It is easy to assume probation months don't count. Once you are confirmed, they almost always do. The real risk is leaving or being let go before confirmation, where each GCC country treats you very differently.
Only the UAE answers this in the text. Article 9(2) says that if the worker passes probation and keeps working, the probation period is counted within the period of service. Your gratuity clock starts on your first working day.
● Clearly stated in the lawSaudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain don't say it in so many words. Their laws treat probation as the opening stage of one contract, and none of them excludes it from service. In practice it is counted once you are confirmed.
● General principle, less specific sourcingSaudi Arabia is explicit. Article 54 says that if the contract ends during probation, neither party is owed compensation and the worker is not entitled to an end of service award for that period. Article 53 gives both sides the right to end the contract during probation and does not set a notice period for doing so.
UAE. Article 9 requires written notice: at least 14 days if the employer ends it, one month if you leave to join another UAE employer, and 14 days if you are leaving the country. Skipping it costs the wage for the notice period, and can bring a foreign worker a one year work permit ban. Gratuity under Article 51 needs one full year of service, so nothing is due.
Qatar. The employer must give at least one month's notice to end a contract in probation. A worker moving to another Qatar employer gives one month, and a worker leaving Qatar gives the agreed notice, capped at two months. Gratuity under Article 54 needs one year of service.
Bahrain is the exception. Article 21 lets either side end probation with just one day's notice, but Article 116 sets no minimum service. Fractions of a year are paid in proportion.
For expatriate service from March 2024, indemnity is funded through monthly employer contributions to the SIO and claimed from the SIO, so the amount follows the contributions paid. See our Bahrain leaving indemnity guide.
All four laws say a worker may not be placed on probation more than once with the same employer: Saudi Article 54, UAE Article 9(2), Qatar Article 39 and Bahrain Article 21(c). A fresh probation letter after an internal move is worth questioning.
● Clearly stated in the lawOn extensions, Saudi Article 53 caps the total at 180 days in all cases. The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain measure their caps from the start of work and have no extension mechanism, so an extension letter can only operate inside the cap. Saudi law has also historically allowed a second probation by agreement for a genuinely different job, so a real change of role there is a grey area.
● General principle, less specific sourcing| Country | Maximum probation | Notice to end it during probation | Gratuity if it ends during probation | Counted once confirmed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 180 days in total (Art. 53) | None set in the law | None (Art. 54) | Not stated, applied in practice |
| UAE | 6 months (Art. 9) | Employer 14 days. Worker 1 month to a UAE employer, 14 days if leaving the UAE | None, under one year (Art. 51) | Yes (Art. 9(2)) |
| Qatar | 6 months (Art. 39) | Employer 1 month. Worker 1 month to a Qatar employer, agreed period of up to 2 months if leaving Qatar | None, under one year (Art. 54) | Not stated, applied in practice |
| Bahrain | 3 months, up to 6 for listed jobs (Art. 21) | One day, either side | Pro rata, no minimum (Art. 116) | Not stated, applied in practice |
The bigger cliff in the UAE and Qatar is the one year minimum, not probation. Use your first working day as your start date and see how partial years are calculated.
Calculate your gratuityChecked against the published labour law text for each country. Where the law is unclear or interpretations differ, we say so. Last verified 5 October 2026.