Holidays

There are nine public holidays observed in Belarus:

• 1st and 2nd January – New Year’s Day
• 7th January – Orthodox Christmas
• 8th March – International Women’s Day
• Radonitsa – 9 days after Orthodox Easter
• 1st May – International Labour Day
• 9th May – Victory Day
• 3rd July – Independence Day
• 7th November – October Revolution Day
• 25th December – Catholic Christmas

Accruals

PTO (Paid Time Off)

• Vacation/Annual Paid Leave

Employees are entitled to at least 24 days of paid annual leave per year. The annual leave must be taken in one piece, but may, with the employee’s consent, be divided into a maximum of two parts, one of which must be at least 14 calendar days.

Employees are entitled to full annual leave if they have been employed for at least 6 months.

Annual leave payments must be made before the start of the leave, at least one day before the start of the vacation.

• Rollovers and payout of unused hours

• Use-it-or-lose-it policy 

According to Belarusian law, unused vacation days add up without a statute of limitations. 

• PTO payout at the termination

Employers are required to pay compensation for unused vacation days upon termination of employment.

Maternity Leave, Child Raising Leave, Parental Leave

Maternity Leave

Pregnant employees are entitled to up to 126 days of paid maternity leave or 140 days of maternity leave due to a medical complication or in case of multiple births.

Employees can also take unpaid maternity leave for up to 3 years, during which their position must be kept. The employer is allowed to resume the work earlier if she wants to. They have also the right to apply for maternity aid and receive it for a period of up to 3 years.

If another child is born during these 3 years, the maternity leave entitlement starts again.

Paternity Leave

Employees are entitled to up to 14 days of paternity leave.

However, whether the leave will be paid or unpaid depends upon the employer and employment contract. The employers have the option not to pay for time off for the birth of a child.

Paternity leave is granted upon the written request of an employee (father, stepfather) on a one-time basis within six months following the date of birth of a child.

Sick Leave

Sick Leave

Employees are entitled to receive 80% of their average earnings for the first 12 days of sick leave. If the sick leave lasts more than 30 calendar days, then it is calculated in the amount of 70 percent of the average daily earnings.

Family Care Leave

Employees are entitled to receive 100% of their average earnings during the leave. The leave can be taken in order to take care of a sick child under the age of 14 and a disabled child under the age of 18. 

Jury Duty Leave, and Voting Leave

Not specified by law.

Bereavement Leave

Employees are entitled to up to 2 days of paid leave due to the death of a close family member or if the family member suffers from a life – threatening illness or an injury.

Military Leave

Not specified by law.

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

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