Probation period in the UAE: how long, and how to leave

Probation in the UAE can last up to six months, only once with the same employer, and it counts towards your service (Article 9 of the UAE Labour Law). Either side can end it, with written notice.

Notice during probation

Whoever ends probation without the notice owes the other side compensation equal to your wage for the notice period, or what was left of it (Art. 9(5)).

Moving to a new job during probation

If you move to another employer in the UAE, the new employer compensates your original employer for the cost of recruiting you, unless they agree otherwise (Art. 9(3)). The same applies if you leave the country and come back on a new work permit within three months (Art. 9(4)).

The one-year ban

A foreign worker who leaves the UAE without following these rules is not granted a work permit for one year from leaving (Art. 9(6)). The Ministry may exempt some jobs, skill levels or workers (Art. 9(7)).

What probation changes

• No paid sick leave during probation; unpaid sick leave is possible with a medical report (Art. 31(2)). See sick leave in the UAE.
• Annual leave is only by agreement; if you do not pass probation you are paid for any balance left (Art. 29(3)).
• If you pass, the contract simply continues on its terms, and the probation months count towards your gratuity (Art. 9(2)). The end-of-service gratuity calculator counts from your first day.

Once probation is over, the notice rules change: see notice period in the UAE.

These rules cover the UAE private sector. They do not apply to federal and local government employees, the armed forces, police and security services, or domestic workers (Article 3). Your contract can give you more than the law, never less.

Checked against the text of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on 24 September 2026. The 2024 amendment replaced Articles 54 and 60 only; none of the articles cited here. General information, not legal advice. See our editorial policy.