UAE Labor Rights & MOHRE Desk
Your statutory protections under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: the digital MOHRE contract, WPS wage protection, the passport-confiscation ban, gratuity mechanics, ILOE unemployment cover and Tadbeer domestic-worker rights.
Your digital contract and wage protection
Every private-sector worker has a MOHRE digital contract
Your employment contract is issued and lodged electronically with MOHRE — search it with your Emirates ID on mohre.gov.ae (E-Contract search). If what you signed does not match what you are living, the lodged version is the binding one. Salaries must be paid through the Wage Protection System (WPS); salaries unpaid after 15 days trigger automated employer work-permit blocks.
Standard work limits and leave
The statutory workweek is 8 hours a day / 48 hours a week (overtime paid at 125%, and 150% on rest days), with a daily break and at least one paid weekly rest day. Annual leave is 30 calendar days after one completed year of service, and end-of-service entitlements cannot be waived by any contract clause.
Passport confiscation is illegal — report it
Under UAE law the employer or sponsor is strictly forbidden from keeping your passport. Confiscation exposes the employer to fines from AED 20,000 up to AED 50,000, and you can report it without fear to the MOHRE call centre on 80060 or through the mission labour wing.
End-of-service gratuity: the 21 / 30-day formula
Under Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, private-sector workers on limited or unlimited contracts earn: 21 days of basic salary for each of the first 5 years of service, and 30 days of basic salary for each year beyond 5 — capped at two years' total salary. Under the 2021 law resignation no longer reduces the gratuity: with at least one completed year of service, you are entitled to the full amount whether you resign or are terminated. Less than one year of service carries no gratuity.
ILOE unemployment cover & Tadbeer domestic workers
- AED 5 monthly subscription (plus AED 65 for 3 months of cover) via iloe.ae or exchange houses
- Pays up to 60% of your basic salary for up to 3 months if your contract is terminated arbitrarily
- Mandatory for all private-sector employees — keep the subscription active from your first month
- Federal Law No. 9 of 2022: one mandatory paid weekly rest day and 30 days annual paid leave
- Medical insurance coverage and safe, suitable accommodation provided by the employer
- Contracts are issued through Tadbeer centers — never hand your passport to a household employer
This page is civic guidance, not legal advice; the binding text is the law and your lodged contract. MOHRE enquiries: 80060, labour ministry portal mohre.gov.ae.