UAE Labour Law Mandates Free Experience Certificates for Departing Employees

Under Article 13, Clause 11 of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, employers are legally obligated to issue an experience certificate free of charge upon an employee's request when their employment contract ends, Gulf News reported. The law specifies that the document must not contain any information that could damage the worker's reputation or adversely affect their chances of securing future employment.

According to the report, UAE Labour Law requires the certificate to incorporate six specific data points: the start date of employment, end date of employment, total length of service, job title or nature of work performed, the last salary received, and the reason for the termination of the employment contract.

Employees can acquire the document either by requesting it directly from their employer's human resources department at contract termination, or by downloading an official digital employment history certificate through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) mobile application.

MOHRE indicated that the digital employment history certificate is valid for one month. Employers can verify the authenticity of the digital certificate through inquiry.mohre.gov.ae by navigating to "Employee Certificate Verification" and submitting the letter number displayed on the document.