Dubai: If you have resigned from a job in the UAE, what are your rights when it comes to receiving a repatriation ticket and an annual ticket? Does the UAE Labour Law explicitly state that an employer should provide a repatriation ticket in all cases when a contract ends?
A reader wrote in to Gulf News and asked: “I would like to enquire about my tickets reimbursement option, which is mentioned in my contract as ‘up and down tickets to my hometown on completion of one year’. I have completed one year with the organisation and put my resignation on May 30, 2023 with a two months notice, as per my contract. They have asked me to take gardening leave for the rest of my notice period. In that case can you confirm my eligibility to get reimbursement of tickets. I was hired locally so is there repatriation ticket that the company has to provide?”
Gulf News raised the query with Bhavika Hotwani, paralegal and UAE-based legal firm Elnaggar & Partners, who spoke about how Article 13 of the UAE Labour Law - Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 – which covers the obligations of an employer in the UAE’s private sector, stipulates the cases in which an employer is required to provide a repatriation ticket for an employee.
Repatriation ticket entitlement
“As per the Article, employees are entitled to repatriation expenses unless they have terminated the employment contract, or if they have already joined another employer. In this situation, the resignation would not entitle you to a repatriation ticket. If your employment contract specifies that you are entitled to a repatriation ticket upon the termination of your employment, regardless of the reason for termination, you might be eligible to receive it,” Hotwani said.
In this situation, the resignation would not entitle you to a repatriation ticket. If your employment contract specifies that you are entitled to a repatriation ticket upon the termination of your employment, regardless of the reason for termination, you might be eligible to receive it.
Annual ticket entitlement
As reported by Gulf News earlier, while the UAE Labour Law only explicitly mentions an employer’s repsonsiblity to provide a repatriation ticket to employees in certain cases, an annual flight ticket can be mutually agreed upon as part of the terms of the employment contract.
Explaining what the employee’s rights are to receive an annual ticket as per the contract signed by the reader, Hotwani said: “Based on the information provided by you, your total length of service would be one year and a week. Therefore, you are entitled to receive your annual flight ticket as you have completed a year of service, and should discuss the same with your employer.”
