UAE National Day Holiday 2026: Eid Al Etihad Dates

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Table of Contents

• When is the UAE National Day holiday in 2026?
• Is the National Day holiday the same for the private sector?
• Does a private company have to give 4 December off?
• What do employees get paid if they work on National Day?
• How the holiday affects November and December payroll
• Checklist for HR teams before 2 December
• Let us run your holiday pay and WPS files this December
• FAQs on the UAE National Day holiday

Short answer: The UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) holiday for 2026 is Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 December for federal government employees, announced on 13 November 2026. With the Saturday and Sunday weekend that makes five days off, and federal staff return on Monday 7 December. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) hasn’t announced the private-sector dates yet; the law guarantees private-sector employees two paid days, 2 and 3 December.

This year’s federal break runs a day longer than the law’s two days. Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 lists National Day as 2 and 3 December, and in 2026 those fall on a Wednesday and Thursday, so adding Friday 4 December joins the holiday to the weekend. For private employers the open question is that Friday: it’s a working day until MoHRE says otherwise.

When is the UAE National Day holiday in 2026?

This is the 55th Eid Al Etihad, marking the union of the emirates on 2 December 1971. It’s the last public holiday of 2026. The next one is New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January 2027.

Is the National Day holiday the same for the private sector?

Not automatically. FAHR announces holidays for federal ministries and entities, and MoHRE announces them for private-sector workers. Since 1 January 2025 both sectors have followed one list under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, so private employees are entitled to 2 and 3 December on full pay, and the only open question is the third day.

Recent years show MoHRE matching the federal dates:

Emirate governments in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah can announce days for their own government departments, and those announcements don’t bind private companies in that emirate.

Does a private company have to give 4 December off?

Only if MoHRE declares it. Until then, Friday 4 December 2026 is a normal working day for private-sector staff who work Fridays, and the legal minimum is the two days on 2 and 3 December. A company can still choose to give the extra day as paid leave, but it can’t deduct it from annual leave without the employee’s agreement, and it shouldn’t announce a three-day break to staff before MoHRE confirms.

Holiday dates under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 can’t be moved when they land on a weekend. Article 3 of the resolution says a public holiday that coincides with the weekend or another holiday isn’t transferred to another day. In 2026 that doesn’t affect anyone, because 2 and 3 December fall midweek.

What do employees get paid if they work on National Day?

Under Article 28 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the regulation of labour relations, an employee asked to work on an official holiday is owed either another rest day for each day worked, or their wage for that day plus at least 50% of their basic wage for that day. The employer picks one of the two. Hotels, hospitals, retail, security and facilities firms that keep staff rostered over 2 and 3 December need to record which option applies to each person.

Worked example, calculated by us on a 30-day month (the Labour Law doesn’t set a divisor for the daily wage): an employee earns AED 9,000 a month, of which AED 6,000 is basic salary, and works on both 2 and 3 December.

The alternative is two replacement rest days, which suits teams that would rather keep December payroll costs flat. If MoHRE adds 4 December for the private sector, the same rule applies to that day too.

How the holiday affects November and December payroll

Companies that pay November salaries in the first days of December should send their Wages Protection System (WPS) file before Wednesday 2 December. Banks and exchange houses process salary files on working days only, so a file sent late on 1 December may not clear until the holiday is over. WPS logs the date each salary reaches the employee, and that log is what MoHRE checks for late payment.

For December payroll, record holiday work and replacement rest days in the same month they happen. Holiday pay that’s left out of the December WPS file and paid in cash later won’t show up in the WPS record, which is what MoHRE checks in a wage complaint. Staff on annual leave over 2 and 3 December are on a public holiday for those days, so check your HR system doesn’t deduct them from the leave balance.

Checklist for HR teams before 2 December

• Tell staff the confirmed dates (2 and 3 December) and that the 4 December decision is waiting on MoHRE.
• Agree the rota for anyone working over the holiday and note whether they get holiday pay or a replacement rest day.
• Submit the November salary WPS file on or before Tuesday 1 December if salaries are due early in the month.
• Set 2 and 3 December as public holidays in your HR and leave system so annual leave isn’t deducted.
• Add holiday-pay lines to the December payroll input before the cut-off.
• Check for MoHRE’s private-sector announcement and update staff the same day.

Let us run your holiday pay and WPS files this December

Payroll Middle East calculates Article 28 holiday pay, prepares WPS salary files and keeps leave balances straight for companies across the UAE, so the National Day break doesn’t hold up anyone’s salary. See our payroll services in the UAE or talk to our payroll team before your November run.

For the full list of 2027 dates, see our guide to UAE public holidays and holiday pay. For WPS setup, read how the WPS registration process works and the WPS SIF file format. Employers planning year-end exits can check the notice period and final settlement rules and the difference between limited and unlimited contracts.

FAQs on the UAE National Day holiday

Sources: u.ae: Public holidays | UAE Legislation: Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 concerning public holidays | UAE Legislation: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the regulation of labour relations

Sarwat Jahan