Part-time work permit in the UAE: rules for employees

A UAE part-time work permit lets an employer hire a worker for fewer hours or days than a full-time employee, and MoHRE (the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) can approve a worker holding more than one such job. The employer applies for the permit, not the employee, and the Labour Law still governs the contract’s hours, pay and notice.

Key takeaways

• Under a part-time contract an employee works for one or more employers for a specific number of hours or days, and the permit is issued to the establishment.
• A worker may work for more than one employer only after obtaining approval from the Ministry.
• A worker on a pattern other than full time cannot be required to work more than the contracted hours without their written consent.
• Overtime, pay, leave and end-of-service rules sit in the same Labour Law, so check how the contract applies them to part-time hours.
• The official pages read for this guide give no part-time fee, validity period or application steps, so confirm those with MoHRE.

On this page 10 sections

What part-time work means in the UAE

The UAE Labour Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, admits several work arrangements. Part-time work is one of them, and the government portal u.ae describes it in a single line.

Part-time work arrangement

One or more employers, a specific number of hours or days

Under a part-time contract, an employee works for one or more employers for a specific number of hours or days.

The same page lists the other arrangements: full time (one employer only), temporary work on a specific assignment, flexible working, remote work and job sharing. For job sharing, the page says the rules of the part-time model apply. It does not define part-time by comparison with a set number of full-time hours, so the contract is where the hours or days are fixed.

What the part-time work permit does

The part-time work permit is one of the work permit types MoHRE issues. u.ae says employers may not recruit or employ any worker unless a work permit has been issued under MoHRE procedures, so a part-time hire needs this permit rather than the employer simply agreeing shorter hours.

Part-time work permit

Fewer hours or days than full time

The permit enables establishments to hire and employ a worker, from inside or outside the UAE, under a part-time contract where the working hours or days are fewer than those of a full-time employee.

Two points follow from that wording. The permit is issued to the establishment, and it can cover a worker already in the UAE or one recruited from abroad.

Who applies and the conditions

The application comes from the company. u.ae says an individual legally authorised to represent the company must submit the application for a work permit, so an employee cannot apply for a part-time permit on their own behalf.

The general conditions u.ae lists for any work permit also apply:

• Age. The worker must be at least 18, except for a juvenile permit or a student training or employment permit.
• Occupation. The job given to the worker must match the establishment’s business activity.
• Trade licence. The company’s licence must be valid and free of violations.
• Professional licences. For specialised professions or roles that need a licence to practise, the worker must meet the conditions in the applicable legislation.

u.ae gives a general range for issuing and renewing a work permit, AED 250 to AED 3,450 depending on the company’s classification (A, B or C). The page does not state a part-time-specific fee or validity period, so confirm both with MoHRE before relying on a figure.

Working for more than one employer

A part-time contract may be with one employer or several. u.ae states the condition for the second case directly.

The page does not say whether the second employer must also consent, or what the approval process involves, and this guide does not guess. Ask MoHRE or the employer’s PRO team which steps apply, and keep the written approval with your contracts. A full-time worker, by contrast, is defined as working for one employer only.

Hours and overtime on a part-time contract

The Labour Law’s ceilings of 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week still sit above any part-time schedule. Our guide to working hours and overtime pay sets out those limits, the 2-hour daily overtime cap and the overtime premiums.

Article 17 adds a protection aimed at this situation: a worker on a pattern other than full time cannot be asked by any of their employers to work more than the hours agreed in the contract without the worker’s written consent. In practice that means:

• the contract should state the hours or days, since they are what the employer cannot exceed without consent;
• a request to work extra hours needs the worker’s written agreement, whichever employer asks;
• the sources read for this guide do not say how the daily and three-week limits are counted across two employers, so check the contract and MoHRE’s guidance if you hold more than one job.

Pay, leave and end of service

A part-time contract is still an employment contract under the Labour Law, so the usual employer duties apply. The sources read for this guide do not set separate part-time rules for the items below, so each link goes to the general rule, and the contract should say how it applies to your hours.

• Salary. Employers registered with MoHRE pay salaries through the Wage Protection System. See how WPS works.
• Leave. Annual and other paid leave is covered in leave entitlements in the UAE private sector.
• Probation. If the contract has a trial period, the probation period rules limit its length and set the notice each side gives.
• Gratuity. The end-of-service gratuity is worked out from basic wage and length of service; ask the employer in writing how it is calculated on your contract.
• Unemployment insurance. Whether your job falls under the scheme is covered in ILOE unemployment insurance.

Leaving a part-time job follows the general notice and final-pay rules; see resignation and termination. If you hold two part-time jobs, each contract has its own notice terms.

What to check before you sign

1. The contract says it is part time and states the hours or days.
2. The employer confirms it has applied for, or holds, a part-time work permit for you.
3. If you will work for another employer too, you have the Ministry’s approval in hand.
4. Extra hours are only worked with your written consent.
5. Pay is clear and goes through the Wage Protection System where it applies.
6. The contract explains how leave and end-of-service benefits apply to your schedule.

Work models at a glance

Source: Employment contracts: duration and models in the private sector, u.ae, updated 12 Aug 2026.

The wider set of private-sector rules is collected in the Employment and payroll guides, and about this site explains how we source and review each page.