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.

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:

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

Before planning, it is essential to understand your company’s leave policy. Check whether your annual leave is calculated in calendar days or working days, as this can significantly impact how effectively you can plan your time off.

“Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, employees in the UAE are entitled to 30 days of annual leave per year of service. However, it is crucial to understand how leave is calculated, as this determines whether public holidays are included,” Mohamed El Masry, an associate at Al Suwaidi and Company, said.

“For calendar days, public holidays falling during your leave period count as part of your annual leave, reducing the total additional days off. For instance, if you take 10 calendar days off that overlap with two public holidays, those holidays are part of the 10 days,” he explained.

While for working days, public holidays are excluded from your leave and added to the total break, effectively extending your time off.

Navaseelan provided insights into strategic holiday planning:

“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:

Navaseelan shared three practical tips for UAE workers:

“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.

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:

Emily Aryeetey, a Dubai-based lawyer and partner at multinational law firm - Stephenson Harwood, explained that maximising annual leave by aligning it with public holidays is an attractive idea for many employees in the UAE. However, legal and organisational frameworks can significantly impact an employee’s ability to do so.

As previously explained, the UAE Labour Law permits employees to combine annual leave with public holidays. Aryeetey stated that however, annual leave is calculated in calendar days rather than working days unless specified otherwise in the employment contract. This means that taking leave around weekends to create longer breaks might result in more leave days being deducted.

In contrast, free zones like the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) operate under common law frameworks, where holiday entitlement is based on working days. Aryeetey emphasised that social media advice on “maximising leave” isn’t universally applicable:

“Employees must be aware of the employment law regime that applies to them. Carefully reviewing employment contracts and company policies is essential before making plans,” she said.

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.

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.”