SITUATION
A contract starts on 29 May 2025 and has a term of 21 months. The notional end date would be 29 February 2027, but 2027 is not a leap year — that date does not exist. Additionally, the resulting last day (28 February 2027) falls on a Sunday. What is the correct end date of the period? Does Sunday shift the deadline to the next business day?
ANSWER
1. Calendar system
- UAE calculates time periods under the Gregorian calendar
- Legal basis: Civil Transactions Law, Art. 9
2. End date when the month has no matching day
- The period ends on 28 February 2027 — the last day of that month
- This is the standard approach when the target date does not exist in the calendar
3. Does a weekend shift the deadline?
There is no general statutory rule shifting deadlines for weekends or company-specific non-business days.
A shift applies only for official public holidays, per two provisions:
- Art. 480, Federal Law No. 5 of 1985 (Civil Transactions Law):
- Prescription periods are calculated in days; the first day is excluded
- If the last day falls on an official holiday, the...