Public holidays in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, public holidays are not mandatory days off. Whether a public holiday is a day off in your business is in your collective labour agreement (CAO) or employment contract. In practice, certain public holidays are nearly always days off. Read more about public holidays.
Do you have to give your employees a day off on a public holiday?
Public holidays are not specified in law as mandatory days off. Your employees are not automatically entitled to a day off on public holidays. Your collective labour agreement (CAO) or employment contract will mention whether a public holiday is a day off in your business. For example, Good Friday. It will also state whether your employees are paid during public holidays, and whether you are required to pay a bonus if they do work on an official public holiday.
Is a public holiday part of an employee’s annual leave?
The collective labour agreement (CAO) or employment contract determines whether a public holiday is a day off. And whether you continue to pay your employees. Many collective labour agreements state that certain public holidays are days off, which do not have any impact on your employee’s annual leave.
What are the official Dutch public holidays in 2026?
- New Year’s Day: Thursday 1 January 2026
- Good Friday: Friday 3 April 2026
- Easter (Pasen): Sunday 5 April and Monday 6 April 2026
- King’s Day: Monday 27 April 2026
- Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag): Tuesday 5 May 2026
- Ascension Day (Hemelvaart): Thursday 14 May 2026
- Whitsun (Pinksteren): Sunday 24 May and Monday 25 May 2026
- Christmas (Kerstmis): Friday 25 December and Saturday 26 December 2026
Not public holidays
Sinterklaas and Eid al-Fitr are not public holidays in the Netherlands. Neither are Dodenherdenking (remembrance day) or New Year’s Eve. However, many employees wish to have the day off. To ensure your employees have the day off on the holidays they wish, you could, for example, allow your staff to choose their own public holidays.
Is Liberation Day a public holiday?
Your employees are not automatically entitled to time off on Liberation Day. Many collective labour agreements (CAO’s) state that employees are entitled to one paid day off once every 5 years, in the anniversary year. The next anniversary years are 2030 and 2035. If you do not have a collective labour agreement (CAO), you decide yourself whether your employees have the day off. Check your CAO for the arrangements about other public holidays. Or make your own arrangements with your employees.