December 23, 2025 | Dubai, UAE: Several UAE companies are permitting their employees to have off during Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year. Some places are even delivering up to two extra days off, officially calling them “Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE workplaces.” They are not government-driven moves, but policy tweaks by the firm.
The concept is straightforward: simplify life by aligning it with the world agendas and providing some relief to the employees before the holiday season. Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE are increasingly being adopted by private firms as part of internal HR strategies.
Internal Policies and Differences for Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE
The point is, Christmas is not even on the federal list of the UAE public holidays. Nevertheless, lots of businesses are going all the way and providing internal leave. The additional days do not substitute your usual annual leave, and they may vary widely depending on the sector and the employer. Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE are therefore structured internally rather than mandated by law.
As an example, Ellia Mark has recently moved to a new firm in Dubai, and she was surprised to learn that December 25 and 26 are among the company-wide holidays. That surprised him, yet, come to think of it, made his year-end vacation seem more generous.
These two dates were on a Thursday and Friday, meaning that the arrangement was essentially three days of a free day in a row. Mark initially planned to spend some time off and go home for a full week, but courtesy of the preset policy of having Christmas public holidays by the company, he saved part of his leave. Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE often translate into longer weekends when dates align favourably.
Here lies the interesting part, not that any firms move in the same direction. Consider the example of a Sudanese-British expatriate in Dubai, Yasmin Yasir. She is fortunate to receive the same offer – company-wide leave on December 25 and Boxing Day on December 26. In this manner, employees will have the flexibility to book their holidays without having to submit a personal request, which is monumental when travelling arrangements are involved. Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE highlight how leave benefits can differ widely between organisations.
Year-End Leave in HR Perspective
HR wise, these internal leave policies are nothing but convenient final year planning tools and not additional benefits as such. One of the HR consultants born in Rome in Dubai has said that the idea of fixed days off with slap-on-shoulder works; otherwise, businesses would have had to wade through a deluge of leave requests every December.
Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE help employers manage staffing and workflow more efficiently during peak travel periods. This practice is an indicator that the office culture is recuperating, with the incorporation of global standards of the holiday and the natural rhythms of the UAE.
Formal UAE Public Holiday Department
The UAE officially announces public holidays annually, applying to both public and private sectors. Key aspects of the official holiday framework include:
Current Holiday System:
- Dates are based on either the Gregorian or Islamic calendar, depending on the occasion.
- Christmas does not appear on the federal holiday list.
- Companies maintain discretion to introduce internal leave policies for non-federal holidays.
- Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE, therefore, remain outside the scope of official federal announcements.
New Transferable Holiday Law (2025):
- A new law that came into effect at the beginning of 2025 allows certain public holidays to be transferred to the start or end of the week if they fall mid-week.
- The system enables people to enjoy longer, continuous breaks.
- Applied for the first time during the UAE National Day in 2025, shifting the December 2-3 holidays to December 1-2.
- Created a four-day weekend for most residents.
Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 Specifications:
- Holidays that can be transferred: New Year’s Day, Islamic New Year, and the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday.
- Holidays that cannot be shifted: Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha (dates tied directly to Islamic rituals).
- The Cabinet must issue a specific decision each year confirming which holidays will be moved to create longer weekends.
Distinguishing Holidays and Employee Opportunities
Employees should understand the distinction between the internal company Christmas and the Public Holidays in the UAE and official government-mandated public holidays:
Internal Company Policies:
- Granted at the employer’s discretion.
- Do not replace annual leave entitlements.
- Vary significantly between organisations.
- Some companies offer no additional time, others provide one day, and some grant two full days.
- Not mandated by federal law.
- Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE fall entirely under these discretionary internal company policies.
Official UAE Public Holiday Calendar for 2025:
- Includes 13 days off total.
- Covers occasions such as New Year’s Day, Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day, Eid Al Adha, Islamic New Year, the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, and UAE National Day.
- Applies to both public and private sectors.
- In addition to the 30 annual leave days, employees can take per year.
- Legally mandated for all employers.
For employees working at companies offering Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE, the internal leave policies provide opportunities for extended breaks without depleting annual leave balances. Important planning factors include:
Timing Advantages:
- When December 25 and 26 fall on Thursday and Friday (as in 2025), the arrangement creates a natural long weekend.
- Facilitates travel plans or family gatherings without using annual leave.
- Reduces the need to submit individual leave requests during busy periods.
Employee and Employer Responsibilities:
- Confirm with HR or management whether specific Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE have been granted as internal leave.
- Check company policies before booking travel or making commitments.
- Coordinate with line managers for flexible day-off arrangements (where applicable).
- Since these policies are not mandated federally, they require advance communication within individual organisations.
- Companies typically announce internal leave policies well in advance.
- Allows staff sufficient time to coordinate plans around designated days off.
- Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE require clear internal communication to avoid confusion among employees.
The issue that a few companies are offering Christmas days is indicative of how the work environments in the United Arab Emirates are indeed becoming international.
With the staff becoming more diverse and multicultural, companies are bending to meet various traditions by making minor adjustments to internal policy. It is that they remain competitive as regards attracting talent without violating the official UAE holiday count.
On the whole, granting Christmas public holidays is beneficial in the areas of work-life balance, reduced administration workload because of the abundance of overlapping leave requests and offers that are hard to keep track of, and the predictable downtime of employees. It is another case of local branches being adjusted to global standards and functioning within the legal framework of the UAE. The practice of granting Christmas Public Holidays in the UAE workplaces also reflects broader trends toward improved work-life balance and employee wellbeing.
By providing structured time off during traditionally busy periods, companies can reduce the administrative burden of processing numerous overlapping leave requests while giving employees predictable breaks for rest and travel. This evolution in workplace norms demonstrates how organisations can adapt to global standards while operating within local legal frameworks.
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