Public Holidays: What is the approach to Public Holidays in Kosovo
Employees in Kosovo are entitled to 12 public holidays annually.
If a public holiday falls on a weekend, it is observed on the next working day. If two public holidays coincide with a weekend, the following two working days are designated as the observed holidays.
- New Year: January 1 and 2
- Orthodox Christmas: January 7
- Independence Day: February 17
- Easter: Moveable date
- Constitution Day of the Republic of Kosovo: April 9
- Eid al-Fitr: March 20
- Labor Day: May 1
- Orthodox Easter: Moveable date
- Europe Day: May 9
- Eid al-Adha: Moveable date
- Christmas: December 25
No, Kosovo does not observe substitute public holidays.
Yes, Albanian Independence Day (November 28) is typically declared as a special public holiday in Kosovo shortly before the date.
All public holidays are statutory and must be provided to employees.
Yes, part-time employees are entitled to the same public holidays as full-time employees.
No, public holidays are not accrued while an employee is on any form of family leave.
No, public holidays are not accrued during sick leave.
No, as religious holidays are already included in the national public holiday schedule, no extra holidays are granted for religious observance.
There are two options for compensating employees who work on a public holiday:
- Pay Compensation: Employees receive 1.5 times their hourly salary. For example, if an employee earns €8 per hour, they would receive €12 per hour for work performed on a public holiday.
- Time-Off in Lieu: Employees receive 1.5 times the hours worked as compensatory time off, to be used within a period specified by the employer.
Yes, employees have the right to refuse to work on a public holiday.
