What Are The Public Holidays in Equatorial Guinea in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Equatorial Guinea (2026)

Equatorial Guinea observes a mix of national, religious, and historical public holidays. Below is an indicative list of the main nationwide public holidays your company should plan for in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in Equatorial Guinea employees are generally entitled to a paid day off on official public holidays that fall on their normal working days. In practice, most employers treat these days as paid rest days, and where a holiday falls on a Sunday it is commonly observed on the following Monday so that employees still benefit from the day off. Part-time employees are usually entitled to paid leave only for holidays that fall on days they would ordinarily work.

If your operations require staff to work on a public holiday, it is standard practice to provide either premium pay for the hours worked or a paid day off in lieu, as set out in the employment contract or internal policy. Because detailed statutory rules are not always clearly published, you should document your approach in writing, apply it consistently, and confirm specific obligations with a local labour adviser.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday entitlements can expose your company to labour inspections, administrative fines, and orders to compensate affected employees. The Ministry of Labour and related labour inspectorates are responsible for monitoring compliance and can investigate complaints from workers or unions about unpaid or improperly compensated holidays.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as normal working days without any additional pay or time off, failing to apply holiday rules consistently to part-time or temporary staff, and not keeping clear records of who worked on which holidays. To reduce risk, maintain accurate time and attendance data, keep signed contracts and policies that explain how holidays are handled, and ensure payroll calculations clearly show any holiday pay or compensatory leave granted.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Equatorial Guinea’s labour framework treats public holidays as rest days, so hours worked on these days are typically considered exceptional and should be compensated at a higher rate than ordinary hours. While specific statutory multipliers are not always publicly accessible, common practice in the region is to treat work on public holidays similarly to work on weekly rest days, with premium pay on top of any normal overtime rates.

For your company, the safest approach is to define in writing how holiday work is paid, for example by applying a higher overtime multiplier for hours worked on a public holiday and ensuring those hours are counted when assessing weekly or daily overtime thresholds. You should also clarify whether employees receive both premium pay and a day off in lieu, or one or the other, and apply the same rule across comparable roles. When in doubt, align with the more generous interpretation and confirm with local counsel, as practice can vary.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing public holidays in Equatorial Guinea can be tricky, especially when you are coordinating teams across multiple countries and time zones. Playroll helps you stay ahead of changing holiday calendars, local leave rules, and pay requirements so you can focus on running your business.

With Playroll, you can onboard employees in Equatorial Guinea compliantly, apply the correct public holiday calendar to each worker, and automate holiday pay calculations in line with local expectations. Our platform keeps track of national holidays and observed days, flags potential compliance issues, and gives your HR and payroll teams a single source of truth for time off and pay.

Whether you are hiring your first employee in Equatorial Guinea or scaling an existing team, Playroll’s in-country expertise and automated workflows help you reduce legal risk, avoid costly mistakes around holiday pay, and give your people a clear, fair leave experience. If you want to simplify compliance while offering a competitive, locally aligned benefits package, Playroll can do the heavy lifting for you.