Professional Email Sign-Offs in English: 25 Options for Every Situation

The sign-off is the last thing your reader sees before they respond. In UAE offices where people receive 100+ emails a day, the wrong sign-off can make you sound cold, overly casual, or in the worst case — unprofessional.

This guide gives you 25 professional email sign-offs in English, sorted by formality level. Plus the phrases that should never end a work email in the UAE.

This is the third article in our email writing series. Start with the complete guide to formal emails in English if you're new to writing professional emails.

Why sign-offs matter more than you think

Your sign-off does three things at once:

1. Signals the tone of the email (formal, semi-formal, warm)
2. Sets up the response — "Best regards" invites a formal reply; "Cheers" invites a quick one
3. Reflects your relationship with the recipient — the wrong sign-off signals you don't understand where you stand

The rule of thumb: match or slightly elevate the formality of your greeting. If you opened with "Dear Mr. Al Mansoori," don't close with "Cheers." If you opened with "Hi Ahmed," don't close with "Yours sincerely."

Sign-off formality — the 5-tier scale

Think of professional sign-offs as five levels:

Tier 1 — Highest formality: Legal, government, diplomatic contexts Tier 2 — Formal business: First contact, senior executives, external clients Tier 3 — Standard business: Colleagues, ongoing client relationships, most work emails Tier 4 — Semi-casual: Team members you know, quick emails, warm exchanges Tier 5 — Casual: Only for people you know well and situations that welcome it

Tier 1 — Highest formality (5 options)

Use for legal correspondence, government contact, or highly formal business situations.

1. Yours faithfully, — Traditional British formal close. Use when you started with "Dear Sir/Madam" (no name).
2. Yours sincerely, — British formal close when you know the person's name. Very common in UAE professional context inherited from British business culture.
3. Respectfully, — American formal close, especially in legal and diplomatic contexts.
4. Yours truly, — American formal close, less common in UAE.
5. With respectful regards, — Very formal, used for diplomatic or ceremonial correspondence. Rarely needed in normal business.

Tier 2 — Formal business (6 options)

Use for first-time contact with a senior executive, cold outreach, formal proposals, or letters that will be printed and signed.

1. Best regards, — The most common formal-business sign-off worldwide. Safe default when you're not sure.
2. Kind regards, — Slightly warmer than "Best regards." Very common in UAE business, borrowed from British English.
3. Warm regards, — Warmer still. Appropriate when you've been dealing with the person for a while and want to signal warmth without dropping formality.
4. With appreciation, — When you're thanking someone for something specific. More sincere than "Thanks."
5. Sincerely, — Simpler version of "Yours sincerely." Common in American English.
6. Yours, — Short-form of "Yours sincerely." Efficient for people you email regularly.

Tier 3 — Standard business (6 options)

Use for colleagues, ongoing client emails, and most day-to-day work emails.

1. Regards, — The unglamorous workhorse of business email. Neutral and safe.
2. Many thanks, — When thanking someone for their time or effort.
3. Thank you, — Simple, direct. Best when the whole email is a thank-you.
4. Best, — Short-form of "Best regards." Fast, professional, appropriate for most colleagues.
5. All the best, — Slightly warmer than "Best." Good when wrapping up a project or wishing someone well.
6. With gratitude, — When someone did you a real favour and you want to acknowledge it properly.

Tier 4 — Semi-casual (5 options)

Use for team members you know well, ongoing client relationships with warmth, or when the email itself is casual.

1. Take care, — Warm, sincere. Good for ending emails to colleagues you like.
2. Have a great day, — Friendly, forward-looking. Very common in modern UAE business.
3. Have a good weekend, — Sent on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. UAE weekend is Sat-Sun, so this timing matters.
4. Talk soon, — Signals continuation of the conversation. Good for emails ending mid-project.
5. Speak soon, — British variation of "Talk soon."

Tier 5 — Casual (3 options)

Only for people you know well and situations that welcome informality. Never for external clients, senior management, or first contacts.

