UAE National Day holidays: How to get nine or five-day break around Eid Al Etihad

The UAE government has announced the Eid Al Etihad holidays, offering a nine-day or five-day break for workers, depending on their sector and annual leave policies. Government employees will enjoy a three-day holiday from December 2 to December 4, while private sector workers will have a two-day paid break on December 2 and 3.

Residents can potentially extend their holiday break without using many annual leave days. Government staff can turn their three-day official holiday into a nine-day break by taking two days of annual leave on November 30 and December 1, aligning with the holiday and surrounding weekends. Private sector employees can extend their two-day holiday to a five-day vacation by taking one day of annual leave on December 4, encompassing the holiday and weekends from December 2 to December 6.

Employees in both sectors can request leave before or after public holidays if their employer agrees, although not every employee has the right to annual leave by default. Employers can determine leave schedules based on operational needs. According to Federal Decree Law No 33 of 2021, public holidays falling within annual leave are typically counted as part of that leave, unless specified otherwise in the employment contract or company policy.

Federal government employees are governed by a separate law, Federal Decree Law No 49 of 2022, which allows them to take annual leave consecutively or in separate periods, provided their line manager approves. Public holidays and weekends are generally not factored into annual leave calculations in both the private and public sectors, and employees must seek approval for their leave dates.