What Are The Public Holidays in Cyprus in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Cyprus (2026)

Cyprus observes a mix of civil and religious public holidays that affect most businesses nationwide. Use the table below to plan staffing, leave, and payroll for your Cyprus-based team in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in Cyprus most employees are entitled to paid public holidays, and your company generally must either grant the day off with pay or compensate work on that day at enhanced rates under the applicable collective agreement or contract. Public holidays are set at national level, and there are no separate regional holiday regimes, although some sectors may have additional days through collective bargaining.

Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it is common practice for the following Monday to be treated as the observed holiday for many workplaces, especially in the public sector and larger employers. For part-time staff, entitlement is usually pro-rated based on their normal working pattern and whether the holiday falls on a day they would ordinarily work.

In sectors covered by collective agreements, those agreements often specify how many paid public holidays apply, how they are observed, and what happens when a holiday coincides with a rest day. For employees not covered by a collective agreement, the individual employment contract and established company practice will guide how paid public holidays are handled, provided minimum labour standards are respected.

If employees are required to work on a public holiday, they are typically entitled to a combination of their normal wage plus premium pay and/or time off in lieu, depending on the sectoral agreement or contract. Because rules can differ by industry, you should always check the relevant collective agreement, written terms, and any guidance from the Cyprus Department of Labour.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday and paid leave entitlements in Cyprus can expose your company to administrative fines and claims from employees. The Department of Labour Relations and the Department of Labour Inspection are the main enforcement bodies for working time and holiday rules, and they can investigate complaints, conduct inspections, and impose penalties for non-compliance with labour legislation.

Employees who do not receive the public holiday pay or compensatory rest they are entitled to can file complaints with the labour authorities or bring claims before the Labour Disputes Court. This can result in orders to pay arrears of wages, compensation, and in some cases additional penalties or interest. Non-compliance can also damage your company’s reputation and complicate future inspections or licensing processes.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, failing to apply premium rates for work performed on those days where required, not pro-rating entitlements for part-time staff, and inconsistent treatment of observed days when holidays fall on Sundays. To reduce risk, document your holiday policy clearly, align it with any applicable collective agreement, and keep accurate records of hours worked and payments made on public holidays.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Cyprus, public holidays interact with working time and overtime rules primarily through how hours worked on those days are counted and compensated. Hours worked on a public holiday are generally treated at least as normal working hours and, in many sectors, attract premium pay under collective agreements or company policy. Where public holiday work causes an employee’s weekly working time to exceed the standard limits set by law or by contract, the excess hours may also qualify as overtime.

Overtime in Cyprus is usually compensated at a higher rate than ordinary hours, and many sectoral agreements specify separate premium rates for public holiday work and for overtime. In practice, this can mean that an employee working on a public holiday may be entitled to both a public holiday premium and, if weekly thresholds are exceeded, an overtime premium. Because the exact percentages and thresholds vary by sector and agreement, you should review the applicable collective agreement or written contract for your Cyprus-based employees.

When a public holiday is observed on a Monday because it falls on a Sunday, you should treat the observed Monday as the public holiday for working time and pay purposes if that is consistent with your sector’s practice. Keep clear records of which days are treated as public holidays, how many hours are worked, and what rates are applied so you can demonstrate compliance in the event of an inspection or dispute.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Cyprus public holidays across a distributed team can get complicated fast, especially when you factor in Orthodox Easter dates, observed days, and sector-specific rules on premium pay. Playroll helps you take the guesswork out of compliance so you can focus on running your business.

With Playroll, you can onboard employees in Cyprus as easily as in any other supported country, while our in-house experts and local partners track public holidays, leave entitlements, and working time rules for you. We keep your employment contracts, payslips, and holiday calendars aligned with Cyprus labour standards and relevant collective practices, so your team gets the right pay and time off on every public holiday.

Playroll automatically applies country-specific calendars, flags public holiday work that may trigger premium pay or overtime, and centralises documentation so you can respond quickly to any audit or employee query. Whether you are hiring your first employee in Cyprus or scaling a larger team, Playroll gives you a single, compliant workflow for:

Hiring and onboarding employees in Cyprus
Managing public holiday and annual leave balances
Applying correct pay for holiday work and overtime
Issuing compliant payslips and records
Staying up to date with changes in local labour rules

If you want peace of mind that your Cyprus public holiday and leave practices are compliant, Playroll can act as your local compliance co-pilot. You get a modern, global platform backed by local expertise, so your team in Cyprus is paid correctly and fairly on every public holiday in 2026 and beyond.