What Are The Public Holidays in Mauritania in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Mauritania (2026)

Mauritania’s public holidays combine fixed national days with Islamic religious holidays that follow the lunar calendar. Islamic dates below are approximate and will be confirmed by official announcements closer to 2026.

*Islamic holidays are based on the sighting of the moon and the exact Gregorian dates will be confirmed by Mauritanian authorities. Employers should check official notices each year.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in Mauritania employers are generally expected to treat official public holidays as paid days off when they fall on an employee’s normal working day, unless the employee is required to work to maintain essential operations. Public holidays are set at national level, so the same core list applies across the country without significant regional differences, although the exact dates of Islamic holidays can vary slightly depending on local moon‑sighting.

Where a public holiday falls on a weekend that is not a normal working day for your company, practice can vary. Many employers follow government practice and grant an observed day on the nearest working day, but this is not always automatic in the private sector. The safest approach is to align with official decrees issued by the Mauritanian government and clearly document your policy in employment contracts or internal regulations.

Full‑time employees typically receive their normal basic pay for a public holiday not worked. Part‑time employees should receive paid holiday only for days that would otherwise have been scheduled working days, usually pro‑rated to their normal hours. If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, Mauritanian practice is to provide either premium pay or compensatory time off, according to the employment contract, collective agreement, or internal rules. Because detailed statutory rates can change and may be interpreted differently, you should confirm the applicable rules with a local adviser and reflect them in written policies.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday entitlements in Mauritania can expose your company to labour inspections, administrative fines, and back‑pay claims. The Ministry of Public Service and Labour and labour inspectorates are responsible for monitoring compliance with working time and holiday rules, and they can investigate complaints from employees or trade unions.

If you do not pay employees correctly for public holidays, or you require staff to work on those days without appropriate compensation, you may be ordered to pay wage arrears, overtime or premium differentials, and potentially penalties or damages. Repeated or intentional non‑compliance can increase the risk of higher fines and closer scrutiny of your wider HR practices.

Common mistakes by foreign employers include treating Islamic holidays as optional, failing to update dates when the government issues the official calendar, and applying inconsistent rules between local and expatriate staff. To reduce risk, keep written records of schedules, payslips, and any agreements on working public holidays, and ensure your local HR or payroll provider tracks official announcements each year.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Mauritania, public holidays interact with normal working time and overtime rules. Hours worked on a public holiday are typically treated more strictly than ordinary hours, and in practice they are often compensated at a higher rate or with additional rest time, even where the law does not spell out a single uniform premium for all sectors. Collective agreements or company policies may set specific multipliers for holiday work.

If your employees do not work on a public holiday, the day is usually not counted as worked time for overtime threshold purposes, but they still receive their normal basic pay. When employees do work on a public holiday, those hours can count toward weekly or daily overtime calculations, and any overtime premium may be applied on top of the holiday premium, depending on the applicable agreement. Because interpretations differ between sectors, the safest approach is to obtain local legal advice and ensure your payroll system can distinguish between regular hours, overtime, and holiday work.

For part‑time or variable‑hours staff, you should define in writing how public holiday hours are treated and how they interact with overtime thresholds, so that your team understands when premium rates apply and you can demonstrate consistent treatment in the event of an inspection.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Mauritania’s mix of fixed and lunar‑based holidays can be challenging, especially if your HR team is supporting employees in multiple countries. Playroll helps you stay on top of changing public holiday dates, paid leave rules, and local practices so you can focus on running your business.

With Playroll, you can onboard employees in Mauritania compliantly, automate public holiday calendars, and ensure payroll reflects the correct pay for holidays worked or not worked. Our platform keeps track of official announcements on Islamic holidays, updates local calendars, and syncs them with your scheduling and payroll so you avoid accidental underpayments or inconsistent treatment between employees.

Playroll’s in‑country experts monitor Mauritanian labour requirements, including public holiday practices, overtime interactions, and documentation standards. When rules change or new guidance is issued, your policies and calculations are updated, helping you reduce the risk of fines, back‑pay claims, or disputes with staff.

If you are hiring your first employee in Mauritania or scaling a larger team, Playroll gives you a single, reliable source of truth for leave and holiday compliance, from contract wording through to monthly payslips.