Is This Sick Note Valid? How to Tell

A printed sick note lands on the HR desk on Monday, and payroll needs to know how to treat Thursday and Friday. The question HR can answer is administrative: was this certificate issued through an official system, and can that be confirmed? Whether the employee was ill is for the doctor, not the employer.

The check depends on who licensed the issuing facility. For Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) points readers to its "Verify Document service" at Sheryan, using the barcode and PIN on the certificate. For Abu Dhabi, the TAMM page "Sick Leave Validation" retrieves a certificate from its reference number and the Emirates ID. For facilities licensed by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), the employee can request MOHAP's attestation, which its service card, read on 20 September 2026, lists as "Free". For certificates from outside the UAE, the MOHAP card refers to attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For the wider picture of company transactions with UAE authorities, see the overview of PRO services in Dubai. This article describes published administrative requirements and is not medical or legal advice.

What the labour law asks of the employee

The starting point is Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 Concerning Regulating Labour Relations. The UAE Legislation portal shows it as "Active", effective "2 February 2022". Article 31(1) reads: "If the Worker suffers an illness that is not caused by a work injury, he must inform the Employer or his representative of his illness, within a period not exceeding three (3) business days". The worker must also "submit a medical report on his condition issued by the Medical Authority."

Article 1 defines "Medical Authority" as: "Any federal or local government entity concerned with health affairs or any private health facility licensed to provide health services in the State." The definition names both "federal or local government" entities and "any private health facility licensed to provide health services in the State".

Two official texts word the notice period differently:

• The Decree-Law. The English text says "three (3) business days". The Arabic text says "(3) ثلاثة أيام عمل", which reads as three working days.
• The UAE Government Portal. Its page on types of leave says "the employee must notify the employer about his sickness within maximum three days and submit a medical report on his condition, issued by the medical entity."

We have not resolved the difference. If a notice deadline matters in a dispute, confirm it with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) or a licensed legal adviser. The three-day notice rule is in Article 31(1) of the Decree-Law. We did not find a notice period in its Executive Regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. (1) of 2022), reviewed on 20 September 2026.

What payroll needs from Article 31

After probation, Article 31(3) sets the entitlement: "no more than (90) ninety consecutive or intermittent days per year", with "The first fifteen (15) days with full pay", "The following thirty (30) days with half pay" and the rest unpaid. Article 31(2) states that during probation the worker "is not entitled to a paid sick leave". Questions about misconduct cases or termination after sick leave are legal questions; take them to MOHRE or a licensed legal adviser.

First question: who licensed the facility?

Read the facility name and emirate on the certificate, then match it to the official check below.

The Dubai and Abu Dhabi checks are look-ups shown without a login. The MOHAP route is an attestation the patient requests, so HR asks the employee to obtain it. We did not review a Sharjah Health Authority or Emirates Health Services verification page for this article.

Dubai: DHA certificates and the Verify Documents page

The DHA policy "Issuance of Sick Leave Certificate & Escort Certificate", Version 2.1, dated 11-10-2024, applies to "All licensed Physicians and Dentists under Dubai Health Authority (DHA) jurisdiction." Four of its clauses matter to HR.

• Electronic only. Clause 4.9: "DHA licensed health facilities and Physicians or Dentists in the Emirate of Dubai must comply with the online electronic Sick Leave system (Appendix 1 and 2) and shall not issue any manual certificate."
• How to verify. Clause 4.24: "To Verify the issued sick leave certificate, please access the "Verify Document service" at Sheryan using the barcode number and Pin number at the certificate."
• No stamp needed. Clause 4.21: "All sick leave certificate generated by Sheryan System do not require a stamp or manual attestation by DHA unless requested."
• No backdating. Clause 4.8: "A backdated sick leave certificate shall not be issued. Sheryan System will not process any application written in retrospective date"

The DHA "Issue Sick Leave Certificate Guide", marked "Last Updated January/2021", adds: "The certificate is issued electronically. This means a printout is considered the original copy." It says the certificate "can be verified online" and tells the reader to "Enter the Pin and Barcode found at the lower right hand corner of the page."

The DHA "Verify Documents" page itself, read in a browser on 20 September 2026, states: "Verify service output documents issued by the Dubai Health Authority. Use the Barcode number and PIN located on the bottom of the service output." It shows the fields "Barcode Number" and "PIN Number" and a "Verify" button. The page does not itself mention sick leave; the DHA policy is what links the two.

Under clause 4.21, a certificate generated by Sheryan does not need a DHA stamp, so run the barcode and PIN check rather than looking for one.

