How UAE Employees Can Turn Annual Leave Into 6 Extra Days Off This Year

There’s one major UAE public holiday still ahead in 2026, and with a bit of planning, employees can stretch it into a nine-day break by using just three days of annual leave.

Authorities have confirmed the dates for the National Day (Eid Al Etihad) holidays as Wednesday, December 2, and Thursday, December 3. Under UAE public holiday law, officials retain the flexibility to shift which days a holiday is observed if the official date falls awkwardly during the week, helping minimize disruption to the work schedule. This means National Day could ultimately be marked with a four-day weekend if it’s shifted to Thursday, December 3, and Friday, December 4.

Either way, the calendar creates an opportunity for workers to maximize their time off. By strategically applying just three days of annual leave, employees can turn the holiday period into a full nine days away from work.

If the current public holiday dates hold as announced, that leaves a short three-day work week, with employees due in the office on Monday, November 30, Tuesday, December 1, and Friday, December 4. In that scenario, workers could finish their normal week on Friday, November 27, enjoy the weekend on November 28 and 29, then apply annual leave to Monday, November 30, Tuesday, December 1, and Friday, December 4. Combined with the National Day public holidays on December 2 and 3, and the following weekend on December 5 and 6, that adds up to nine consecutive days off using only three days of leave.

Here’s how that potential break could look:

• Saturday, November 28: Weekend
• Sunday, November 29: Weekend
• Monday, November 30: Annual leave (Day 1)
• Tuesday, December 1: Annual leave (Day 2)
• Wednesday, December 2: Public holiday (National Day)
• Thursday, December 3: Public holiday
• Friday, December 4: Annual leave (Day 3)
• Saturday, December 5: Weekend
• Sunday, December 6: Weekend

If the holiday dates end up shifting instead, the same strategy still applies. For example, should the holiday move to be observed on Thursday, December 3, and Friday, December 4, workers could instead take Monday, November 30, Tuesday, December 1, and Wednesday, December 2 as leave to achieve the same nine-day stretch.

Employees are encouraged to check the Official UAE Government Portal for any further updates on the confirmed holiday schedule.

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