Holidays

• 1st January – New Year’s Day

• 6th January – Epiphany

• 15th March – Green Monday (Orthodox Shrove Monday)

• 25th March – Greek Independence Day

• 1st April – National Day

• 30th April – Orthodox Good Friday

• 1st May – Labour Day

• 3rd May – Orthodox Easter Monday

• 4th May – Orthodox Easter Tuesday

• 21st June – Orthodox Pentecost Monday (Kataklysmos)

• 15th August – Dormition of the Theotokos

• 1st October – Cypriot Independence Day

• 28th October – Greece National Anniversary Day (The Ochi Day)

• 25th December – Christmas Day

26th December – Boxing Day

Paid Time Off

PTO (Paid Time Off)

• Vacation/Annual Paid Leave

Employees who have worked 48 weeks within one year are entitled to paid annual leave of four weeks. Employees, who work 5 days a week, are entitled to an annual leave of 20 working days, whereas employees who work 6 days a week, to annual leave of 24 working days.

Temporary absence from work due to an accident, sickness, maternity, parental leave or leave on grounds of force majeure, is considered as a working period.

If the employee had worked for a period of less than 48 weeks within the year, the annual leave of four weeks is reduced accordingly.

• Rollovers and payout of unused hours

• Use-it-or-lose-it policy 

The annual leave may be accumulated, for a period of two years, after an agreement between the employer and the employee. In such a case, employees are paid their leave simultaneously for both years from the Central Holiday Fund.

• PTO payout at the termination

An employer is obliged to pay employees annual leave or the equivalent wage/salary at the termination of employment.

Maternity Leave, Child Raising Leave, Parental Leave

Maternity Leave

Pregnant employees are entitled to take maternity leave of up to 18 continuous weeks to 22 weeks for twins. For any additional child, an employee is entitled to an additional leave of four weeks. 

Employers are not obliged to pay any wages to the employees while on maternity leave. 

If the child is hospitalized immediately after the birth due to premature delivery or due to health problems, mothers are entitled to additional weeks of leave for every 21 days that the child was hospitalized. The employee is required to provide a medical certificate. 

Paternity Leave

Fathers are entitled to up to two weeks of leave. Paternity leave can be taken within a period of 16 weeks from the date of birth. 

Parental Leave

The right to parental leave covers all employees who have children under the age of eight. According to the Law, every eligible employee, man or woman, is allowed to take up unpaid parental leave up to eighteen weeks for each child. The right is individual and non-transferable. In the cases where one parent has taken parental leave of minimum two weeks, he/she is allowed to transfer to the other parent two weeks from the rest of the total duration of his/her leave.

In the case of a widower/widow, he/she is entitled to parental leave of up to twenty-three weeks.

Parental Leave can be taken for a minimum period of one week and a maximum period of five weeks, per calendar year, in the cases of one or two children, and seven weeks in the cases of three or more children.

Adoption Leave

Employees who want to adopt a child under the age of twelve years are entitled to up to 16 continuous weeks starting from the date on which they begin to take care of the adopted child.

Sick Leave

Cyprus Leave Laws – Sick Leave

Sick leave is not subject to rules. The social insurance legislation provides for sick pay from the fourth day of the incapacity of an employee, while in the case of self-employed persons, sick pay is allowed from the ninth day of incapacity.

Jury Duty Leave, and Voting Leave

Not specified by law.

Bereavement Leave

Employees are entitled to up to 5 days of leave due to a death of a child or a spouse, 3 days of leave for a parent or a sibling, and one days in case of a death of any other family member.

Military Leave

Employees who are called to perform military service are covered by assimilated insurance (Social Insurance Services). 

Please consult your local legal counsel to learn more about Cyprus Leave Laws.

To learn more about laws in various countries, check out our Leave Laws page.