Probation period in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt: what the law says

Not legal advice. This article summarises the labour laws of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and official guidance about them, as checked in November 2026. It covers private-sector jobs. Laws change, and your contract may give you more than the law's minimum. For a decision about your own case, ask your country's labour ministry or a lawyer.

Short answer: probation can last at most six months from your start date in the UAE, 180 days in total in Saudi Arabia, and three months in Egypt. In all three countries, an employer can put you on probation only once (Saudi law allows a second probation in two written exceptions). In the UAE, the employer must give you at least 14 days' written notice to end your service during probation, and you give at least one month's written notice to move to another UAE employer, or, as a foreign worker, at least 14 days to leave the country. In Saudi Arabia, either side may end the contract during probation, and neither is owed compensation. Check the probation clause in your offer before you sign it.

This guide is for private-sector employees and for anyone weighing a job offer that comes with probation. It doesn't cover government jobs.

The rules side by side

UAE: six months, and notice on both sides

Article 9 of the Labour Law says (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 9):

• The employer may put you on probation for a period not exceeding six months from the date you start work. During it, the employer may end your service after notifying you in writing at least 14 days before the termination date.
• You may not be put on probation more than once with one employer. If you pass probation and keep working, the probation period counts within your period of service.
• If you want to move to another employer in the UAE during probation, you must tell your current employer in writing at least one month before. The new employer compensates the original one for the costs of recruiting or contracting with you, unless agreed otherwise.
• If you are a foreign worker and want to end the contract during probation to leave the UAE, you must give at least 14 days' written notice. If you come back and get a new work permit within three months of leaving, the new employer pays the same compensation, unless you and the original employer agreed otherwise.
• If either side ends the contract without following these rules, it pays the other compensation equal to your wage for the notice period, or for what is left of it.
• A foreign worker who leaves the UAE without following the article is not granted a work permit for one year from the date of leaving. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) may exempt some job categories or skill levels from that rule.

The UAE government portal summarises the main rules (u.ae, Employment contracts). Its page on ending contracts also lists, citing Article 8 of Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022, the case where "the worker terminated the employment relationship during the probation period, provided the employer did not breach their contractual obligations" among the situations in which a worker may not obtain a work permit for one year from leaving the UAE (u.ae, Terminating employment contracts). If you plan to resign during probation and leave the country, ask MOHRE how this applies to you before you go.

Leave during probation. You are not entitled to paid sick leave during probation, but the employer may grant unpaid sick leave based on a medical report (Article 31). The employer may also agree to give you annual leave from your balance during probation (Article 29).

Our guide to applying for jobs in the UAE covers the steps before this one, from the job offer to the work permit.

Saudi Arabia: 180 days, written into the contract

The Labor Law, as published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), says (HRSD, Labor Law, Articles 53 and 54):

• If you are on probation, this must be stated explicitly in the employment contract, with its length clearly set, and the total may not exceed 180 days in any case. "Both parties have the right to terminate the contract during this period."
• You may not be put on probation more than once with the same employer. As an exception, you and the employer may agree in writing to a second probation, if it is for a different profession or kind of work, or if at least six months have passed since your previous job with that employer ended.
• If the contract ends during probation, neither side is owed compensation, and you are not owed an end-of-service award for that period.

Holidays and sick leave don't count. Article 53 leaves the details, including which leave doesn't count toward probation, to the implementing regulations. HRSD's guide to the 2025 amendments, which took effect on 19 February 2025, says Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays, the National Day and Founding Day holidays, and sick leave are not counted within probation (HRSD, guide to the 2025 Labor Law amendments, in Arabic). So if your probation includes an Eid or a sick leave, expect it to end later than the date you counted.

Changing jobs during probation. If you are an expatriate worker, a move to a new employer inside the Kingdom runs through Qiwa's Employee Transfer service, where the new employer submits the request (HRSD, Request for transfer of expatriate workers). Check the current conditions on Qiwa (may only open from inside Saudi Arabia) before you resign. Our guide to applying for jobs in Saudi Arabia covers the Qiwa contract and notice rules.

