September 12, 2026

Menstrual Leave in the UAE (2026): What the Law Says, Which Companies Offer It, and How to Ask

There is no menstrual leave in UAE labour law. That is the direct answer to the most common version of this question. But it is not the whole answer, because the law does give employees sick leave that covers genuine period pain, a handful of UAE employers have introduced paid menstrual leave voluntarily, and the number of companies asking how to do it has grown every year since 2022.

This guide covers what the law says, how sick leave applies in practice, which companies have moved first, what the rest of the world does, and a template for raising it with HR. It is written for employees in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and for the HR managers and founders who are being asked about it.

What UAE labour law actually says

The private-sector law is Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, in force since February 2022. It lists the leave types every private employee is entitled to. Menstrual leave is not one of them.

Leave type under the 2021 law	Entitlement
Annual leave	30 days a year after one year of service
Sick leave	Up to 90 days a year: 15 days full pay, 30 days half pay, 45 days unpaid
Maternity leave	60 days: 45 full pay, 15 half pay
Paternity leave	5 working days
Bereavement leave	3 to 5 days depending on the relative
Study leave	10 days a year for exams, after two years of service
Menstrual leave	Not provided for

Sick leave is the relevant entitlement. It requires a medical certificate from a licensed health provider, usually within three days of the absence, and it is not available during probation in most cases. So an employee with severe period pain can legally take a sick day for it, with a certificate, and be paid for the first 15 such days in a year.

The catch is obvious. Period pain is monthly and predictable, most women will not visit a clinic for a certificate every cycle, and using sick leave for it eats the allowance that is meant for actual illness. That is the gap voluntary menstrual leave policies try to close.

Which UAE companies offer menstrual leave

The best known is TishTash Communications, a Dubai PR agency that in 2022 announced paid menstrual leave, paid menopause leave and time off for fertility treatment for its all-female workforce. Workplace experts quoted in The National at the time encouraged other UAE employers to follow.

Since then the policy has spread quietly rather than through announcements. In our conversations with UAE employers that install period care in their washrooms, the pattern is consistent: creative agencies, boutique law and consulting firms, wellness businesses and a few tech companies have added one or two paid days a month, often under a broader name such as "wellbeing days" so that nobody has to disclose why they are taking one. Large corporates and government entities have generally not, and there is no public register.

If your company has a policy, it will be in the HR handbook under sick leave or wellbeing, not under a heading called menstrual leave.

What other countries do

Menstrual leave is not new. Several countries have had it for decades, and one European country introduced it recently.

Country	Policy
Japan	Since 1947: employers must allow leave on request, pay not mandatory
Indonesia	Two days a month, paid, since 2003
South Korea	One day a month, unpaid
Taiwan	Three days a year, half pay
Zambia	One day a month, "Mother's Day", since 2015
Spain	Since 2023: paid leave for incapacitating period pain with a doctor's note
UAE	No statutory provision; some employers voluntary

Two lessons come out of this list. First, where leave is unpaid or requires disclosure to a manager, uptake is very low. Japan's take-up rate is under one percent. Second, the policies that work are the ones that are paid, private and simple to use.

The case for it in the UAE

For employers, the argument is not sentiment. It is attendance and retention.

Around 20 to 25 percent of women report period pain severe enough to affect daily activity in a given cycle. In a 50-person mixed office, that is several people every month working below capacity or quietly taking unpaid time.
Presenteeism costs more than absence. A day of paid leave taken openly is cheaper than three days of half-productivity taken silently.
In a market where women make up a growing share of the professional workforce and companies compete hard for talent, a wellbeing policy that costs one or two days a month per employee is inexpensive relative to a resignation.
Period-related policies signal the same thing as stocked washrooms and flexible hours: the company has thought about who works there.

Our guide to building a period-positive workplace in Dubai covers the practical side, including free pads in washrooms and quiet-room access, which most HR teams find easier to start with than a leave policy.

How to write a menstrual leave policy

For HR managers and founders, the policies that actually get used share five features.

