.

So, how much time off could you get by taking one, two or three days of annual leave?

How long is the UAE National Day holiday?

The official UAE National Day public holiday is two days, falling on December 2 and 3 for both the public and private sectors. In 2026, those dates fall on a Wednesday and Thursday. However, there is a possibility that the holiday could be moved to the beginning or end of the week.

Under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, the Cabinet can transfer eligible public holidays to the beginning or end of the week through an official decision. This does not apply to Eid holidays. The holiday could be moved to either the beginning or end of the week, which could instead give residents a four-day break when combined with the weekend.

Option 1: Take one day of leave for a five-day break

If the National Day holidays remain on Wednesday and Thursday, employees could take Friday, December 4 as annual leave.

That would give them five consecutive days away from work, from Wednesday, December 2 to Sunday, December 6, including the two public holidays, the annual leave day and the weekend.

This could be a useful option for employees who have already used most of their annual leave but still want to extend the National Day break.

Option 2: Take two days of leave for a six-day break

Employees with two days of annual leave available could take Monday, November 30 and Tuesday, December 1.

Combined with the Saturday-Sunday weekend before the leave days and the two National Day holidays, this would create six consecutive days away from work, from Saturday, November 28 to Thursday, December 3.

Employees would then return to work on Friday, December 4, assuming their normal working week runs from Monday to Friday.

Option 3: Take three days of leave for a nine-day break

For the longest break under this arrangement, employees could take Monday, November 30, Tuesday, December 1 and Friday, December 4 as annual leave.

This would link the preceding weekend, two annual leave days, the two National Day holidays, another annual leave day and the following weekend.

The result would be nine consecutive days away from work, from Saturday, November 28 to Sunday, December 6.

Check with your employer before booking leave

Employees should check their company's annual leave policy before making plans, particularly if requests need to be submitted in advance.

Employers can have operational requirements that affect when annual leave is approved, so employees should submit requests through their company's official leave system and make plans early.

The UAE Labour Law provides private-sector employees with annual leave entitlements, while public holidays are separate paid days off.

Note: These dates and arrangements are assumptions based on the current calendar and should not be treated as confirmed. The final decision on any changes to the public holiday dates will be announced by the UAE authorities for both the public and private sectors.