Egypt: three months, once per employer

Labour Law No. 14 of 2025 says the probation period is set in the employment contract for no more than three months, and that a worker may not be put on probation more than once with the same employer (Article 90). It also says the employer must transport you from where you were hired to the workplace, and take you back there within three days of the contract ending, even during probation, unless you refuse in writing (Article 93) (Law No. 14 of 2025, in Arabic).

Those are the only two articles that mention probation, and neither sets a separate rule for ending the contract during it. The general notice rules for open-ended contracts are in Article 156, which our guide to applying for jobs in Egypt explains. If you are about to end a contract during probation, ask your labour directorate how those rules apply to you.

Checklist before you sign an offer with probation

1. Find the probation clause. In Saudi Arabia, probation must be written into the contract with its length; in Egypt, it is set in the contract.
2. Check the length against the cap: six months in the UAE, 180 days in Saudi Arabia, three months in Egypt.
3. Going back to a former employer? A second probation isn't allowed in the UAE or Egypt. In Saudi Arabia, it needs a written agreement, plus either a different job or a six-month gap.
4. In the UAE, note your exit terms: one month's notice to move to another UAE employer, and 14 days for a foreign worker leaving the country.
5. In the UAE, if you might resign during probation and leave, ask MOHRE about the one-year work-permit rule first.
6. In Saudi Arabia, count Eid, National Day, Founding Day and sick leave out of your probation dates.
7. If an application form asks for your notice period while you are on probation, give the notice that applies to you now. Our guide to expected salary and notice period covers that question.

FAQ

How long is the probation period under UAE labour law? Six months at most, from the date you start work, and only once with the same employer (Article 9).

Can I resign during probation in the UAE? Yes, with written notice: at least one month if you are moving to another UAE employer, and at least 14 days if you are a foreign worker leaving the UAE. Whoever skips the notice pays the other side the wage for the notice period, or for what is left of it (Article 9).

Is there a ban if I resign during probation in the UAE? The law says a foreign worker who leaves the UAE without following Article 9 isn't granted a work permit for one year from leaving, and MOHRE may exempt some categories. The u.ae portal also lists ending the relationship during probation, where the employer did not breach the contract, among the cases where a worker may not get a work permit for a year after leaving (u.ae). Ask MOHRE before you go.

What is the probation period under Saudi labour law? Up to 180 days in total, and only if the contract states it explicitly with its length (Article 53). Eid holidays, the National Day and Founding Day holidays, and sick leave are not counted within it (HRSD guide, in Arabic).

Can I resign during probation in Saudi Arabia? Yes. Article 53 gives both sides the right to end the contract during probation, and under Article 54 neither side is owed compensation. You aren't owed an end-of-service award for that period either.

Can I transfer to another employer during probation in Saudi Arabia? For expatriate workers, moves between employers run through Qiwa's Employee Transfer service, where the new employer submits the request. The conditions are set on Qiwa and change over time, so check them there before you resign.

What is the probation period under Egypt's new labour law? At most three months, set in the contract, and only once with the same employer (Article 90 of Law No. 14 of 2025).

Does probation count toward my service? In the UAE, yes: if you pass probation and keep working, it counts within your period of service (Article 9). In Saudi Arabia, if the contract ends during probation, you aren't owed an end-of-service award for that period (Article 54).

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Related: How to apply for jobs in the UAE · How to apply for jobs in Saudi Arabia · How to apply for jobs in Egypt · Experience certificate in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt · Expected salary and notice period: how to answer (UAE, KSA).

Sources

• UAE, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations, Articles 9, 29 and 31 (UAE Legislation portal): uaelegislation.gov.ae · Arabic version
• UAE Government portal (u.ae), Employment contracts: duration and models in the private sector: u.ae
• UAE Government portal (u.ae), Terminating employment contracts (Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022, Article 8): u.ae
• Saudi Arabia, Labor Law, Articles 53 and 54 (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development): hrsd.gov.sa · Arabic version
• HRSD, guide to the 2025 amendments of the Saudi Labor Law (in Arabic, PDF): hrsd.gov.sa
• HRSD, Request for transfer of expatriate workers: hrsd.gov.sa
• Qiwa, employee transfer: qiwa.sa (may only open from inside Saudi Arabia)
• Egypt, Labour Law No. 14 of 2025, full Arabic text (Manshurat Qanuniya), Articles 90, 93 and 156: manshurat.org