Annual Leave in the GCC: How Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain Compare

If your organisation employs people across the Gulf Cooperation Council, you already know that each member state has its own labour law — and the annual leave rules differ more than you might expect. The UAE provides a flat 30 days after one year, Saudi Arabia escalates from 21 to 30 days over five years, and Oman gives employees the full 30 days after just six months.

This guide breaks down the annual leave rules in all six GCC states so you can build compliant policies, set accurate expectations with your teams, and avoid the compliance pitfalls that catch international employers when they try to apply a single Gulf-wide policy.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	Saudi Arabia	UAE	Qatar	Kuwait	Oman	Bahrain
Statutory minimum	21 days (<5yr), 30 (5+)	30 days	21 days (<5yr), 28 (5+)	30 days	30 days	30 days
Qualifying period	1 year	1 year	1 year	9 months	6 months	1 year
First-year accrual	Pro-rata from year 1	2 days/month	Pro-rata from year 1	Pro-rata from 9 months	Pro-rata from 6 months	2.5 days/month
Pay basis	Full wage (in advance)	Basic wage	Full wage (in advance)	Full salary (in advance)	Gross wage	Full salary
Carry-over limit	By agreement	By agreement	Up to half (by request)	Up to 2 years	Up to 30 days	By agreement
Calendar days vs working	Calendar	Calendar	Calendar	Calendar	Calendar	Calendar
Public holidays during leave	Not counted	Not counted	Not counted	Not counted	Not counted	Not counted

Saudi Arabia: The Tiered Scale with the Pay-In-Advance Rule

Saudi Arabia’s annual leave is governed by the Labour Law (Royal Decree No. M/51), articles 109 to 115. The entitlement starts at 21 calendar days for the first five years of service and increases to 30 calendar days from the start of the sixth year.

The most distinctive feature is the pay-in-advance requirement: article 109 requires the leave wage to be paid before the employee begins their holiday. This is stricter than most Gulf peers and creates a practical compliance challenge for global HR systems configured for end-of-month payroll.

Saudi Arabia also has a separate Hajj leave entitlement of 10 to 15 days, available once during employment to Muslim employees who have not previously performed Hajj. This is separate from annual leave.

For the full breakdown, see our Saudi Arabia annual leave guide.

UAE: 30 Days with the Basic-Wage Trap

The UAE’s annual leave is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, articles 29 to 31. Private-sector employees receive 30 calendar days after one year of service, with a 2-days-per-month accrual for employees with less than one year.

The critical detail is the pay basis: annual leave in the UAE is calculated on the basic wage, not total remuneration. An employee whose total compensation is built from a basic salary plus housing, transport, and other allowances will receive a leave payment based only on the basic component. Employers structuring contracts with a small basic and large allowances should note that this flows directly through to leave pay and end-of-service entitlements.

For the full breakdown, see our UAE annual leave guide.

Qatar: 21-to-28 Days with the Two-Period Limit

Qatar’s annual leave is governed by Law No. 14 of 2004, articles 79 to 82. The entitlement starts at 21 calendar days for the first five years and increases to 28 calendar days from the sixth year.

The carry-over rules are more structured than in some Gulf peers: leave can be divided into a maximum of two periods by agreement, and the employer may require that no more than half of the annual entitlement be postponed to the following year, but only upon the employee’s written request.

For the full breakdown, see our Qatar annual leave guide.

Kuwait: 30 Days After the Nine-Month Threshold

Kuwait’s annual leave is governed by Law No. 6 of 2010, articles 70 to 74. Private-sector employees receive 30 calendar days per year, but the first-year entitlement begins after nine months of continuous service — not twelve.

The accumulation rules are specific: unused leave can be carried for up to two years by mutual agreement. Beyond two years, a separate written agreement is required. Kuwait also has a distinctive 150% public holiday premium: employees required to work on a public holiday receive 150% pay plus a compensatory day off.

For the full breakdown, see our Kuwait annual leave guide.

Oman: 30 Days After Six Months with the Mandatory Two-Year Rule

Oman’s reformed Labour Law (Royal Decree No. 53 of 2023) provides 30 calendar days of annual leave after just six months of continuous service — the shortest qualifying period in the GCC.

The most distinctive provision is the mandatory two-year rule: every employee must take at least 30 consecutive days of leave once every two years. This is not a recommendation — it is a statutory obligation. An employer who allows unlimited accumulation without ensuring a 30-day block within each two-year window is technically in breach.

Non-Omani employees are also entitled to a return ticket to their home country for their annual leave period — a provision that does not exist in other Gulf states.

For the full breakdown, see our Oman annual leave guide.

