UAE public holidays 2025: How to maximise your annual leave without breaking rules

Dubai: Scrolling through social media, you have likely stumbled upon hacks for maximising annual leave by aligning it with public holidays. The idea of turning a handful of days into extended breaks is tempting and perfectly legal. But before you start plotting your dream vacation, it is worth noting that this strategy does not always pan out as planned.

To help you make the most of your leave while staying on the right side of workplace policies, Gulf News spoke to legal and Human Resources (HR) experts in the UAE. Here is how to smartly extend your holidays without jeopardising your standing at work.

Does maximising annual leave actually work?

According Nandini Nadarajah Navaseelan, a Dubai based HR director with over 20 years experience in UAE including GCC and Pakistan, maximising annual leave can be highly effective, but its success depends largely on the type of leave granted to employees under their contractual agreement. To truly optimise annual leave, employees must carefully plan around public holidays and weekends.

Maximising the leave over New Year’s Day 2025

New Year’s Day in 2025 fell on a Wednesday. By strategically planning their leave, employees could have potentially enjoyed 10 consecutive days off while using only five days of annual leave. Here's how:

• Took Friday, December 27, as a day off.

• Benefited from the weekend (28th and 29th December) and then took Monday, 30th, and Tuesday, December 31 (two days).

• Wednesday, January 1, was a public holiday.

• Added Thursday, January 2, and Friday, January 3 (two more days), and enjoyed another weekend (January 4 and 5).

In total: four days of weekends + five days of annual leave + one public holiday = 10 days off work.

Strategic leave planning: Tips for both types of leave

Navaseelan provided insights into strategic holiday planning:

• For working days (typically 22 days): Employees can align leave with weekends and public holidays to maximise their time off, as illustrated in the New Year’s example.

• For calendar days (typically 30 days): Since public holidays and weekends are already included, strategic planning is less impactful. This is common for shift and temporary workers.

“Understanding your employment contract is key,” she noted. “Full-time and temporary employees often have different leave policies, including whether they follow a roster.”

Maximising your leave:

• For working days: Align leave with weekends and public holidays for longer breaks.

• For calendar days: Opt for continuous leave blocks for meaningful rest periods.

Three key tips for managing your leave

Navaseelan shared three practical tips for UAE workers:

• Plan and request early: Especially during peak periods like school holidays or festive seasons.

• Use official channels: Submit leave requests via documented systems for transparency.

• Be flexible: Offer alternative dates if your request conflicts with business needs.

Always provide advance notice for leave requests

“Providing advance notice is a legal obligation in the UAE, however requirements vary by leave type and company policy, therefore key is planning, preparation of handover and meeting work commitments. It is also noteworthy to refer to one’s company policy and their employment contract on leave approvals and its procedure,” she highlighted.

Why employers may reject leave requests

Navaseelan explained that under UAE labour law, employers can defer or reject leave requests based on operational needs, provided they notify employees in writing. However, unused leave beyond 15 days cannot be carried forward without written approval.

Common reasons for rejection:

Here a few reasons why your leave maybe rejected, according Navaseelan:

• Operational needs: Critical roles may face restrictions during peak periods, such as year-end, budget season, or other business priorities.

• Overlapping requests: Multiple requests for the same period may result in priority being given to employees with greater business impact.

• Policy violations: Late submissions or frequent attempts to bridge holidays may be declined.

• Exceeding leave balance: Requests exceeding entitlement are unlikely to be approved.

Unpredictable holidays

Islamic public holidays, such as Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, are based on lunar sightings and are often confirmed just days before they occur. This unpredictability makes leave planning more challenging compared to fixed holidays like National Day.

“To avoid disappointment, employees should verify holiday schedules with HR and ensure compliance with company policies,” Aryeetey advised.

Company policies and peak periods

Legal and HR experts warn that some employees book flights in advance to secure better deals, assuming their leave requests will be approved without considering company policies or operational needs.

“Employers align leave approvals with business requirements, which may restrict long leave during peak periods or require advance approval,” Aryeetey explained. “Consulting HR about combining leave with public holidays and planning in advance can help ensure formal approval. Otherwise, pre-booking flights might lead to disappointment and financial loss.”