Paternity leave in UAE private-sector jobs is five paid working days, usable from the day of the birth until the child is six months old, according to the UAE government portal. Government employees follow different rules. Federal staff get five days, Dubai Government staff three, and Abu Dhabi Government staff three or six, depending on the source.
We read the u.ae leave pages on 17 October 2026 and compared them with rival guides and one Khaleej Times report. Where the official text says nothing, we say so. This is general information, not legal advice.
| Who | Days | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Private sector, mainland | 5 working days, from birth to six months | u.ae, updated 14 October 2026 |
| Federal government | 5 working days, from birth to six months | Federal Decree Law No. 49 of 2022, Article 20 |
| Dubai Government | 3 days, within one month of the birth | Dubai Government HR Law No. 8 of 2018, per u.ae |
| Abu Dhabi Government | 3 days on u.ae; 6 days, or 16 for multiple births, in a June 2026 press report | Conflict, explained below |
| Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah | No paternity figure on the u.ae page | Maternity entries only |
Paternity leave in UAE private companies: five working days
The u.ae page calls this parental leave, not paternity leave. Private-sector employees get five paid working days, counted from the birth up to six months. Either the mother or the father can apply.
Amendments to the Labour Law in August 2020 introduced the leave, says the page, which also calls the UAE the first Arab country to grant parental leave in the private sector. Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 is the law named on that part of the page, though no article number is given for this leave.
That silence matters. Here is what the page leaves out:
- Whether the father must be married.
- Whether a minimum service period or the probation period affects it.
- Which wage the pay is based on, basic or total.
- Whether the five days can be split.
- Any notice period, form or supporting document.
On splitting, the federal government page does say the days can be taken consecutively or intermittently. For private-sector staff, nothing is said.
Government employees: five days federally, three in Dubai
Government staff are covered by their employer’s own law, not the private-sector Labour Law. Figures below come from the u.ae government-sector page, updated on 12 August 2026.
Article 20 of Federal Decree Law No. 49 of 2022 gives either parent of a live-born child five paid working days. Federal employees can take them together or in parts until the child is six months old.
Dubai Government men get three days of fully paid paternity leave, to be taken within one month of the birth, under Dubai Government Human Resources Management Law No. 8 of 2018. Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah appear on the page for maternity leave only. We have no official paternity figure for either.
Abu Dhabi government: three days or six?
On u.ae, male employees of the Abu Dhabi Government get three days of paternity leave. A newer report gives a different number, and no official page we could open reconciles the two.
Khaleej Times reported on 22 June 2026, citing Emarat Al Youm, that Human Resources Law No. 8 of 2025 took effect on 1 January 2026. It says the law doubled paternity leave from three days to six, with 16 days for fathers of twins or multiple births, and covers more than 25,000 employees in Abu Dhabi government entities.
No Abu Dhabi government page that we found states the new figures, and the report points readers to the published executive regulation for the full list of provisions. If you work for an Abu Dhabi government entity, ask HR which figure applies. Nothing changes for anyone else: the same report puts the federal and private-sector level at five working days.
Conditions that rival guides add
Several guides that rank for this search attach conditions to the leave. Since none appears in the u.ae text we read, we do not repeat them as law.
- An HR-services guide from Connect Group says only married male employees in the private sector qualify, and that a company may ask for a birth certificate.
- That guide also says the leave is available during probation under a “2024 law”. On u.ae, the leave dates to the 2020 amendment.
- The law firm 2S Lawyers says the leave is up to five paid days and can only be taken once the employee has completed one year of service.
- A business-setup guide on theuaegate.com puts Dubai maternity leave at 45 days, where u.ae gives 60 for the private sector. Some of these pages are simply old.
These conditions may sit in a company policy or in a regulation we have not read. Readers ask the same thing, as this r/UAE post from November 2023 shows:
“Does anyone know if one can get paternity leave during their probation period. I heard it is 5 days.”
– r/UAE, November 2023 (1 upvote)
One question is not evidence of what employers do. Our practical advice: ask HR for the clause in writing before the birth.
What we could not confirm
Several points stay open after the official pages we read, and we found no authoritative answer to any of them.
- Wage basis for the five paid days in the private sector.
- How and when to apply, and what to submit.
- Free-zone rules. A LexisNexis note lists DIFC and ADGM under their own employment laws, separate from mainland law, and we did not read them.
- Paternity figures for government staff in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and the other emirates.
- Any official Abu Dhabi page confirming the six-day figure.
If five days is not enough, u.ae lists no extra paternity entitlement. A longer break would come from annual leave, which is 30 days after one year of service, or from terms in your contract. Our annual leave and sick leave guide sets out the annual leave rules, and our maternity leave guide covers the mother’s 60 days.
Quick answers on paternity leave in the UAE
How many days is paternity leave in UAE workplaces?
Five paid working days in the private sector and the federal government, per u.ae. Dubai Government men get three days. Abu Dhabi Government men get three or six, depending on the source.
Can I take two weeks of paternity leave?
Not as paternity or parental leave, on the u.ae figures, which list five working days. Anything longer would have to come from annual leave or from your employer’s own terms.
Is paternity leave paid?
Yes, per u.ae, for the private sector and the federal government, and Dubai Government calls its three days fully paid. Whether pay rests on basic or total salary is not stated.
Can I take paternity leave during probation?
On u.ae, parental leave carries no probation condition, although paid sick leave does. One HR guide says probation makes no difference. We found no official statement either way, so ask HR.
Last checked on 17 October 2026. The Abu Dhabi figure is the detail most likely to change on the official page.
