Guide · Employment · Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Notice period in GCC employment contracts
Notice period in Arabic: مدة الإشعار — the written warning time before an open-ended employment contract ends. Not annual leave, and not end-of-service gratuity.
A notice period is the written warning time before an open-ended employment contract ends. It is not annual leave, and it is not the end-of-service gratuity. Saudi Arabia and the UAE publish different rules. The notice articles in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are under review. This is general information, not legal advice.
This is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Laws change. Check the sources and have the text reviewed by a lawyer licensed in the relevant jurisdiction before you rely on it. Last reviewed: 29 October 2026.
In short
- UAE: a written period of 30 to 90 days, the same for both parties unless a difference serves the worker (Article 43 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021).
- During UAE probation, Article 9 applies instead of Article 43.
- Saudi Arabia, indefinite contract: 60 days from the employer if the wage is monthly, 30 days from the worker; if the wage is not monthly, 30 days from either party (Labour Law, Article 75).
What a notice period is
A notice period is a written warning before an open-ended employment contract ends. The contract stays in force during the period and ends when it expires. It is not annual leave, and it is not the end-of-service gratuity.
Length and the remedy when notice is skipped are set by statute and by the contract. Do not paste a Saudi period into a UAE contract, or a UAE period into a Saudi contract.
UAE: Article 43 and Article 9
Article 43 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 lets either party end the contract for a legitimate reason if the other is notified in writing and the worker works during the notice period agreed in the contract. That period is not less than thirty days and not more than ninety days. The contract stays in force during the period and ends when it expires. The worker is entitled to full wage for that period on the last wage, and must work if the employer so requests. The parties may agree to waive or shorten the period while preserving the worker’s rights for the contractual notice period, and the period must be the same for both parties unless a difference serves the worker’s interests.
A party who does not observe the period pays a notice-period allowance equal to the worker’s wage for the whole period or the remaining part, even if the other party suffered no damage (Article 43(3)). During probation, Article 9 applies instead: the employer must give at least fourteen days’ written notice; a worker moving to another employer in the State must give at least one month; a foreign worker leaving the State must give at least fourteen days.
Saudi Arabia: Article 75 and Article 76
Article 75 of the Labour Law, in the HRSD text consolidated through Royal Decree M/44 of 8/2/1446H, governs an indefinite contract ended for a legitimate reason. If the wage is monthly, the worker must give at least thirty days’ written notice and the employer at least sixty days, counted before the termination date. If the wage is not monthly, either party must give at least thirty days’ written notice.
Article 76: a party who ends an indefinite contract without observing that period must pay the other an amount equal to the worker’s wage for the notice period, unless they agree on more. A worker’s written resignation of a fixed-term contract is a different route, not Article 75 notice.
Notice period by country
| Country | Verified | Under review |
|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | Written period of 30–90 days after probation (Article 43). During probation: 14 days from the employer; one month from a worker moving inside the State; 14 days from a foreign worker leaving (Article 9). | Free-zone employment laws other than naming DIFC and ADGM. |
| Saudi Arabia | Indefinite contract: 60 days from the employer if the wage is monthly, 30 days from the worker; otherwise 30 days from either party (Article 75). Allowance for skipped notice is Article 76. | Nothing in this row is left without a Saudi source. |
| Qatar | Under review. | No article number on this page. |
| Bahrain | Under review. | No article number on this page. |
| Kuwait | Under review. | No article number on this page. |
| Oman | Under review. | No article number on this page. |