Paid Time Off (PTO) in Azerbaijan

Last updated on January 1, 2024.

Vacation Leave Quota

21 days

Regular employees in Azerbaijan are entitled to 21 days of paid vacation. This vacation entitlement is one of the best in Europe; only UK leave laws, Germany, and France provide a longer duration.

However, the following categories of workers are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave:

• Workers in the agricultural sector;

• Government officials in key roles;

• Administrative staff and support personnel, including certain categories of managers

• Methodologists, workshop supervisors, senior supervisors, trainers, librarians, lab technicians, janitors, caretakers, and creative directors at school facilities;

• Personnel doing scientific research (even those without a university education)

• Physicians, intermediate healthcare workers, and pharmacists.

Also, some employees are entitled to additional vacation days according to their job description or specific working conditions.

Seniority-Based Entitlement

2 to 6 additional days

Some employees will be entitled to additional vacation days based on their length of service, as follows:

• For a service duration of 5 to 10 years, they receive an additional 2 days;

• For a service duration of 10 to 15 years, they receive an additional 4 days;

• For a service duration of 16 years or more, they receive an additional 6 days;

Sick Leave in Azerbaijan

Up to 365 days.

Sick leave is somewhat complicated.

Sick leave generally does not have a fixed maximum number of days, depending on the illness type. But, generally, the upper limit is 365 days.

Payout

Compensation for sick leave varies based on factors such as the employee’s length of service for the company, the duration of the illness, and the specific type of illness.

However, the general rule is that:

• The employer pays for the first 14 days.

• From the 15th day on, the employee is paid by Social Security.

Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption or Parental Leave in Azerbaijan

Maternity Leave

126 days (fully paid by the government)

Female employees in Azerbaijan are entitled to 126 days of fully paid maternity leave.

70 days of maternity leave are to be taken before the delivery date and 56 days after the birth of a child. The postnatal leave is extended to 70 additional days for complicated deliveries or multiple births.

Also, female employees working in the industrial sector receive extended maternity leave.

This duration is not among the longest maternity leave policies in the world.

Payout

Maternity leave is paid by the government (Social Security).

Paternity Leave

14 unpaid days

Employees who become fathers are entitled to 14 days of unpaid leave. However, many employers choose to pay employees while on paternity leave.

This provision for unpaid paternity leave is somewhat unusual, as most European leave laws guarantee paid leave for fathers.

Bereavement Leave in Azerbaijan

Bereavement leave is not specified by law.

Jury Duty Leave in Azerbaijan

Jury duty leave is not specified by law.

Military Leave in Azerbaijan

Military leave is not specified by law.

Voting Leave in Azerbaijan

Voting day is a non-working day.

Election day and voting in a referendum are non-working days.

Public Holidays in Azerbaijan in 2024

11 non-working holidays

A list of official public holidays that are non-working days:

(*) The definite days of Novruz, Gurban, and Ramadan are announced by public officials annually (typically, it is the end of December).

Sources

1. Labor Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, http://ask.org.az/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Labour-Code-of-the-Republic-of-Azerbaijan.pdf

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Azerbaijan, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/azerbaijan/

3. Local Laws & Regulations in Azerbaijan, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/azerbaijan

4. Definitive Guide to Hiring in Azerbaijan‌, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/azerbaijan

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