Table Of Contents
Last updated on March 29, 2025.
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
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.
=> Data forthcoming
Maternity and Paternity Leave
Maternity Leave in Cyprus
18 weeks
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.
=> Data forthcoming
Paternity Leave in Cyprus
2 weeks
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.
=> Data forthcoming
Parental Leave in Cyprus
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.
=> Data forthcoming
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.
Bereavement Leave in Cyprus
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.
Jury Duty Leave in Cyprus
As far as the information presented on the Internet about Cyprus leave laws, Cyprus leave laws do not specify jury duty leave.
Military Leave in Cyprus
Employees called to perform military service are covered by assimilated insurance (Social Insurance Services).
Voting Leave in Cyprus
Voting leave is not specified by Cyprus leave laws.
Public Holidays in Cyprus for 2024
16 public holidays
Date | Holiday |
---|---|
January 1, Moday | New Year’s Day |
January 6, Saturday | Epiphany (12 days after Christmas) |
March 18, Monday | Green Monday (Orthodox Shrove Monday) |
March 25, Sunday | Greek Independence Day |
April 1, Monday | National Day |
May 1, Wednesday | Labor Day |
3 May, Friday | Orthodox Good Friday |
5 May, Sunday | Orthodox Easter Day |
6 May, Monday | Orthodox Easter Monday |
June 24, Monday (7th Monday after Easter) | Orthodox Whit Monday or Pentecost (Kataklysmos) |
August 15, Thursday | Assumption of the Virgin Mary |
October 1, Tuesday | Cypriot Independence Day |
December 8, Sunday | Ochi Day (Greece National Anniversary Day) |
December 24, Tuesday | Christmas Eve |
December 25, Wednesday | Christmas Day |
December 26, Thursday | Second Day of Christmas |
=> Data forthcoming
Sources of Cyprus Leave Laws
-
Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/cyprus
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Payroll and Benefits Guide Cyprus, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/cyprus/
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Definitive Guide to Hiring in Cyprus, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/cyprus/
Check out our Leave Laws page to learn more about laws in various countries.
All materials have been prepared for general information purposes only to permit you to learn more about this region's leave laws. The information presented is not legal advice, is not to be acted on as such, and may not be current. Please contact your local legal counsel to learn more about the leave laws in your country.
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