Ramadan Working Hours in the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Ramadan working hours in the UAE private sector are normal hours minus two hours a day, for Muslim and non-Muslim staff alike. In Saudi Arabia, the Labor Law caps actual hours at 6 a day or 36 a week for Muslim workers during Ramadan. If you employ people in either country, you need to set the rota before the month starts and tell staff in writing.

Ramadan 2027 is expected to start around 8 February 2027, according to Gulf News. That is about three months away. The date is provisional until the moon-sighting committee confirms it.

What are the Ramadan working hours in the UAE private sector?

Private sector employees in the UAE work two hours less per day during Ramadan. MoHRE announced this for Ramadan 2026 on 12 February 2026, six days before the month began. You can read the notice on the MoHRE news page.

Here is what the official pages say:

• Normal hours drop by two a day. The UAE Government portal says this applies to Muslim and non-Muslim employees.
• Regular wages are not deducted because of the reduction (u.ae).
• Companies may use flexible or remote work within the Ramadan daily hours, based on business interests and the nature of the work (MoHRE).

MoHRE has made the same announcement in earlier years, including 2024. So plan for it every year, but wait for the notice before you publish final times.

What is the legal basis?

Secondary sources say Article 17(1) of Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021 sets normal hours at 8 a day or 48 a week. They say Article 15(2) of the Executive Regulation (Cabinet Resolution 1 of 2022) cuts those by two hours in Ramadan. I could not check the original text, so read it before you quote an article number in a contract or HR letter. A summary is on UAE Expert Hub.

Who is not covered by the MoHRE notice?

Three groups follow different rules:

• Federal government staff. Their hours are set by FAHR, not MoHRE. For 2026 they were Monday to Thursday 9am to 2:30pm and Friday 9am to 12pm, per Khaleej Times.
• Free zone companies. A secondary source says DIFC limits the reduced day to Muslim employees, capped at 6 hours. It also says ADGM's Employment Regulations 2024 give Muslim employees a 25% cut in daily hours. Check with your free zone authority, because those rules can change.
• Weekly caps. I did not find a weekly Ramadan cap in the MoHRE text. One article claims a figure, but I could not confirm it. Do not put a weekly number in your policy unless you have seen it in an official source.

What does Saudi law say about hours in Ramadan?

Saudi law fixes the Ramadan limit in the Labor Law itself, so there is no yearly circular to wait for. Article 98, as shown on the HRSD website, says:

• A worker may not be employed more than 8 actual hours a day or 48 a week.
• During Ramadan, actual hours for Muslims are reduced to no more than 6 a day or 36 a week.

Some points to know:

• Muslims only, as written. The text names Muslims. It does not mention non-Muslim staff. Many employers apply the same shorter day to everyone to keep rotas simple, but that is a company choice. If you want to apply a different rule, ask HRSD or a Saudi labour lawyer.
• Other categories. Article 99 allows 9 hours a day for some categories or industries, and 7 hours for hazardous jobs. Article 106 caps actual hours at 10 a day or 60 a week in all those cases (HRSD page).
• Check the current text. The HRSD page I reviewed is old. The Labor Law was amended by Royal Decree M/44, effective 19 February 2025. Secondary sources show Article 98 unchanged, but confirm on the current text.
• Breaks and exclusions. Secondary sources say rest, prayer and meal breaks do not count as working hours (Article 102). They also say Article 108 excludes some roles, such as senior managers and guards, from Articles 98 and 101. Verify before you rely on either point.

UAE and Saudi Ramadan hours side by side

If you run offices in both countries, keep two policies. Do not copy the UAE notice into your Riyadh or Jeddah staff handbook, or the other way round.

How does overtime work in Ramadan?

Overtime starts after the reduced day, not after the normal 8 hours. Secondary sources say overtime in the UAE is defined by reference to normal hours, so anything past the Ramadan day counts. I did not confirm overtime rates in an official source here, so check the Executive Regulation before you pay or refuse overtime. For Saudi Arabia, check the overtime provisions on the HRSD site.

Here is a hypothetical example. Say a Dubai freight forwarder has a 9am to 6pm office day with one hour for lunch, so 8 working hours. In Ramadan the working day becomes 6 hours. If a coordinator stays two extra hours to finish a customs file, those hours sit past the reduced day. Treat them as overtime and record them.

Busy desks cause most of the trouble. Couriers handling COD returns, customs coordinators waiting on one missing document and sellers on noon or Amazon.ae all have deadlines that do not shrink in Ramadan. Plan staffing for that, rather than letting hours drift.

How do you set your Ramadan rota? A 6-step checklist

1. Check your jurisdiction. Mainland UAE, free zone or KSA? Each has a different rule.
2. Wait for the official notice. In the UAE, MoHRE usually announces close to the start. Prepare a draft now, publish after confirmation.
3. Set the daily hours. Subtract two hours from your normal UAE day. In KSA, make sure no Muslim employee is scheduled for more than 6 actual hours or 36 a week.
4. Decide on shifts or flexible hours. Offices that serve customers late can run two shifts. MoHRE allows flexible or remote work within the Ramadan daily hours.
5. Write it down. Send each employee the new times, the dates and how overtime will be approved. Keep a copy.
6. Tell customers and suppliers. Share your cut-off times for quotes, bookings and dispatch requests. Confirm port, customs and courier operating hours directly with them, since those are set separately from your office hours.

A tool can help with the paperwork. Quickship's HR module covers visa and document expiry, leave and payroll inputs, so approved overtime and leave can be passed to payroll from one place. It does not replace reading the rules above.

Common mistakes employers make

• Applying the UAE rule in Saudi Arabia. The numbers are different and the wording on who is covered is different.
• Reducing pay. For UAE private sector staff, the portal says regular wages are not deducted.
• Forgetting free zones. A company in DIFC or ADGM should not rely on the mainland MoHRE notice alone.
• Not recording overtime. If you cannot show who stayed late and who approved it, you will struggle in a dispute.
• Waiting too long. Staff plan school runs, travel and iftar around the new hours. Give them as much notice as the official timing allows.

What to do before February 2027

Put three dates in your calendar. Late January: draft your UAE and KSA rotas. The evening before the start: watch for moon-sighting confirmation. Once MoHRE publishes its notice: send final hours to staff the same day. Nothing official has been announced yet for 2027 private sector hours, so treat every number in this post as the current rule, not a promise of next year's notice.