What Are The Public Holidays in Seychelles in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Seychelles (2026)

Seychelles has a set of nationwide public holidays that apply uniformly across all islands, with no regional variations. The table below lists the official public holidays for 2026 so you can plan staffing, leave, and payroll in advance.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Seychelles labour law generally requires that public holidays be treated as paid days off for employees who would normally work on those days. Where a public holiday falls on a non‑working day for a particular employee, there is typically no additional paid day off unless this is granted by contract or company policy, although some employers choose to offer a substitute day as a best‑practice benefit.

If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, they are usually entitled to premium pay for the hours worked, often at a higher rate than ordinary working days, or to equivalent time off in lieu, depending on the contract and any applicable collective agreements. Part‑time employees are generally entitled to public holiday pay on a pro‑rated basis if the holiday falls on a day they are normally scheduled to work.

Public holidays in Seychelles are national, not regional, so the same rules apply across all islands. Where a holiday falls on a weekend, the government may declare an observed weekday in some years, but this is not automatic and is typically confirmed by official notice. You should check each year’s government gazette or trusted local counsel to confirm any additional observed days.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday entitlements in Seychelles can expose your company to labour inspections, orders to rectify underpayments, and financial penalties. The employment authorities can require you to pay arrears of wages, including any premium rates due for work performed on public holidays, plus potential interest or administrative fines where applicable.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as normal working days without premium pay, failing to pay part‑time staff correctly when a holiday falls on their usual workday, and not documenting consent and compensation when employees agree to work on a public holiday. To reduce risk, keep clear records of work schedules, holiday calendars, payslips, and any agreements on time off in lieu or premium rates, and ensure your local contracts explicitly address public holiday pay.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Seychelles, public holidays interact with working time and overtime rules by changing how hours are classified and paid. Hours worked on a public holiday are typically treated more favourably than standard overtime, with premium rates that are higher than ordinary weekday pay. This is in addition to any overtime rules that apply when employees exceed their normal daily or weekly limits.

In practice, this means that if an employee works on a public holiday, those hours are usually paid at a special public holiday rate, regardless of whether they have exceeded their standard weekly hours. If they also exceed the statutory or contractual weekly limit, further overtime rules may apply on top of the public holiday premium. Because specific percentages and thresholds can vary by contract and sector, you should confirm the applicable rates in your Seychelles employment contracts and align them with the minimum standards set by local law.

For part‑time or shift‑based workers, you should clearly define in writing how public holiday hours are treated, including whether any additional overtime multipliers apply. This clarity helps avoid disputes and ensures consistent payroll treatment across your Seychelles workforce.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Seychelles public holidays across a distributed team can be tricky, especially when you are juggling different time zones, contracts, and local rules. Playroll helps you stay compliant by building Seychelles‑specific public holiday calendars directly into your employment and payroll workflows, so your team automatically gets the right entitlements.

With Playroll, you can hire in Seychelles as easily as hiring in your home country. We handle compliant employment contracts, onboarding, and statutory benefits, while your team focuses on doing great work. Public holidays, annual leave, sick leave, and other statutory entitlements are tracked and applied according to Seychelles law, reducing the risk of underpayments or missed days off.

Playroll’s platform calculates the correct pay for public holidays and any associated premium rates, and keeps an auditable record of time off and worked hours. When the government updates the holiday calendar or issues special observed days, our local experts update the system so your payroll stays accurate without manual intervention.

If you are scaling a global team that includes employees in Seychelles, Playroll gives you a single, compliant way to manage:

Employer‑of‑record hiring costs
Local payroll and payslip requirements
Public holiday and leave entitlements
Statutory benefits and social contributions
Ongoing compliance monitoring and updates

By partnering with Playroll, you can give your Seychelles employees a locally compliant experience while keeping your global policies consistent and easy to manage.