UAE Employment Contract Checker
Checks the key terms of a UAE mainland private-sector employment contract against Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 and Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026. Last reviewed: 2026-09-23.
This checker holds the key terms of a UAE mainland private-sector employment contract against Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, its Implementing Regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022) and Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026 on wage payment. Each term gets one of three verdicts — conflicts with the law, check, or OK — with a plain-language reason, the article, a link to the official text and the article’s own words. Where the answer turns on a fact the page cannot know, it says “check” and names the fact. Everything runs in your browser.
The Rules the Checker Applies
Contract and language. The contract is concluded for a specified period, renewable by agreement (Article 8(3)), and in Arabic, with another language the worker understands beside it; the Arabic text prevails (Article 66(2)).
Probation. At most six months from the start of work (Article 9(1)), once only with the same employer (Article 9(2)), and ended by the employer during probation with at least 14 days’ written notice (Article 9(1)).
Notice period. Agreed in the contract at not less than 30 and not more than 90 days (Article 43(1)), and the same for both parties unless the difference serves the worker (Article 43(2)).
Non-compete. Allowed only where the work gives the worker knowledge of the employer’s clients or access to its secrets, specified in time, place and type of work, and for no more than two years after the contract ends (Article 10(1); Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 12). It lapses in the cases Article 10(2) and Article 12 name.
Hours, overtime and rest. Normal hours at most 8 a day and 48 a week (Article 17(1)), with the exemptions of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(4); overtime paid at the basic hourly wage plus at least 25%, and 50% between 10 pm and 4 am (Article 19(2)–(3)); at least one paid rest day a week (Article 21).
Leave and pay. At least 30 days of paid annual leave for each year of service (Article 29(1)(a)); wages in dirhams unless the contract agrees another currency (Article 22(3)); each month’s wage due on the 1st of the following month (Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026, Article 1(1)).
Prohibited clauses. The employer may not charge the worker recruitment and employment costs (Article 6(4)) or withhold the worker’s official documents (Article 13(2)). A term that contradicts the law is void unless it is more beneficial to the worker (Article 65(3)).
How a Verdict Is Reached
Conflicts with the law: the term as you describe it breaks a rule the law states in numbers or in plain words — a nine-month probation, a 120-day notice required of the worker, a clause making the worker pay the visa.
Check: the law’s answer depends on something the page cannot see — whether a non-compete binds you at all, whether your role is really exempt from the hours cap, whether a penalty regulation was approved — or the law’s wording leaves room, as when an employer’s notice is longer than 90 days. The finding names what to check.
OK: the term meets the rule as written. Unanswered questions produce no finding.
Scope and Limits
Mainland private sector only. The DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own employment laws; government employees, the armed forces, police and security, and domestic workers are outside Decree-Law No. 33 (Article 3(2)).
The page checks the terms you enter, not the document: it cannot read the contract, the establishment’s by-laws or a MOHRE decision about you, and all of these can change the answer.
Days are compared as the contract states them. Article 29 gives annual leave as thirty days without saying calendar or working days, and the page does not decide which.
The law’s English texts are translations; the Arabic text prevails. The quotes are from the MOHRE consolidated English text of the Decree-Law, the uaelegislation.gov.ae English text of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 and the MOHRE text of Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026.
Worked Examples
The verdicts the checker gives:
Probation of 9 months, first with this employer
9 > 6 months (Article 9(1))
= conflicts with the law; the repeat rule (Article 9(2)) is OK
Notice: employer 30 days, worker 90 days
both within 30–90 (Article 43(1)); unequal (Article 43(2))
= both OK on length; the longer notice for the worker is “check”
Non-compete of 36 months naming the place but not the work
36 > 24 months; type of work not specified (Article 10(1))
= duration and scope conflict with the law; whether it applies at all is “check”
Full time, 9 normal hours a day, 45 a week, no exemption
9 > 8 a day; 45 ≤ 48 a week (Article 17(1))
= daily hours conflict with the law; weekly hours OK
Annual leave of 21 days, overtime unpaid
21 < 30 days (Article 29(1)(a)); no premium (Article 19(2))
= both conflict with the law
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can probation be in the UAE?
Not more than six months from the date the worker starts work (Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 9(1)), and only once with the same employer (Article 9(2)). During probation the employer can end the contract with at least 14 days’ written notice.
What notice period is allowed in a UAE employment contract?
The parties agree it in the contract at not less than 30 days and not more than 90 days (Article 43(1)), and it should be the same for both parties unless the difference serves the worker (Article 43(2)).
Is a non-compete clause valid in the UAE?
Only within the limits of Article 10: where the work gives the worker knowledge of the employer’s clients or access to its secrets, specified in time, place and type of work, as far as needed to protect the employer’s legitimate business interests, and for no more than two years after the contract ends. It does not apply if the employer ends the contract in violation of the law (Article 10(2)), and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 12 adds further exceptions.
Can my contract say overtime is included in my salary?
Article 19(2) entitles a worker to be paid for overtime at the basic hourly wage plus at least 25%, and a term that contradicts the law is void unless it is more beneficial to the worker (Article 65(3)). The checker flags an unpaid-overtime clause as a conflict, or as “check” for the roles Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(4) exempts from the maximum hours.
Can my employer keep my passport?
No. Article 13(2) obliges the employer not to withhold the worker’s official documents.
Does this apply in the DIFC or ADGM?
No. The DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws, which this checker does not apply. It covers the mainland private sector under Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.
Sources
Last reviewed: 2026-09-23
Disclaimer
* Mainland private-sector contracts only, checked term by term against the English texts of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 and Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026; the Arabic text prevails. Last reviewed: 2026-09-23. This is an automated check against the text of the law, not legal advice. Your employment contract, the establishment’s by-laws, the law that actually applies (the DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own employment laws) and any decision of MOHRE or a court prevail over it — verify with MOHRE or a licensed legal consultant.