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If your candidate resigns today, when can they start?
The checker takes the country of the candidate's current job and applies the employee's statutory notice from our labour-law library: the contract period in the UAE (30–90 days, or the probation rules), 30 days in Saudi Arabia for an unlimited contract, one or two months in Qatar depending on years of service, and 30 days in Oman (7 during probation). The day notice is served is day 1. The earliest joining date is the day after the last working day, plus the buffer you enter for permits, medicals and travel.
| Case | Notice | Last working day | Earliest joining date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE, 30-day contract notice | 30 calendar days | 30 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 |
| UAE, 60-day contract notice, 10-day buffer | 60 calendar days | 29 Nov 2026 | 10 Dec 2026 |
| UAE, on probation, moving to you in the UAE | 30 calendar days | 30 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Saudi Arabia, unlimited contract | 30 calendar days | 30 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Qatar, 3 years' service | 61 calendar days | 30 Nov 2026 | 1 Dec 2026 |
| Oman, after probation | 30 calendar days | 30 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 |
Calculated with the same rules the checker uses. Buffers are examples, not official processing times.
Put the start date into the offer letter generator, check the candidate's number with the salary expectation checker, and ask about notice and visa status up front with the knockout questions builder. Employees working out their own notice can use the notice period calculator.
The employment contract sets it, and UAE law requires it to be between 30 and 90 days. During probation it is shorter: 14 days if the employer ends the contract or the employee leaves the UAE, and 30 days if the employee resigns to join another employer in the UAE. Ask the candidate for the figure in their contract.
For an unlimited (indefinite) contract, the employee gives 30 days' notice and the employer 60 days, under the 2025 amendments to the Labour Law. Fixed-term contracts follow their own terms. Notice during probation isn't in our verified rules yet — enter the contract figure instead.
The day notice is served counts as day 1, so 30 days' notice served on 1 October ends on 30 October. The earliest joining date is the next day, plus any buffer you add for a work permit, visa change, medical tests, ID and travel.
Yes, if the current employer agrees to release them early in writing. Some employers also accept payment in lieu of notice. Plan around the full notice period and treat an early release as a bonus, not as the plan.
A candidate who changes employer often needs a new work permit or visa change, a medical test and a new Emirates ID or iqama, and someone moving countries needs travel time. How long that takes depends on the case and the authority, so ask your PRO or government-relations team for a realistic number and add it here.
Their notice rules are still being verified, so the checker uses the notice period from the candidate's contract and labels the result as unchecked. We'll switch to the statutory rule once it is confirmed against the official source.
Post the job on MenaJobs free in about 2 minutes. We review every post, and once approved it reaches job seekers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
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A Gulf-format offer letter with basic pay, allowances, probation and notice, in English and Arabic.
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UAE contracts must set 30–90 days. Saudi (during probation), Kuwait and Bahrain: we use this figure because those rules aren't verified yet.
Time for a work permit or visa change, medical, Emirates ID / iqama and travel. Ask your PRO.
Earliest joining date
visa, permit, medical, travel
Checked against GCC labour law rules · reviewed 23 Sept 2026Sources: u.ae — Terminating employment contracts
Last working day, joining date and the rule behind it — handy for the offer letter.