In the United Arab Emirates, you can give it a go, but not by default, should you be thinking of enjoying your full annual leave at the beginning of the year. The legislation establishes regulations regarding the accumulation of leave, its use and the timing of leave.

How annual leave works in the UAE

In the UAE, a worker is paid an annual time off depending on the time spent at work. When you have served one year, you are entitled to receive 30 calendar days of paid annual leave annually.

Provided that you have worked over six months, but not one year, then you are normally entitled to 2 days of leave per month of service. Due to this accrual system, you will not be granted 30 days to be used as paid annual leave since you are still in your first year.

You may not have enough days yet

Imagine that you have joined a company in the UAE in January and March, and you wish you could have a whole month off. Your working time will not have reached 2-3 months, so you will have a limited right (around 2 days per month, 3-4 days) should you be in the category for more than six months and less than one year. That’s far below 30 days. Hence, you will not be able to expect getting a full month of paid leave unless you have served one year of service or your employer will allow you to take advance leave or unpaid leave.

Employer’s right to decide timing

Your employer is legally afforded the right to decide when your annual leave begins in the UAE, depending on the work demands. They are still required to inform you at least a month before the fixed dates of the leave.

Here are the key rules:

The leave must be taken in the year of entitlement, except by agreement.
The employer can subdivide the leave when required.
The employer can reject or redefine your preferred date of leave in case there is a business need.

What you should do if you plan a month off early

Suppose you wish to have a month off (say January-February) before you have worked a full year, do as follows:

Check your service length and accrual: See how many months you have worked, and how many leave days you have been receiving up to date under UAE law.
Divide your accumulation: When you have less than 30 days for full-year leave, you may need to seek an advance paid leave or unpaid leave to fill in the difference.
Get your request in writing early: Don’t leave it out. In writing, tell how long you want to be off, how you want your work to be covered and why.
Request special approval: Since your leave entitlement is not yet a full month, you can request to the employer:

to award paid leave before full accrual,

or to grant the additional days, as unpaid leave, with your written permission.

Write a handover plan: Demonstrate that you have considered how you will manage your absence (colleague cover, update project ,etc.). This strengthens your case.

Why your request might be refused

The reasons why your request may be declined.

Still, despite a good plan, there are good reasons why your employer would say no:
You do not have enough days of accrued leave.
The company cannot spare you during that period (high season, special projects, etc.).
Adequate notice and preparation were not given.
Your employer is not under the law obligated to accept your chosen dates, which have conflicts with the requirements of your work.

Your rights and options

Under the UAE environment, there are various backup plans:

Advance leave: Negotiate with your employer that you use accrual in the future.
Unpaid leave: It is unpaid leave; request the unpaid leave but in writing.
Split your leave: Use part of your leave early and the rest of it later when you have earned it.
Alternate timing: Request to have a long leave during a machine-slow time, and this will have more chances of being approved.

Final Takeaway

In the UAE, one can take a full month of annual leave early but this is subject to the number of days or employer sanction. The leave is earned and the day is determined by the employer at least one month in advance. When work is well planned and demonstrated how it will be handled, the chances of approval are better.