Absconding in the UAE (2026): What It Means, How Employers Report It, and the One-Year Ban

"Absconding" is the everyday name for what the UAE Labour Law calls unlawful absence from work, or work abandonment: an employee stops coming to work and the employer cannot reach them. This guide is built from MOHRE's service page Filing a Labour Complaint – Absence From Work, Article 50 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and Article 28 of its Implementing Regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022), all read on 25 October 2026.

What counts as absconding?

Quick answer: An absence from work of more than seven consecutive days, without the employer knowing where the employee is or being able to contact them (IR Art. 28(1)). The employee must be inside the UAE for MOHRE's report.

It is a narrow case. An employee who resigns, is on agreed leave or is reachable but in dispute with the employer is not absconding — those go through notice, cancellation or a labour complaint.

How an employer reports absconding to MOHRE

MOHRE's service page sets out five steps:

1. Log in with a username and password or UAE Pass (online and app).
2. File the complaint with the employee's details (work permit number or passport number, name, date of birth, nationality), the date the absence started and the establishment's details.
3. Confirm with the one-time password sent by SMS or email (not needed in the app).
4. MOHRE's officer examines the complaint and acts on it.
5. The outcome is sent by SMS.

The one-year work-permit ban

A foreign employee who leaves work for an illegitimate reason before the end of the contract is not given another work permit for one year from the date of the absence, and no other employer who knows about it may employ them or keep them in service during that year (Art. 50(1)). The employer must notify MOHRE of the absence (Art. 50(3)). The Implementing Regulation (Art. 28(2)) exempts:

• workers on a family-sponsored residency visa
• workers applying for a new work permit at the same establishment
• workers with professional qualifications, skills or knowledge levels in demand in the UAE
• Golden visa holders
• other professional categories set by ministerial resolution

Absence and dismissal

Separately from the report, an employer may dismiss without notice, after a written investigation and with a written, reasoned decision, an employee absent without a legitimate reason or accepted excuse for more than 7 consecutive days, or more than 20 non-consecutive days in a year (Art. 44(8)). See the notice period guide for the full list of no-notice cases.

If the report is disputed

MOHRE's service pages we read describe how to file an absence report, not how to withdraw one, and publish no removal fee. An employee who disputes the report, or an employer who filed one in error, can raise it with MOHRE through the labour complaint service or the call centre on 600590000.

Before you file: the clean alternative

Because an approved absence report cancels the work permit and can bar the employee from a new one for a year, use it only when the employee really cannot be reached. Where the employee is reachable, ending the contract with notice and cancelling the work permit and visa is the cleaner route — see the visa cancellation guide.

ZETUP PRO handles MOHRE filings and work-permit and visa cancellations for mainland companies on a published monthly retainer.

Free PDF: UAE Employer Labour Law Checklist 2026 | See the pricing | Book a free PRO Health Check

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is absconding in the UAE? A: An employee's absence from work for more than seven consecutive days without the employer knowing where they are or being able to contact them (Implementing Regulation, Art. 28). The Labour Law calls it unlawful absence from work.

Q: How does an employer file an absconding report? A: Through MOHRE's Filing a Labour Complaint – Absence From Work service on its website or app, with the employee's details, the date the absence began and an ICP entry-and-exit movement report issued within the last 30 days. MOHRE states 2 working days and no fee.

Q: What happens to the employee's work permit? A: MOHRE cancels it automatically once it approves the report, except recruitment-from-abroad and transfer permits.

Q: Is there a ban after absconding? A: A foreign employee who leaves work for an illegitimate reason before the contract ends is not given another work permit for one year from the date of absence (Art. 50). Family-sponsored residents, workers taking a new permit at the same establishment, in-demand skill levels, Golden visa holders and other categories set by ministerial resolution are exempt (IR Art. 28).

Q: Can an employer report an employee who has left the UAE? A: Not through this service: MOHRE's conditions require the absence to be inside the UAE and the employee to be present in the country.

Q: How do you remove an absconding report? A: The MOHRE pages we read do not publish a removal procedure or fee. Raise a disputed report with MOHRE through its labour complaint service or on 600590000.