Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2021 · UAE Federal
Sets common minimum employment rules for federal government employees and private-sector workers governed by the Labour Law, covering contracts, working hours, wages, leave and end-of-service benefits, and prohibits discrimination in employment, while allowing more favourable contractual terms to continue. Effective 2 February 2022.
Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2021 sets the unified general rules of employment that apply across both the federal government and the private sector in the UAE. It is a short companion to the Labour Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, and entered into force on the same day, 2 February 2022 (Article 13). It remains in force and unamended according to the legislation portal.
Article 3 applies the Decree-Law to federal government employees governed by the federal human resources law and to private-sector workers governed by the labour relations law; the Cabinet may exclude any category on the Minister's proposal. Article 4 prohibits discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, nationality, social origin or disability in hiring, continued employment or the enjoyment of job rights, requires equal treatment for the same job functions, and provides that measures to increase Emirati participation in the labour market are not discrimination.
The remaining articles state minimum standards that mirror the Labour Law. Article 5 requires a fixed-term contract, bars employment under 18 (with rules for 15 to 17 year olds) and caps probation at six months. Article 6 recognises full-time, part-time, temporary and flexible work, on site, remote or hybrid. Article 7 caps normal hours at eight a day or 48 a week with at least one paid rest day a week. Article 8 entitles the worker to the contractual wage, paid in AED unless another currency is agreed. Article 9 sets leave minimums: 30 days' annual leave, 60 days' maternity leave, five working days' parental leave and up to 90 days' sick leave on a sliding scale. Article 11 provides that nationals' end-of-service benefits follow pension legislation while eligible foreign full-time workers receive 21 days' basic wage per year for the first five years and 30 days thereafter.
Article 12 is the clause clients most often need: the rules are the minimum rights for private-sector workers, they do not reduce any more favourable right granted elsewhere, and dates are calculated on the Gregorian calendar with a 365-day year and 30-day months. The Decree-Law contains no penalty provisions; enforcement runs through the Labour Law and the federal human resources law.
Occupants of federal government jobs under the federal Human Resources Law and private-sector workers under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, together with their employers. The Cabinet may exclude categories on the Minister's proposal. It does not reach DIFC or ADGM employment.
English official text in 13 articles. Open the full text or jump to a provision:
| Article 3 | Applies the unified rules to federal government employees and to private-sector workers covered by the labour relations law, with Cabinet power to exclude categories. |
| Article 4 | Prohibits discrimination based on race, colour, sex, religion, nationality, social origin or disability, requires equal treatment for the same job functions, and exempts Emiratisation measures. |
| Article 5 | Employment rests on a fixed-term contract; persons under 18 may not be employed except 15 to 17 year olds under set rules; probation may not exceed six months. |
| Article 7 | Normal working hours are capped at eight a day or 48 a week, with rest periods, overtime rules and at least one paid weekly rest day. |
| Article 8 | Workers are entitled to the wage agreed in the contract, paid in AED or in another currency if the contract so provides. |
| Article 9 | Minimum leave: 30 days' annual leave, 60 days' maternity leave with dismissal protection, five working days' parental leave, up to 90 days' sick leave, plus mourning, study and national service leave. |
| Article 11 | Nationals' end-of-service benefits follow pension legislation; eligible foreign full-time workers receive 21 days' basic wage per year for five years and 30 days per year thereafter. |
| Article 12 | The rules are minimum rights for private-sector workers, do not reduce more favourable rights granted elsewhere, and dates follow the Gregorian calendar with 365-day years and 30-day months. |
| Article 13 | Publication in the Official Gazette and entry into force on 2 February 2022. |
We cite this Decree-Law when clients ask which minimum standards apply across sectors and whether their more generous contract terms remain valid: Article 12 answers both. It is also our reference when a client with Emirati and expatriate staff wants to confirm that differentiated Emiratisation incentives are lawful under Article 4. In drafting we treat its figures as identical to the Labour Law's, so a contract that satisfies Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 satisfies this instrument too. Because it carries no penalties of its own, any enforcement issue is routed through the Labour Law and Ministry inspection, which is where we direct clients' attention.
| Cited by | Labour Law Executive Regulations · Jafza Rules 2023 |
“Cites” and “Cited by” are built automatically from references in the full texts held in this library; they cover only instruments in the library.
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