What Are The Public Holidays in Tunisia in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Tunisia (2026)

Below is an overview of the main public holidays expected to be observed in Tunisia in 2026. Islamic holidays follow the lunar calendar, so exact dates may shift slightly once officially confirmed by Tunisian authorities.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, under Tunisian labour practice, employees are generally entitled to paid leave on official public holidays that fall on their normal working days. The Labour Code and related regulations treat these days as paid rest days, and most employers must pay employees their usual wage for the day even though no work is performed.

Public holidays are national rather than regional, so the same core list applies across Tunisia. Islamic holidays such as Eid al‑Fitr, Eid al‑Adha, the Islamic New Year and the Prophet’s Birthday are confirmed each year by the authorities based on the lunar calendar, and you should wait for official announcements before finalising your internal holiday calendar.

Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday, Tunisian law does not consistently provide for an automatic weekday in lieu, and many employers simply treat the Sunday as the holiday without an additional day off. Some employers, especially multinationals, voluntarily grant a substitute day to align with global policies, but this is a matter of company practice unless required by a collective agreement or contract.

Part‑time employees are usually entitled to paid public holidays on a pro‑rated basis when the holiday falls on a day they would normally work. If a part‑time employee is not scheduled to work on the holiday, there is typically no additional entitlement unless your internal policy or a collective agreement provides otherwise.

If employees are required to work on a public holiday, they are generally entitled to both their normal wage for the day and additional compensation for the hours worked. In practice, this often means premium pay for holiday hours, compensatory rest, or both, depending on the sector, collective agreements and the specific employment contract.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday entitlements in Tunisia can expose your company to administrative and financial penalties. Labour inspectors under the Ministry of Social Affairs are responsible for monitoring compliance with working time and holiday rules, and they can investigate complaints from employees or unions.

Where violations are found, employers may face fines for each affected employee and each breach, and can be ordered to pay back wages for unpaid holidays, including any applicable premium pay for work performed on those days. Repeated or intentional non‑compliance can increase the risk of higher penalties, closer inspection, and potential reputational damage, especially for foreign investors.

Common mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, failing to pay the correct premium when employees work on a holiday, and not applying the rules consistently to part‑time or fixed‑term staff. Another frequent issue is not updating internal calendars once the government confirms the exact dates of Islamic holidays, which can lead to accidental underpayment or scheduling conflicts.

To reduce risk, you should document your holiday policy clearly, align it with Tunisian law and any applicable collective agreements, and keep accurate records of attendance, pay and compensatory rest for holiday work.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Tunisia, public holidays interact with working time and overtime rules by changing how hours worked on those days are treated. Hours worked on a public holiday are typically considered exceptional and are compensated at a higher rate than ordinary hours, often in combination with compensatory rest, subject to sector‑specific rules and collective agreements.

Working on a public holiday does not usually increase the weekly legal working‑time threshold itself, but it does change how those hours are paid. For example, if an employee works on a holiday instead of taking the day off, they are generally entitled to their normal daily wage plus a premium for the hours worked. Where weekly limits are exceeded because of holiday work, those excess hours may also attract overtime premiums.

Because practice can vary by sector, you should check any applicable collective bargaining agreement for specific premium rates and compensatory rest rules. Many employers adopt internal policies that guarantee at least one compensatory rest day when employees work on a public holiday, even where the law or collective agreement is not explicit, to support employee wellbeing and reduce burnout.

For part‑time and shift workers, you should calculate holiday work and overtime based on their contractual working hours and the standard weekly limit for their category, ensuring that any hours beyond those limits are correctly flagged and paid as overtime or holiday premium hours.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Navigating Tunisia’s mix of fixed‑date and lunar public holidays can be challenging, especially if your HR and payroll teams are based outside the country. Playroll helps you stay ahead of these rules so your Tunisian employees are paid correctly and your company remains compliant.

Our platform automatically updates your Tunisian holiday calendar when the government confirms the dates of Islamic holidays, and applies local rules on paid public holidays, overtime premiums and compensatory rest. That means fewer manual adjustments, fewer errors, and a clear audit trail if you are ever asked to demonstrate compliance to labour inspectors.

When you hire in Tunisia through Playroll, you get locally compliant employment contracts, clear wording on public holiday and leave entitlements, and payroll that reflects Tunisian law, sector practice and any agreed company‑level enhancements. You can standardise your global policies while still respecting local requirements on public holidays and working time.

Playroll also gives your team self‑service visibility into their holiday and leave balances, helping you manage staffing around busy periods like Eid al‑Fitr and Eid al‑Adha. With automated calculations and expert local support, you can focus on building your Tunisian team while we handle the complexity of public holiday compliance.