Cyprus Leave Laws & Holidays

Last updated on April 2, 2026.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in Cyprus

Vacation Leave Quota

20 days

Employees and workers in Cyprus receive a minimum of 20 days (4 weeks) of paid vacation each year. Those employees who work 6 days a week shall receive 24 days.

However, employment contracts or collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) may offer more vacation leave days than the minimum statutory entitlement.

Eligibility

Employees are entitled to paid vacation if they have completed 48 weeks of employment under a continuous contract at one company.

Leave Request

While on one hand employees have the right to request leave, on the other hand the employer has the authority to deny a request if it’s necessary for business reasons.

Accrual During Authorized Absence from Work

When an employee is temporarily away from work because of maternity/paternity/parental leave, accident, illness, or unavoidable major events (aka “force majeure”), this time off still counts as time worked regarding the right to vacation leave.

Payout

When an employee takes paid vacation leave, they will continue to receive their regular pay either directly from their employer or from a special fund called the Central Holiday Fund (under social insurance services).

Carryover

An employee is generally required to take leave within the given calendar year.

However, if an employer and employee mutually agree, vacation days can be saved up for a maximum of two years. In this situation, employees are reimbursed for their vacation leave for both these years at the same time from the already mentioned Central Holiday Fund.

Therefore, the total number of carried-over days may not be more than the amount of leave an employee can earn in two years (which is either 40 or 48 days, depending on how many days per week an employee works).

PTO Payout at the Termination

In case of termination of an employee, the employer must pay them for any unused vacation time they have earned. This payment will be equal to their regular salary or wages for those days.

Sick Leave in Cyprus

Up to 156 days

In Cyprus, the amount of sick leave and sick pay is usually defined in the employment contract or a collective bargaining agreement. If an employee isn’t entitled to sick pay from their employer, they may receive a social security benefit for illnesses lasting at least three days, for up to 156 days.

Employees are required to provide an official medical certificate to the Social Security Administration within 48 hours after their sick leave begins.

Payout

Sick leave is paid at different payers and by different rates depending upon duration:

Under social insurance law, employees become eligible for sick pay starting on the fourth day of leave, while self-employed individuals qualify from the ninth day of leave.

Leave to Care for a Sick Family Member

5 unpaid days

Employees may take up to five days of unpaid leave per year to care for a sick or injured family member.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave in Cyprus

22 weeks

Pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave lasting up to 22 weeks (as of March 2024). At least 11 weeks of leave must be taken. Leave must begin no later than two weeks before the expected week of childbirth, with a minimum of eight weeks taken after the birth.

Maternity leave is 22 weeks for twins, but any additional child born during childbirth brings an additional four-week leave. In cases where the child is hospitalised immediately following birth as a result of premature delivery or health issues, the mother is entitled to an extension of maternity leave, calculated as one additional week for every 14 days of child’s hospitalisation.

To be eligible, a pregnant employee must have worked for 180 consecutive days at the company. She also must provide her employer with a medical certificate of the pregnancy.

Maternity leave may be extended at the employer’s sole discretion, without any additional pay.

Payout

During this period, the employee is entitled to receive 72% of their salary, which is paid by the Social Security system. Employers are not responsible for paying employees’ wages during the maternity leave period.

The Maternity Allowance

The maternity allowance is based on the insured person’s average weekly insurable earnings during the relevant tax year and consists of a basic and supplementary component. The basic allowance equals 72% of the employee’s salary, increasing to 80%, 90%, or 100% for those with one, two, or three dependants. Therefore, for second child it’s 80% of the mother’s salary, third child 90%, fourth and subsequent child 100% of the salary.

If the employee receives partial pay from the employer during this period, the allowance is reduced so that the total amount does not exceed the full salary.

To apply for the maternity allowance an employee has to pay social insurance contributions for a minimum of 26 weeks (6 months).

Childbirth Grant

Mothers may also receive a Childbirth Grant (or Birth Grant), a one-time lump-sum payment from the Social Insurance Fund, provided in addition to the regular maternity allowance.

As of October 1, 2024, this amount is:

Paternity Leave in Cyprus

2 consecutive weeks

Fathers in Cyprus are entitled to up to 2 consecutive weeks of paternity leave. They are allowed to take this leave within 16 weeks of childbirth. 

To be eligible, they must have completed 180 consecutive days of service with the same employer, with two weeks’ written notice required.

Paternity leave may be extended, but with no pay.

Payout

During the leave, the employee is entitled to receive 72% of their salary (or 75.2%), paid by the Social Security system. Employers are not responsible for paying employees during this leave.

Parental Leave in Cyprus

18 weeks

In Cyprus, both parents are entitled to up to 18 weeks of parental leave per child, available until the child reaches age 15. For parents of children with disabilities, the entitlement extends until the child turns 21. Single parents and widows may take 23 weeks of parental leave. In the cases of one or two children, parental leave may be taken in blocks of one day up to five weeks per calendar year, and seven weeks in the cases of three or more children.

The right to parental leave is individual and non-transferable. However, after taking at least two weeks of leave, a parent may transfer up to two weeks of their remaining entitlement to the other parent.

To qualify, employees must have at least six months of continuous service with the same employer.

At least three weeks’ prior notice is required.

Payout

Eight weeks of parental leave are paid through the Social Insurance Fund, while any remaining weeks are unpaid unless otherwise provided by the employer. However, employers are not obligated to pay this leave.

Adoption Leave

20 weeks

Employees adopting a child under the age of 12 are entitled to up to 20 consecutive weeks of leave, starting from the date they assume care of the child.

Employees adopting a child under the age of 12 are entitled to:

• 20 consecutive weeks of leave for the first and second adoptions
• 24 weeks for the third and subsequent adoptions.

Bereavement Leave in Cyprus

1 to 5 days

Employees are generally entitled to up to five days of leave in the unfortunate event of the death of a child or spouse, three days for the death of a parent or sibling, and one day for the death of any other family member. As far as the information presented on the Internet about Cyprus leave laws there is no legislation to cover this, so it depends on the employment contract, collective bargaining agreement (CBA), or company policy.

Jury Duty Leave in Cyprus

Paid leave

Employees selected for jury service must be excused from work and this leave is paid.

Military Leave in Cyprus

Leave required by law.

Male citizens must complete 14 months of compulsory military service upon reaching the age of 18. Employers are required to provide leave during this military service for male employees. As of the year 2025, women may volunteer for military service for a term of six months.

Voting Leave in Cyprus

Online data is unavailable; please check official legal materials or offline sources for information. As far as the information presented on the Internet about voting leave, it is not specified by Cyprus leave laws.

Public Holidays in Cyprus

16 public holidays

(*) In Western Churches the corresponding feast is known as the Assumption of Mary.

Sources of Cyprus Leave Laws

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

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Cyprus, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/cyprus/

3. Definitive Guide to Hiring in Cyprus, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/republic-of-cyprus

4. Benefits for insured persons (official government website), https://www.gov.cy/en/services/ergasia-kai-asfalish/allowances/

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