1. Cheers, — British/Australian casual close. Common in UAE but read carefully — some senior people find it too casual.
2. Ciao, — Warm, international, friendly. Best for peers in creative industries.
3. Later, — Very casual. Only for close colleagues.

Sign-offs that should never end a work email

Some phrases sound professional but subtly damage how you're perceived:

• "Sent from my iPhone" — reads as an excuse for bad writing. Turn this off in your phone settings.
• "Thx" — the abbreviated "Thanks" in a work email signals laziness. Always write it in full.
• "Best wishes," — feels more like a birthday card than a business close. Save it for personal correspondence.
• "Rgds," — never abbreviate "Regards" — comes across as unprofessional shorthand.
• "XOXO" or emoji-only sign-offs — never in professional email.
• "Peace," or "Namaste," — signals a specific religious or cultural stance you may not want to broadcast in mixed workplaces.
• "Have a blessed day," — depending on the reader, can feel presumptuous. Use "Have a great day" instead.
• "Talk to you soon" — grammatically less crisp than "Talk soon."

Cultural notes for UAE professional context

The UAE business world is a mix of British, American, Indian, and Arab professional cultures. A few notes on what plays well:

• "Kind regards" is the most-used business sign-off in UAE offices. Almost always safe.
• First-name greetings with formal sign-offs are increasingly common — "Hi Ahmed" opens the email, "Best regards" closes it. This blend signals warmth + professionalism.
• Never end a first-contact email with just "Best," in UAE — read as too casual. Use "Best regards," or "Kind regards," instead.
• Emirati senior managers often use "Best regards," as their default. Match their formality when replying.
• Ramadan-specific sign-offs are optional but appreciated during Ramadan: "Ramadan Kareem" is acceptable as a sign-off during the holy month if the recipient observes.
• After a difficult exchange or complaint, drop to "Regards," — signals neutrality without warmth. Don't use "Best" or "Warm" if you're annoyed; it reads as fake.

What comes after the sign-off — the signature block

Your sign-off is not the last thing on the email. Your signature block is. In UAE professional context, the standard signature block includes:

• Your name (as you're professionally known — not a nickname)
• Job title
• Company
• Phone number (with UAE country code +971)
• Email address (redundant but professional)
• LinkedIn URL (increasingly expected)

Skip: home address (never), personal social media (Twitter/Instagram — never on work email unless you're in marketing/PR), and long inspirational quotes.

How to decide which sign-off to use — quick rules

1. First email to someone senior externally: Best regards, or Kind regards,
2. Reply to that senior external contact: Match their sign-off — if they used "Kind regards," you use "Kind regards,"
3. Email to a colleague you know well: Best, or Thanks,
4. Thank-you email: Many thanks, or Thank you,
5. Ending a project or good-news email: All the best, or Warm regards,
6. Complaint or difficult email: Regards, (neutral)
7. Client asking for something urgent: Best regards, followed by your phone number in the signature — invites them to call
8. Weekend-approaching email (Thursday afternoon): Have a good weekend,
9. Ramadan period, mutual observance: Ramadan Kareem, (optional, appreciated)

Practice makes perfect

The single fastest way to improve your professional English emails is to save 3-5 well-written emails you receive from senior colleagues each week and mimic their tone, sign-off, and structure. Over 3 months, your emails will start reading like theirs — because you'll be internalising the pattern.

Sharpen your professional English with Wall Street English UAE

Email etiquette is one of those skills that separates a fluent English speaker from someone who's clearly translating from another language. At Wall Street English UAE, our Business English programme in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is built around workplace scenarios — email templates, meeting phrases, presentation openers — with real feedback from teachers who know the UAE business context.

Ready to sound more polished at work? Book a free level test to see where you stand.

Related reading

• How to write formal emails in English (parent article)
• How to write a follow-up email in English (12 templates)
• How to write a meeting request email in English (10 templates)