What Are The Public Holidays in Moldova in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Moldova (2026)

In Moldova, public holidays are set by national law and apply across the entire country. Below is an overview of the main public holidays in 2026 to help you plan staffing, leave, and payroll for your Moldovan team.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Moldovan labour law generally requires employers to provide paid leave on official public holidays, treating them as non-working days for most employees. Employees who normally work on the day of the week on which a public holiday falls are entitled to be off with their regular pay, unless they are specifically required to work under the limited exceptions allowed by law (for example, continuous operations or essential services).

If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, they are usually entitled to enhanced compensation, most commonly at a premium rate or with a paid day off in lieu, according to the Labour Code and any applicable collective agreement. The exact multiplier can vary, so you should always check the current Labour Code provisions and any sectoral or company-level agreements.

Part-time employees are generally entitled to paid public holidays on a pro rata basis, aligned with their normal working schedule. If a public holiday falls on a day they would not usually work, there is typically no additional entitlement, but if it falls on a scheduled workday, they should receive their normal pay or the applicable premium if they work.

When a public holiday falls on a weekend, the Moldovan government often issues a specific decision indicating whether a weekday will be treated as an observed day off and whether any working days are shifted to Saturdays to compensate. Your company should monitor annual government decisions and official calendars to confirm which days are treated as non-working in practice.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rules in Moldova can expose your company to administrative liability. Labour inspectors and other competent authorities may impose fines for breaching working time and rest-day regulations, including unlawful work on public holidays or failure to pay the required premium rates.

Penalties can include monetary fines per violation and, in more serious or repeated cases, increased sanctions or orders to remedy the breach, such as back pay for unpaid or underpaid holiday work. Inspections may be triggered by routine audits, employee complaints, or discrepancies identified in payroll records.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as normal working days without premium pay, misclassifying employees as contractors to avoid holiday obligations, and failing to keep accurate records of hours worked on holidays. To reduce risk, ensure your internal policies clearly reflect Moldovan public holiday rules, keep detailed timekeeping and payroll documentation, and train managers on when they may schedule staff on public holidays.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Moldova, public holidays interact with general working time and overtime rules. Work performed on a public holiday is typically treated as work performed on a rest day and must be compensated at a higher rate than standard hours, in addition to any overtime premiums that may apply if weekly or daily limits are exceeded.

If an employee works on a public holiday, those hours usually count toward their total weekly working time when assessing whether overtime thresholds have been crossed. Where both conditions apply – working on a public holiday and exceeding normal working hours – the employee may be entitled to both the holiday premium and overtime compensation, unless the Labour Code or a collective agreement provides a specific combined rate.

Because practice can vary by sector and collective agreement, you should confirm the applicable premium rates and calculation methods with local counsel or your payroll provider. In all cases, you should avoid scheduling systematic work on public holidays without clear business justification and documented employee consent where required.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Moldovan public holidays from abroad can be tricky – especially when the government announces observed days or working-day swaps at short notice. Playroll helps you stay ahead of these changes so your team is paid correctly and your company remains compliant.

With Playroll, you can employ talent in Moldova without setting up a local entity. Our in-country experts track updates to the Labour Code, official holiday calendars, and government decisions on shifted workdays, then apply them directly to your employees’ contracts, schedules, and payslips.

Playroll can support you with:

• Setting up locally compliant employment contracts that reflect Moldovan public holiday and leave rules
• Automatically applying public holidays and observed days to payroll and time-off calculations
• Calculating premium pay for work on public holidays and overtime in line with local law
• Keeping accurate, audit-ready records of working time, leave, and holiday pay
• Providing access to local expertise when you need to interpret new regulations or government decisions

Instead of manually tracking every public holiday and enforcement change, you can rely on Playroll’s platform and local specialists to keep your Moldovan operations compliant – while you focus on building and supporting your team.