UAE public holidays 2026: remaining dates and archive

Which UAE public holidays remain in 2026?

As of 12 November 2026, the remaining dates in the national holiday schedule are 2 and 3 December for National Day, also called Eid Al Etihad. They fall on Wednesday and Thursday. These are the Cabinet schedule dates; check the eventual announcement for your sector before treating them as your final days away from work.

The UAE government holiday page lists the holidays for both public and private sectors. It also explains that Islamic dates depend on moon sighting. A calendar prediction, an employer roster and a government holiday announcement answer different questions.

2026 holiday table and archive

This table preserves the announcements we could verify. Earlier Islamic holidays have already passed; they should not still be described as future moon-sighting estimates. Where the checked notice covered only one sector, the table says so. A missing confirmation is not proof that a holiday did not take place.

For Eid al-Fitr, WAM reported MOHRE's 19–21 March notice with a conditional extension to 22 March. FAHR announced 19–22 March for federal entities. WAM’s 18 March moon-sighting report confirms that Ramadan completed 30 days. This met MOHRE’s condition for extending the private-sector holiday through 22 March.

For the later Eid, MOHRE's verified private-sector window was 26–29 May. Do not substitute a longer federal-government break for that announcement. If you are reconstructing attendance, use your employer's actual holiday circular alongside the national notice.

Private sector and public sector: which notice applies?

Start with the employer named on your contract. MOHRE announcements address private-sector employees. FAHR notices concern federal ministries and entities. A local government can issue arrangements for its own departments. A statement about Dubai Government employees does not, by itself, establish every Dubai worker's roster.

The Dubai Government birthday announcement illustrates this distinction. It named 28 August and addressed the government's departments, authorities and institutions. It also allowed operational arrangements for shift workers and staff providing public services. A public holiday does not mean every service closes.

1. Identify whether you work for a private company, a federal entity or a local government.
2. Read the notice for that employer category, including any exceptions for shifts or essential services.
3. Ask HR to confirm your working and non-working dates in writing.
4. Keep the notice with your roster if you work during the holiday or later question the pay.

The employment-pay explanation below concerns workers covered by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Government employment and other separate legal regimes need their own rules. The name of the holiday alone does not establish which employment law governs your contract.

What if you work on a public holiday?

Article 28 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 provides paid official holidays for covered workers. If work requires attendance, it provides either another day off for each holiday worked, or that day's normal wage plus at least 50% of that day's basic wage.

That distinction between normal wage and basic wage matters. Do not assume that the increase applies to the whole salary package. Before checking a payment, ask payroll which daily wage and basic-wage amounts it used and whether compensation was recorded as money or a replacement day off.

The implementing regulation also matters. Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 14, requires covered establishments with 50 or more workers to set work rules that include working hours, weekly rest days and official holidays. Ask to see the rules applying to your workplace.

Save the holiday date, shift start and finish, attendance record, payslip and the written compensation decision. If the figures do not reconcile, ask payroll to explain the calculation before escalating through the relevant labour authority. Our overtime guide helps distinguish ordinary overtime from holiday work.

Can you make a December long weekend?

For a worker normally off on Saturday and Sunday, the standing Wednesday–Thursday holiday dates leave Friday between the holiday and weekend. If Friday 4 December is approved annual leave, that creates a possible five-day break from 2–6 December. This is calendar arithmetic, not a government announcement or leave approval.

Check your own weekly pattern before copying that example. A worker rostered on Saturday cannot count it as a free day. A team may also need holiday cover, and a school or childcare provider may use a different closure window from your office.

Do holidays move when they fall on a weekend?

Under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, Article 2 permits the Cabinet to move non-Eid holidays to the beginning or end of the week by a decision. Article 3 says a holiday is not transferred because it overlaps another public holiday or a weekend. There is no automatic replacement Monday to add yourself.

Those rules explain why the religious occasion's calendar date and the announced day away from work can differ. Use the actual circular for attendance and payroll. For a future Islamic holiday, keep any Gregorian prediction marked as expected until the relevant official confirmation arrives.

Plan the year change separately

Use our UAE public holidays 2027 guide for next year's schedule and confirmation status. This page remains a 2026 record. Moving a year's heading forward without checking each announcement would make the archive unreliable for anyone checking past leave.

For household planning, put confirmed days off, requested annual leave and provisional lunar dates in separate calendar entries. Add the source and sector to each entry. That makes it easier to update one date without accidentally changing an approved booking or a colleague's cover arrangement.

SettleUAE is an independent guide, not a government website, and is not affiliated with any UAE authority. This is general information, not personal legal, financial or immigration advice.