Abu Dhabi: TAMM Sick Leave Validation

The TAMM page "Sick Leave Validation", under the Department of Health (DoH), was read in a browser on 20 September 2026. It is headed "Search for Sick Leave". It states: "This service is for retrieving Sick Leave by entering the reference number on the printed certificate and entering the Emirates ID." It shows the fields "Reference Number" and "Emirates ID", and it was shown without signing in. The page does not say who may use it.

Because the check uses the Emirates ID, tell the employee that HR will run it, as good practice rather than a rule we found.

The DoH "Standard for The Issuance and Attestation of Sick Leave Reports in The Emirate of Abu Dhabi", V2, August 2023, gives the background. It states: "This standard applies to all DOH licensed physicians in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi." Certificates are "Issued using the DOH electronic sick leave system". It also states: "In case of system error only, long-term sick leave certificate may be issued on the clinic's own letterhead". If you receive one, ask the issuing clinic about it.

DoH attestation is a separate route

The same standard describes a separate attestation: "The Medical Committee is responsible for attesting patients' sick leave reports issued by healthcare providers." It limits who may ask: "Requests for attestation will be accepted only from Abu Dhabi government entities, including employers, law enforcement authorities and the courts". For a private sector employee, use the TAMM validation page or ask DoH which route applies.

MOHAP attestation: what the service card says

MOHAP's service card "Attestation of Medical Leaves and Reports" (service code 110-10-019-000) was read in a browser on 20 September 2026, replacing older readings. It states: "This service provides proactive attestation of sick leave, companion leaves and medical reports issued by government and private health facilities." It continues: "If the applicant submits the attestation request directly, the attestation will be issued within 2 working days for submission to the employer."

When MOHAP attestation is not needed

The card states: "There is no need to obtain an additional attestation from MOHAP if the sick leave, companion leave, or medical report has already been attested by one of the competent and authorised health authorities in the UAE". The authorities it lists are the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi (DoH), the "Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dubai Health, Sharjah Health Authority (SHA), or Emirates Health Services (EHS)".

Its one exception covers "sick leave certificates that require Medical Committee approval for submission to a federal or local government employer in the Northern Emirates."

Conditions, documents and exclusions

The card also lists documents MOHAP does not attest, including "Handwritten sick leave certificates; Attendance certificates; After-visit summaries". If that is all the employee has, ask them to check with the issuing facility.

The card's target audience is "Patients (of all age categories)", so the employee or the facility applies, not HR. The completion times are the card's figures, not a commitment for any case.

Certificates issued outside the UAE

The MOHAP card lists among documents it does not attest: "Medical reports, sick leave certificates, and companion leave issued by health facilities outside the UAE, unless they have been attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and meet the service requirements".

Two other official pages name the UAE Embassy instead:

• MOHAP's separate card "Approval of Medical Leaves and the Companion's Leave" serves "Patients and their companions of all age groups working in the government sector". It asks the applicant to "Submit a medical report with the patient's name, attested by the UAE Embassy in the country of treatment."
• The DoH standard, in its attestation section, says reports from a non-DOH licensed provider, including abroad, must be "Certified by the United Arab Emirates Embassy/Consulate office in the country from which the sick leave report is issued". That section applies to requests from Abu Dhabi government entities.

These pages cover different services, and we have not reconciled them. For a private sector employee, confirm the sequence with MOHAP first. How attestation chains work in general is covered in the UAE document attestation guide, and the difference between the two systems in the comparison of apostille and attestation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Attestations Guide", read in a browser on 20 September 2026, lists under "Amount in AED" the row "Certificates Issued outside UAE / Medical reports / 150". It also lists "Certificates Issued from UAE / Medical Reports / 150". No "per document" or VAT qualifier appears in the headings. We did not see sick leave certificates named on the pages of the guide read on 20 September 2026, and the Ministry's attestation page did not mention them on 20 September 2026, so confirm the category with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Fees: keep three kinds of cost apart

• Government charges. MOHAP card: "Service fees: Free". Ministry of Foreign Affairs guide: "Medical reports / 150" under "Amount in AED", for certificates issued outside and inside the UAE. We did not see a fee on the DHA Verify Documents page or the TAMM validation page when read on 20 September 2026.
• Third-party costs. Embassy, clinic or courier charges are outside the pages reviewed here; ask each party.
• Provider service fees. A provider's own fee is separate from the lines above; ask for it in writing.

Fees checked on 20 September 2026.

