Set Google Special Hours for Ramadan and Eid 2027: A Checklist for Dubai Businesses

Customers search Google Maps before they travel, so wrong hours during Ramadan or Eid cost visits and reviews. Google Business Profile has a feature built for this: Google special hours. This checklist uses Google's help page and the 2027 projections reported by The National and Gulf News.

The dates to plan around

• Ramadan 2027: projected to start on Monday 8 February 2027, for 29 or 30 days, subject to moon sighting.
• Eid Al Fitr: expected around 9 or 10 March 2027. The National reports that UAE Cabinet rules give employees three paid holidays for the first three days of Shawwal, plus an extra public holiday if Ramadan has 30 days.

These are projections, not announcements. Update your profile once the UAE confirms.

How to set special hours (from Google's help page)

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
3. Click the pencil icon next to Special hours.
4. Pick a date: confirm a suggested one or add your own.
5. Clear the "Closed" box and enter opening and closing times, or keep it checked for a full-day closure.
6. Select Save.

Rules worth knowing

• Special hours show only on the dates you set. Your regular hours must be set to "Open with main hours" for them to appear.
• Midnight: one set of special hours cannot exceed 24 hours, so split late-night hours that cross midnight into two entries.
• Length: Google says special hours suit changes of up to 6 days in a row. For 7 days or more, or an unknown closure, it advises marking the business "Temporarily closed".
• Confirm official holidays even when your hours do not change, so customers see that they are accurate.
• Many locations? Google describes a spreadsheet upload with a "Special hours" column.

Ramadan is a long month

Ramadan is 29 or 30 days, so special hours do not fit a single entry. Many businesses run shorter days across the whole month. Decide whether to edit regular hours for the month or enter dated special hours in blocks, and check how the profile looks afterwards by searching your business name on a phone.

Keep the review flow running

Busy festive weeks bring many customers through the door. A Google Review NFC Stand with QR (AED 59) at the counter or a Google Review NFC Card with QR (AED 29) handed over at checkout gives customers an easy way to leave an honest review. This is a loose fit with the hours topic: the products do not change your hours or Google's data, they only help once your profile is correct.

Sources: Google Business Profile Help (special hours), The National (6 October 2026), Gulf News (10 October 2026).

Common questions

Does Google check the hours I enter? The help page does not say, so keep your own entries accurate. Do I need special hours if my hours do not change? Google recommends confirming official holidays anyway. When should I update? As soon as the UAE confirms the dates, and again if your plans change.