Skip to content
Prices shown in AED No paid reviews, ever Explore all 7 emirates
EN العربية
Add your business

Questions & Answers

Working hours and overtime in the UAE: the legal limits

Normal hours are capped at 8 a day or 48 a week. Overtime is limited to 2 hours a day and paid at least 25% extra, or 50% between 10pm and 4am. Weekend and public-holiday work earns a day off or 50% extra.

By MyGuide AE Editorial 2 min read

Normal working hours in the UAE private sector are capped at 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week (Article 17). Overtime is limited to 2 hours a day and paid at at least 25% extra, or 50% extra between 10pm and 4am (Article 19).

The limits

Rule Limit
Normal hours 8 a day or 48 a week (Art. 17(1))
Breaks No more than 5 hours in a row without breaks totalling at least an hour; breaks are not working time (Art. 18)
Overtime No more than 2 hours a day, except as the Implementing Regulation allows (Art. 19(1))
Total hours Never more than 144 hours in any three weeks (Art. 19(1))
Commuting Not working time, except for some categories of worker (Art. 17(3))

What overtime pays

When Minimum pay
Overtime, normal hours of the day The normal hourly wage based on basic pay, plus at least 25% (Art. 19(2))
Overtime between 10pm and 4am Plus at least 50%; shift workers are excluded (Art. 19(3))
Working on your weekend Another day off, or the day’s wage plus at least 50% of basic pay (Art. 19(4))
Working on a public holiday Another day off for each day worked, or the day’s wage plus at least 50% of basic pay (Art. 28(2))

You cannot be asked to work more than two weekends in a row, except day workers (Art. 19(5)).

Ramadan hours

The law leaves Ramadan working hours to the Implementing Regulation (Art. 17(4)), and the Cabinet can change daily hours for some sectors or categories of worker (Art. 17(2)). Check the announcement for the year rather than a figure from an old article.

Part-time and remote work

If you do not work full time, no employer may ask you for more hours than your contract states without your written consent (Art. 17(5)). If you work remotely with your employer’s approval, it may set specific hours (Art. 17(6)).

The weekend itself is explained in what days are the weekend in Dubai. The leave rules are in annual leave 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.

Sources we checked

The official bodies where these figures and rules are kept up to date. Where an official page disagrees with us, the official page is right.

Prices are what we last paid or last verified, in dirhams. Opening hours change on public holidays and during Ramadan — always confirm on the venue’s own site before you travel. Our editorial policy

Keep reading

All guides →