2026 Working Days Calendar for Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Legal Regulations
The UAE Labor Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021) governs working hours and holidays. Under a Cabinet resolution, holidays falling mid-week can be transferred to create a long weekend, but this rule does not apply to Eid holidays. The standard workweek is 48 hours, with reduced hours during Ramadan.
Employees are entitled to paid days off for major public holidays. A Cabinet resolution allows mid-week holidays (excluding Eid) to be transferred to create long weekends. Those required to work on a public holiday are entitled to compensatory time off with pay.
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation regulate working hours and holidays. The standard federal workweek is four and a half days (Monday to Friday noon), with Saturday and Sunday as the weekend. Overtime must be compensated as per labor regulations, and flexible/remote work arrangements are permitted under specific conditions, such as a 70% cap on remote workers for federal entities on Fridays.
News
For 2026, the UAE has announced two possible scenarios for the Eid Al Fitr holiday duration in the private sector, depending on the length of Ramadan. The holiday dates for Islamic occasions are subject to moon sighting confirmations. The government continues to promote the mid-week holiday transfer policy to encourage long weekends.
For 2026, two scenarios exist for Eid Al Fitr's duration in the private sector, dependent on Ramadan's length. Recent news highlights surging airfares around Eid holidays. The holiday calendar is used to identify opportunities for extended long weekends.
For 2026, the UAE has announced reduced working hours for both public and private sector employees during the holy month of Ramadan, continuing the established practice. Ramadan is expected to begin around February 19, 2026, subject to official moon-sighting confirmation. No new permanent public holidays or major regulatory changes for 2026 were announced in the provided sources.
Insights
Residents strategically plan annual leave around mid-week holidays to bridge them into longer breaks using the transfer rule. The typical weekend in the UAE is Saturday-Sunday. The culture emphasizes work-life balance, with many companies offering flexible working hours or remote work options.
The official weekend is Friday and Saturday. Residents often use the holiday transfer rule to strategically plan annual leave, bridging mid-week holidays into longer breaks. Islamic holiday dates are based on moon sightings and are announced annually, leading to tentative planning.
During Ramadan, workdays are significantly shortened, with public sector hours typically 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Mon-Thu) and 9:00 a.m. to noon on Fridays. Sharjah uniquely operates on a 4-day workweek with a Friday-Sunday weekend, differing from the federal system. Islamic holiday dates are tentative and confirmed by moon sightings closer to the event.
2026 Working days summary for Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai, United Arab Emirates has 251 working days in 2026. This is calculated from 365 total calendar days, minus 102 weekend days (Friday-Saturday), and minus 12 holidays. The standard work week runs Sunday through Thursday.
251
Working Days
102
Weekend Days
12
Holidays
Monthly Breakdown
| Month | Working | Weekend | Holidays | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 10 | 1 | 31 |
| February | 20 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| March | 22 | 7 | 2 | 31 |
| April | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| May | 18 | 9 | 4 | 31 |
| June | 21 | 8 | 1 | 30 |
| July | 22 | 9 | 0 | 31 |
| August | 21 | 9 | 1 | 31 |
| September | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| October | 21 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
| November | 21 | 8 | 1 | 30 |
| December | 21 | 8 | 2 | 31 |
| Total | 251 | 102 | 12 | 365 |
2026 Calendar for Dubai, United Arab Emirates
January 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 New Year's Day New Year's Day | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
20 working days, 10 weekend days, and 1 holiday in January 2026.
February 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
20 working days, 8 weekend days in February 2026.
March 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 Eid Al Fitr Eid Al Fitr | 20 Eid Al Fitr Eid Al Fitr | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 31 |
22 working days, 7 weekend days, and 2 holidays in March 2026.
April 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in April 2026.
May 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 Arafat Day Arafat Day | 27 Eid Al Adha Eid Al Adha | 28 Eid Al Adha Eid Al Adha | 29 Eid Al Adha Eid Al Adha | 30 | 31 |
18 working days, 9 weekend days, and 4 holidays in May 2026.
June 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 Hijri New Year Hijri New Year | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
21 working days, 8 weekend days, and 1 holiday in June 2026.
July 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
22 working days, 9 weekend days in July 2026.
August 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | |||||
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
24 | 25 Birthday of Prophet Muhammad Birthday of Prophet Muhammad | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
31 |
21 working days, 9 weekend days, and 1 holiday in August 2026.
September 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in September 2026.
October 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
21 working days, 10 weekend days in October 2026.
November 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 Commemoration Day Commemoration Day |
21 working days, 8 weekend days, and 1 holiday in November 2026.
December 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 UAE National Day UAE National Day | 3 UAE National Day Holiday UAE National Day Holiday | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
21 working days, 8 weekend days, and 2 holidays in December 2026.