Paid. Unpaid leave is not taken.
No certificate. Requiring a doctor's note defeats the purpose and pushes people back to sick leave.
Private. Book it through the normal leave system under a neutral label. The manager does not need to know the reason.
Flexible. Allow it to be taken as a full day, a half day, or as a work-from-home day, since many women can work but not commute.
Capped. One or two days a month is the norm. Unused days do not roll over.

A sample clause:

Employees who experience menstrual or menopausal symptoms that affect their ability to work may take up to two paid wellbeing days per month, as a full day, half day or remote-working day, booked through the leave system without a medical certificate. These days are separate from annual and sick leave and do not carry over.

Add it to the handbook, brief managers on the fact that no explanation is required, and review uptake after six months.

How to ask for it as an employee

If your company has no policy, you have two routes. The first is to use your sick leave with a certificate, which the law protects. The second is to propose a policy.

Proposals work better when they come from a group, quote a cost, and offer a trial. A short version you can adapt:

Several of us would like to propose a wellbeing-day policy covering menstrual and menopausal symptoms, along the lines of what a number of Dubai employers now offer. We suggest up to one paid day a month, bookable without a certificate, trialled for six months. At current headcount the maximum cost is [X] days a month. Happy to share the examples and draft wording.

Send it to HR rather than your line manager, and pair it with a smaller ask that is easy to say yes to, such as stocking pads in the washrooms.

Menopause leave

The same companies that offer menstrual leave often extend it to menopause, which affects women in the 45 to 55 bracket who are frequently in senior roles. Hot flushes in a Dubai summer, disrupted sleep and concentration problems are the usual symptoms. Including menopause in the same wellbeing-day clause costs almost nothing extra and makes the policy relevant to more of the workforce.

Where the law might go

The UAE has updated its labour framework repeatedly since 2021, including on flexible work and remote work, and the government has made women's workforce participation a stated priority. There is no announced plan for statutory menstrual leave, and any employer waiting for one is waiting indefinitely. The realistic route for the next few years is voluntary company policy.

Summary

There is no menstrual leave in UAE law. Sick leave, with a certificate, covers severe period pain and is paid for the first 15 days a year. A small but growing number of Dubai companies offer one or two paid wellbeing days a month with no certificate, and that is the model to copy or to ask for.

If your workplace is starting with the basics, LiZZOM supplies free-vend pad dispensers and vending machines, bulk organic pads and sanitary bins to offices across the UAE, with a free seven-day trial. Call 056 317 5071 or use the business enquiry form.

Last reviewed: September 2026. General information, not medical advice.

Frequently asked questions

Is there menstrual leave in UAE labour law?

No. Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021 provides annual, sick, maternity, paternity, bereavement and study leave, but no menstrual leave. Severe period pain can be covered by sick leave with a medical certificate, paid in full for the first 15 days a year.

Which companies in the UAE offer menstrual leave?

Dubai PR agency TishTash Communications announced paid menstrual and menopause leave in 2022. Since then a number of agencies, boutique firms and wellness businesses have added one or two paid wellbeing days a month, usually under a neutral name. There is no public register.

Can I take sick leave for period pain in the UAE?

Yes. Sick leave under the 2021 law requires a medical certificate from a licensed provider, normally within three days. The first 15 days in a year are fully paid, the next 30 at half pay and the following 45 unpaid.

How many days of menstrual leave do companies usually give?

One or two paid days a month is the norm among employers that offer it, taken as a full day, half day or remote-working day, booked without a certificate and not carried over.

Which countries have menstrual leave laws?

Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan and Zambia have long-standing provisions, and Spain introduced paid leave for incapacitating period pain in 2023. Paid, private and certificate-free policies are the ones that actually get used.

Sources

About LiZZOM

LiZZOM is a Dubai-based, women-owned period care brand. We make organic bamboo sanitary pads and liners with a corn-starch backing, no fragrance and no chlorine bleaching, publish every ingredient we use, and supply homes, offices and schools across the UAE. Our guides are written by the LiZZOM team from the questions customers ask us and are checked against the public health sources listed above. They are general information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed doctor. Read the LiZZOM story or ask us a question.