Maternity leave in the UAE: Leave around a birth,
with the dates and the pay.

What must an employer give around a birth?

The leave entitlements guide lists every kind of leave. This table covers the ones linked to a birth on the mainland, and the last column is the one that surprises payroll. A contract or company policy can be more generous, and then the better term applies (Article 65).

We count maternity leave in calendar days, because Article 30 says days where the parental leave clause in Article 32 says working days. Article 30 also leaves other leave untouched, and the Regulation lets parental leave be combined with annual and unpaid leave.

When can maternity leave start?

Two official wordings give different dates. Article 30 says the employer must grant the leave on request at any time from the last day of the month before the month of the expected birth, shown by a medical certificate. The u.ae leave page says she may apply up to 30 days before the expected date.

Since the law sets minimums, the simple course is to accept the earlier date, and put the choice in your leave policy. The 60 days run from the start date, so days before the birth come out of them. Beginning on 1 March 2027, day 45 is 14 April, the half-pay days run from 15 to 29 April, and she returns from 30 April.

How is maternity pay worked out?

The current text says full pay and half pay. An earlier English translation hosted on u.ae says full wage and half wage, and Article 1 defines wage as basic plus cash allowances and in-kind benefits. So we work it on the whole wage. Ask your adviser to confirm this if your contracts pay allowances such as housing in kind.

What happens if she or the baby is unwell afterwards?

Two further entitlements start after the 60 days. Up to 45 unpaid days can follow, in one stretch or several, for an illness of the mother or child caused by the pregnancy or birth that stops her returning.

The u.ae page mentions only her illness, while the current text of the law names both, so go by the law. These days do not count towards gratuity or pension service.

Where the child is sick or disabled and needs a constant companion, she gets 30 days on full pay from the end of maternity leave, and can extend by 30 unpaid days. The article does not say how this sits alongside the 45 days if both apply, so take advice before fixing a return date. Article 51 removes unpaid absence from gratuity service.

The 60 days also apply to a birth after six months or more of pregnancy where the baby is stillborn, or is born alive and then dies (Article 30, clause 3). In ADGM, the same rights apply to a stillbirth or a miscarriage after the start of the 24th week (section 32).

A birth before six months of pregnancy falls outside Article 30's maternity leave. The article does not say what applies instead, so ask for a medical report, consider sick leave and take advice.

Who gets parental leave, and until when?

Article 32 gives the worker, whether father or mother, five paid working days to care for the child. It can be continuous or split, and it has to fall within six months of the birth. A mother has it on top of maternity leave. The employee has to show proof of the birth.

For a baby born on 20 March 2027, the window closes around 20 September 2027, and the articles we read offer no pay in place of days not taken.

Nursing breaks run on the same six-month clock from the birth. A mother returning on 30 April 2027 has them until about 20 September, not six months from her return.

What protections apply during this time?

• No termination or notice because of pregnancy, maternity leave or the further absences in Article 30
• Notice for any other reason served during leave starts only the day after the scheduled return, unless both sides agree otherwise (Article 35)
• Article 4 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in keeping a job and in its benefits, and gives equal pay for the same work
• Working for another employer during this leave lets the first employer withhold the leave pay or recover it (Article 30)
• Returning late without a legitimate reason means no wage for those days (Article 34)

How do DIFC and ADGM differ?

What should HR record?

• The medical certificate with the expected birth date, and the actual date when known
• Start date, full-pay end date, half-pay end date and the scheduled return
• Each extension as its own entry, with its certificate and pay, so unpaid days can be left out of service
• The six-month date for parental leave and nursing breaks, worked out from the birth
• Parental days taken by each parent who works for you, with proof of the birth