Mozambique Leave Laws & Holidays

Last updated on August 7, 2026.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in Mozambique

Vacation (Annual Leave) Quota

30 days

Employees are entitled to the following duration of vacation leave:

• During the first year of employment: one day for every month of actual service (totaling 12 days).
• From the second year onwards: 30 days for every year of actual service.

This is a change in force since February 2024 which simplified the old three-step system (12 → 24 → 30 days).

Employees on fixed-term contracts in duration between three months and one year earn one vacation day for each completed month of service.

Employees are entitled to take their annual leave continuously. However, the employer may divide the leave into parts if the employee consents and each portion is at least 6 days; otherwise, the employer is responsible for any proven damages caused by the interruption.

Carry Over

Vacation days should normally be taken within the year. Still, the employer and the employee may agree that an employee may carry over up to 15 days per year, provided the carryover days are taken during the following year.

Employees may take up to 30 days of leave in advance and accumulate a maximum of 60 days per year.

“Use-it-or-lose-it” policies are not allowed.

PTO Payout at the Termination

Any unused accrued vacation leave must be paid out when employment ends.

Sick Leave in Mozambique

15 days

Generally, there are 2 types of sick leave:

Short illness: employees receive up to 15 days of employer-paid sick leave per year at normal salary, with a medical certificate required for absences longer than one day.

Longer illness: paid by social security (INSS), for up to 70% of salary, which covers up to 365 continuous days of sick pay for non-occupational illness or accident — during that period the employer doesn’t pay salary.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave in Mozambique

90 days

Female employees in Mozambique are entitled to 90 calendar days of paid maternity leave. (It used to be 60 days until new law came in force in February 2024). This leave can start up to 20 days before the due date.

Payout

Maternity leave in Mozambique is paid by social security. Employees receive 100% of their average daily earnings for the first 60 days, and remainder of 30 days is unpaid.

To be qualified for paid maternity leave, an employee must have made at least 12 months of contributions in the 18 months prior to the expected date of birth. 

Paternity Leave in Mozambique

7 unpaid days

A male employee who becomes a father is entitled to 7 days of unpaid paternity leave, every two years. This leave can be taken within 18 months of childbirth. (Increased from 1 day within 24 months of childbirth in 2024.)

Bereavement Leave in Mozambique

5 days

Employees in Mozambique are entitled to up to five days, for the death of the employee’s spouse, father, mother, children, stepchildren, siblings, grandparents, stepfather, stepmother, parents-in-law, sons/daughters-in-law.

Jury Duty Leave in Mozambique

Jury duty leave is not specified by law. Mozambique’s legal framework doesn’t have a system of jury trials.

Military Leave in Mozambique

Unpaid leave.

Employees called upon for mandatory or active military duties must be granted leave from their civilian employment. Mozambique has compulsory military service — all citizens aged 18–35 (both genders) must register, and the service lasts 5 years (6 for special forces), with criminal liability for refusing to serve. Military service is a suspension of the employment contract: the job is preserved and seniority protected, but the employer owes no salary while the employee serves (the military pays).

Voting Leave in Mozambique

Election day is declared a special public holiday for both public and private sector employees. Employees in essential services that can’t be interrupted don’t get the full day off, but their employers must still guarantee them sufficient time off to vote.

Public Holidays in Mozambique

City-Specific Holidays

Along with national there are also city-specific holidays on:

• 5 February: Matola
• 21 March: Tete
• 17 July: Chimoio
• 12 August: Inhambane
• 20 August: Beira
• 21 August: Quelimane
• 22 August: Nampula
• 23 August: Lichinga
• 7 October: Xai-Xai
• 18 October: Pemba
• 10 November: Maputo

Sources

1. Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/mozambique

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Mozambique, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/mozambique/

3. Definitive Guide to Hiring in Mozambique, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/mozambique

4. MINISTRY OF LABOR, GENDER AND SOCIAL ACTION, https://www.inss.gov.mz/

Check out our Leave Laws page to learn more about laws in various countries.