Switching jobs in the UAE: how to resign and what you keep

How to resign

Write a short letter, date it and hand it to your employer. Keep a copy that shows the date, because your notice runs from it.

The Decree-Law does not say your employer has to accept a resignation. You give written notice, then work through it (Art. 43).

Fill in a UAE resignation letter with your own names and dates. The form works on your own device.

Leaving before the notice ends

You and your employer can agree to shorten the notice or drop it. You keep your rights for the notice period (Art. 43(2)).

Without that agreement, whoever skips the notice pays the other side the wage for it. It is worked out on your last wage (Art. 43(3) and (4)).

Article 45 lets you quit at once and keep your end of service rights in four cases. One is a breach your employer does not fix after you tell MoHRE 14 working days ahead.

Another is assault, violence or harassment by your employer, reported within 5 working days. The others are serious danger at work, and work very different from what you agreed.

Walking out before your contract ends without a lawful reason can bar you from a new work permit for 1 year (Art. 50).

Next: Resignation letter for the UAE

How much notice you give

• After probation: the period in your contract, from 30 to 90 days, in writing (Art. 43(1)).
• On probation, moving to another UAE employer: at least 1 month in writing (Art. 9(3)).
• On probation, leaving the UAE: at least 14 days in writing (Art. 9(4)).

You are paid your full wage during the notice (Art. 43(2)).

The unpaid day off each week to look for work applies only when your employer ends the contract. It does not apply when you resign (Art. 43(5)).

Your gratuity after you resign

Resigning changes nothing. Article 51 has no cut for resigning. You need 1 full year of continuous service before any gratuity is due.

• 21 days' basic pay for each of your first 5 years.
• 30 days' basic pay for each year after that.
• The total is capped at 2 years' wage (Art. 51(6)).

The only deductions allowed are sums due under the law or a court judgment (Art. 51(7)).

More on this: do I get gratuity if I resign in the UAE?

Next: Is it worth waiting to resign?

Resigning during probation

Probation lasts up to 6 months, and only once with the same employer. It counts as part of your service (Art. 9(1) and (2)).

Moving to another UAE employer? Give at least 1 month in writing. The new employer then repays what your old one spent recruiting you, unless they agree otherwise (Art. 9(3)).

Leaving the UAE? Give at least 14 days in writing. Come back on a new permit within 3 months, and the new employer pays that compensation (Art. 9(4)).

Skip the probation notice and you owe the wage for it (Art. 9(5)). Leave the UAE without it, and you may get no work permit for 1 year (Art. 9(6)).

Gratuity needs a full year of service, so leaving during probation pays none (Art. 51).

Your final pay

Your employer has 14 days from the end of your contract to pay your wages and everything else you are owed (Art. 53).

That includes your gratuity and any notice pay due. Check each line before you sign a final settlement.

If it does not arrive, complain to MoHRE first. Claims are not heard 2 years after the job ends (Art. 54(9)).

Can my employer hold my final pay? covers what to do next.

Next: Was my final pay late?

Moving to a new employer

Before you resign, ask your new employer and MoHRE how your work permit will move, and in what order.

ILOE does not pay after a resignation (Cabinet Resolution 97/2022, Art. 9).

If your residence permit is cancelled, the grace period is at least 30 days. Some residents get 60, 90 or 180 days. After that, the fine is AED 50 a day (ICP).

DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws. If you work in either, ask its employment authority.

Next: Leaving the UAE instead? How to move your money home