Terminated During Probation: The Arabic Contract Matters

You questioned the working hours on your second month. The shift was 12 hours, not the 8 hours the recruiter described. By the end of the week, HR handed you a termination letter citing “not a good fit during probation.”

Under UAE labour law, termination during probation is legal with 14 days notice. The employer does not need to prove cause. What they cannot do is terminate without the notice, change the probation terms after you signed, or enforce conditions that exist only in the English offer letter but not in the registered Arabic contract.

The document that decides your rights is not the one the recruiter emailed you. It is the Arabic contract registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

What UAE Labour Law Says About Probation

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets the framework. The probation period cannot exceed six months. During this time, either party can end the contract by giving 14 calendar days written notice. If the employee wants to leave for another UAE employer, the notice period is one month. If the employee wants to leave the country entirely, the notice is 14 days.

These are the defaults. The registered Arabic contract can set different terms — a shorter probation, a different notice period, specific conditions for termination — as long as those terms do not reduce the employee’s rights below the law’s minimum.

The problem is that most employees never see the registered Arabic contract. They sign an English offer letter, the company’s PRO registers an Arabic contract with MOHRE, and the employee assumes both documents say the same thing.

They often do not. The contract vs offer letter mismatch is one of the most common surprises in UAE employment disputes.

The Arabic Contract You Never Read

When you joined the company, the PRO prepared an Arabic employment contract and registered it with MOHRE. This is the legally binding document. If you only signed the English version, the Arabic version still binds you — it was registered in your name with your Emirates ID and passport number.

The English offer letter may say:

• Probation: 3 months
• Working hours: 8 hours per day
• Notice during probation: 1 week

The registered Arabic contract may say:

• Probation: 6 months (the legal maximum)
• Working hours: as per company policy
• Notice during probation: 14 days (the legal default)

When these conflict, the Arabic version wins in any MOHRE proceeding or Labour Court case. The English offer letter is supporting evidence, not the governing document.

Before you accept a termination, dispute a termination, or walk away from a probation period, get the registered Arabic contract. Request it from your employer’s HR department. If they refuse, request it directly from MOHRE through the MOHRE app or a Customer Happiness Centre.

Then get it translated by an MOJ-licensed translator so you can read exactly what you agreed to. Comparing the Arabic clauses against your English offer letter often reveals that the terms you are relying on do not exist in the registered version.

When the Termination Notice Is Wrong

The employer must give 14 days written notice during probation. “Written” means a letter, an email, or a formal document — not a verbal conversation in the office corridor. If the termination was communicated verbally on a Monday and you were told not to return on Tuesday, the employer skipped the notice requirement.

If notice was not given or was shorter than 14 days:

1. Send an email to HR confirming the termination date and the fact that you received less than 14 days notice
2. Cite Federal Decree-Law No. 33 and the notice clause in your registered Arabic contract
3. Request payment in lieu of the notice period — 14 days of basic salary at minimum
4. If they refuse, file an MOHRE complaint

MOHRE conciliation typically resolves notice-period disputes within two to three weeks. If the employer does not comply, the case goes to the Labour Court, where every document must be in Arabic or accompanied by certified translation.

Retaliatory Termination During Probation

Probation does not strip you of all protections. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 prohibits retaliatory termination — firing someone for filing a complaint, reporting a safety violation, or exercising a legal right.

If you were terminated after:

• Questioning illegal working hours or unpaid overtime
• Reporting a workplace safety issue
• Filing an MOHRE complaint about unpaid wages
• Refusing to perform work outside your job classification

…the termination may be retaliatory even though it happened during probation. Document the sequence of events. Print every email, message, and written instruction. The Labour Court looks at timing — a termination one week after a complaint raises different questions than a termination after three months of documented performance issues.

What Happens to Your Visa

When the employer cancels your employment visa after a probation termination, you have a grace period to either find a new employer or leave the country. The grace period is 30 days from the date of visa cancellation.

During this period:

• You can look for a new job and transfer your visa to a new sponsor
• You can file an MOHRE complaint if the termination was wrongful
• You cannot work without a valid work permit

If you find a new employer, the new company initiates a visa transfer through GDRFA. The terminated employer cannot block this transfer after a lawful termination — if a ban appears on your file, raise it with MOHRE immediately.

Documents to Gather After a Probation Termination

Do this within 48 hours of the termination, while you still have access to company systems:

• The registered MOHRE contract (Arabic original)
• Your English offer letter and any amendments
• The termination letter (if written) or your own email confirming the verbal termination
• All payslips from the date of joining to the termination date
• The WPS bank statement showing salary credits
• Any written communication about working hours, job duties, or the reasons for termination
• Your Emirates ID and passport copies
• The labour card and visa cancellation receipt when issued

If any critical document is in English and the case is heading toward MOHRE or the Labour Court, get it translated now. The salary deduction complaint process uses the same Arabic translation requirements that apply to probation disputes.

When to Translate

Not every probation termination becomes a dispute. If the employer gave proper notice, paid your dues, and the termination was not retaliatory, there may be nothing to contest.

Translate when:

• The notice was shorter than what the contract requires
• You believe the termination was retaliatory
• The employer is withholding salary or end-of-service benefits
• The Arabic contract terms differ from what you were told during hiring

The cost of translating an employment contract is a fraction of what a missed deadline at MOHRE or the Labour Court costs in time and legal fees.

Contact Channels

For MOJ-certified Arabic translation of employment contracts, termination letters, or MOHRE correspondence:

• WhatsApp: +971 50 862 0217
• iMessage: +971 50 862 0217
• Email: info@onlinetranslation.ae
• Phone: +971 50 862 0217
• Walk-in: Palm Jumeirah Mall, Dubai

Send the contract and the termination letter. We confirm what MOHRE will need, compare the Arabic registered terms against your English offer letter, and return MOJ-certified translation typically the same day.