The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced an official holiday for the New Year in 2026, beginning on Thursday, January 1, 2026.

The Ministry clarified that this holiday will be a paid holiday for employees in both the public and private sectors in the UAE.

It is worth noting that the UAE Cabinet had previously announced the official holidays scheduled for the new year 2026 for both the public and private sectors.

Work is scheduled to resume as normal after the New Year holiday on Friday, January 2, 2026, in the private sector.

As for the public sector, the Federal Authority for Human Resources in the UAE announced that Thursday, January 1, 2026, will be the New Year holiday for federal government employees. Work will resume on Friday, January 2, for federal government employees, with the exception of those whose roles require otherwise.

It is worth noting that the UAE government previously announced the official holidays for the new year 2026. The New Year holiday will begin on January 1st, followed by the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which will run from Friday, March 20th, 2026 to Sunday, March 22nd, 2026.

In addition, the Arafat Day and Eid al-Adha holidays will fall at the end of May 2026. Arafat Day is expected to fall on Tuesday, May 26th, 2026, and Eid al-Adha will begin on Wednesday, May 27th, 2026 to Friday, May 29th, 2026.

The Islamic New Year holiday will fall on Wednesday, June 17th, 2026, and the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Mawlid) is expected to be on Tuesday, August 25th, 2026.

The year 2026 will conclude with the UAE National Day (Union Day), a public holiday expected to be on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2026.