Bahrain: 30 Days with the Sick-Leave Conversion Rule

Bahrain’s annual leave is governed by Labour Law No. 36 of 2012, articles 58 to 61. Private-sector employees receive 30 calendar days after one year of service, with a 2.5-days-per-month accrual during the first year.

The most distinctive provision is the sick-leave conversion rule: if an employee falls sick during annual leave and provides a medical certificate, the sick days can be converted to sick leave and the annual leave period is extended accordingly. This is more employee-friendly than the approach in most Gulf jurisdictions.

Bahrain also gives the employer at least 30 days’ notice before scheduling leave — a requirement that is not as explicitly stated in other Gulf laws.

For the full breakdown, see our Bahrain annual leave guide.

Key Differences That Matter in Practice

1. The Qualifying Period Varies from Six Months to One Year

Oman’s six-month threshold and Kuwait’s nine-month threshold mean employees in those countries become entitled to leave sooner than in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain (all one year). An employer applying a uniform one-year threshold across the GCC is under-entitling employees in Oman and Kuwait.

2. The Pay Basis Is Not the Same Everywhere

Saudi Arabia and Qatar require full wage (including fixed allowances). The UAE uses basic wage (excluding allowances). Kuwait uses full salary. Oman uses gross wage (salary plus allowances). Bahrain uses full salary. These are not interchangeable — the same employee on the same contract may receive different leave pay depending on which country’s law applies.

3. Advance Payment Is Mandatory in Some States

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait explicitly require leave wages to be paid in advance before the leave begins. The UAE, Oman, and Bahrain are less explicit but the prevailing interpretation favours payment before or at the time leave starts. A global HR system that pushes leave pay through the usual end-of-month run will technically breach the advance-payment requirement in at least three GCC states.

4. Carry-Over Rules Are Inconsistent

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain allow carry-over by agreement with no hard cap. Qatar limits postponement to half the annual entitlement. Kuwait caps accumulation at two years. Oman caps carry-forward at 30 days (unless the employer prevented the leave). The UAE allows carry-over by mutual agreement. A single Gulf-wide carry-over policy will fail in at least one jurisdiction.

5. Public Holiday Rules Differ

All six states exclude public holidays from the annual leave count. But Kuwait’s 150% public holiday premium and Oman’s return-ticket entitlement create additional obligations that do not exist in the other four states.

Practical Tips for Multi-Country GCC Employers

1. Set Up Country-Specific Policies

Do not try to create a single leave policy for the Gulf. Each country has different qualifying periods, pay bases, carry-over rules, and special entitlements. Your leave management system must support per-country configurations.

2. Budget for the Advance-Payment Requirement

In Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, build an “advance leave wage” step into your leave approval workflow so the wage is paid before the holiday begins.

3. Track the Pay Basis Per Country

The UAE’s basic-wage rule means leave pay is lower than the employee’s total compensation. Saudi Arabia and Qatar use the full wage. Track the applicable pay basis per country to avoid under- or over-payment.

4. Monitor Carry-Over Caps

Kuwait’s two-year cap and Oman’s 30-day cap (plus the mandatory two-year rule) require active monitoring. Build carry-over alerts into your leave tracking system.

5. Handle the Oman Return-Ticket Obligation

Budget for the non-Omani return-ticket entitlement as a separate leave-cost line item. It applies once per year and is separate from the leave wage.

6. Apply the Kuwait Public Holiday Premium Correctly

The 150% public holiday premium is not the same as standard overtime. Apply it specifically to public holiday work and track compensatory days off separately.

How Leave Balance Makes GCC Leave Simple

Managing leave across six different legal frameworks with different qualifying periods, pay bases, and carry-over rules is exactly the kind of complexity that breaks spreadsheets.

Leave Balance lets you configure country-specific policies that reflect the actual rules:

• Saudi Arabia: 21-to-30-day tiered scale with full-wage pay-in-advance
• UAE: 30-day flat entitlement with basic-wage pay calculation
• Qatar: 21-to-28-day tiered scale with two-period division limit
• Kuwait: 30-day flat entitlement with nine-month threshold and two-year accumulation cap
• Oman: 30-day flat entitlement with six-month threshold and mandatory two-year block
• Bahrain: 30-day flat entitlement with 2.5-days-per-month first-year accrual and sick-leave conversion

Your GCC employees can request leave through Slack or Teams in their normal workflow. Managers see a unified view across countries, and the system handles the underlying complexity.

At $10/month flat rate — regardless of how many employees you have across the Gulf — you get compliant leave management without the per-head costs that make other tools expensive for growing international teams. Start your 14-day free trial today.