What to record and how to hold it

The administrative file should show that a check was made, through which channel, on what date, by whom and with what result. As editorial good practice, record only what the verification needs, such as the certificate reference and leave dates as printed.

We did not find an article on the confidentiality of workers' medical information in Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 or Cabinet Resolution No. (1) of 2022, reviewed on 20 September 2026. The DHA policy, clause 4.12.4, states within its own scope: "The information in the medical report shall be considered confidential to serve as a legal document." As editorial good practice, keep medical documents confidential and limit access to the staff who need them. Ask MOHRE or a licensed legal adviser what medical details an employer may request or keep.

Practical asset: the five-step sick note check, applied to a fictional specimen. The specimen is invented. It names "Specimen Clinic" in Dubai, a barcode shown as XXXXXXXX and a PIN shown as XXXX. It contains no real person, number or facility. | Step | What you do | Specimen entry | Source | |---|---|---|---| | 1. Identify the authority | Read the facility name and emirate as printed | Specimen Clinic, Dubai: DHA | DHA policy v2.1, scope 2.1 | | 2. Pick the check | Dubai: Verify Documents. Abu Dhabi: TAMM Sick Leave Validation. MOHAP-licensed facility: ask for MOHAP attestation. Abroad: Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation, per the MOHAP card | DHA Verify Documents | DHA clause 4.24; TAMM page; MOHAP card | | 3. Run it | Enter the inputs the page asks for | "Barcode Number" XXXXXXXX, "PIN Number" XXXX | DHA Verify Documents page | | 4. Compare | Check the name, facility and leave dates on the official result against the printout | Match / no match: ____ | Your record | | 5. Record and file | Date, channel, result, who checked. Only what the check needs | 20 September 2026, Verify Documents, ____, ____ | Your record | Before you file, answer these questions 1. Was the employee told that HR would run the check, especially where the Emirates ID is used? 2. For an Abu Dhabi certificate, do you have the reference number from the printed certificate? 3. For a MOHAP route, has the employee applied through UAE PASS within one year of the issue date? 4. Was the certificate already attested by DoH, DHA, Dubai Health, SHA or EHS, so that MOHAP says no additional attestation is needed? 5. Does the file hold only what the verification needs, with medical documents kept confidential and access limited, in line with advice from MOHRE or a licensed legal adviser? 6. If the result does not match, has the employee been asked to contact the issuing facility before HR draws any conclusion?

A result that does not match is a reason to ask questions, not a finding.

Two worked examples, both fictional

A two-day certificate from a Dubai clinic. The printout from "Specimen Clinic" has no stamp. Under DHA clause 4.21, Sheryan certificates "do not require a stamp or manual attestation by DHA unless requested." HR enters the barcode and PIN on the Verify Documents page, compares the result with the printout and records the check.

A certificate from a clinic in another emirate. The printout comes from a fictional MOHAP-licensed clinic. HR asks the employee to request MOHAP attestation through UAE PASS: "Free", the certificate alone for five days or less, "within one year" of issue. HR records the attested certificate, the channel and the date.

How the contract itself is issued is covered in the guide to the employment contract and offer letter under MOHRE, and the permit in the explainer on work permits and labour cards. For the wider set of ministry transactions, see the MOHRE services employers use.

Who decides, what you prepare, what a provider can do

What the authority decides. The issuing health authority decides whether a certificate is genuine and whether it is attested. DHA's policy states: "DHA is responsible for reviewing and verifying all submitted sick leave certificate and Medical Reports." MOHAP decides its attestation requests, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides attestation of documents from abroad. HR does not decide whether an employee was ill.

What the company or person prepares. Under Article 31(1), the worker must inform the employer and "submit a medical report on his condition issued by the Medical Authority". The employee also applies for MOHAP attestation where it applies. HR runs the look-up, records the result and keeps medical documents confidential.

What a provider can do. Where a document chain is involved, such as a foreign certificate, a provider can help prepare documents and track a request, within whatever its licence covers. It cannot verify a certificate on the authority's behalf, and it cannot change the result.

Last verified: 20 September 2026. Information verified against official sources on 20 September 2026.

If your company needs help with document attestation around employee records, contact RINJAZ to confirm availability, scope and quotation. RINJAZ is a privately licensed UAE service provider. It is not a government entity and does not act for any authority.

A provider's role, within whatever its licensed activity covers, is to prepare documents, submit them through the correct channel and track progress. The issuing health authority, MOHAP or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides each attestation, and no provider can promise the outcome.