Paid Time Off (PTO) in Romania

Last updated on December 29, 2023.

Vacation Leave Quota

20 days

Employees in Romania are entitled to a minimum of 20 days (4 weeks) of vacation per year. In the case of a collective agreement within the company, employees are entitled to four additional days, making it a total of 5 weeks of vacation leave.

There are several categories of employees who, according to the law, are entitled to an additional 3 days of vacation leave in addition to the minimum of 20. These categories include:

• Workers engaged in hazardous tasks;

• Workers performing in difficult or dangerous conditions;

• Blind people;

• People with other types of disabilities;

• Young people who have not yet reached the age of 18.

Public holidays are not included in this vacation entitlement.

Employees are allowed to take 3 consecutive weeks of vacation between June 1 and September 30. Employees have the right and the obligation to take their vacation days, even when changing jobs.

All employees, regardless of their profession, have the right to vacation leave. The vacation policy is stipulated in the individual employment contract, and an employer must bring it to the attention of future employees before the start of the activity.

If an employee is temporarily unable to work for the entire calendar year due to medical reasons, the employer must provide vacation leave within 18 months, starting from the year following the one in which the employee was on sick leave.

With 20 days of vacation for regular employees, Romanian national policy is similar to that of most countries in Europe. Only certain countries give their employees more guaranteed vacation days, like the leave laws of the United Kingdom or Denmark.

Carry Over

Allowed. Maximum 12 days, up to 18 months.

An employer must ensure employees take their vacation days during the given year. However, they can transfer up to 12 days, unused during the calendar year, from one year to the following (17 days in the case of a collective agreement). Please note that this can only be done in agreement with their employer. An employer can request that all vacation days be taken during the given year.

If an employee, for valid reasons, is unable to use all or part of their vacation within the given calendar year, the employer is required to provide the remaining unused leave. This should be done within 18 months starting from the year after the employee first became eligible for that annual leave, provided the employee agrees.

If an employee is unable to use vacation days due to illness, all untaken vacation days will be transferred to the following year.

Payout

Vacation allowance.

During vacation leave, employees do not receive a salary. Instead, they receive a vacation allowance to compensate for their loss of salary. Vacation allowance is accumulated during the year preceding the period in which the leave is going to be used.

Payment of Unused Vacation on Termination

Required by law.

An employee cannot convert their vacation days into monetary compensation. However, an employer must compensate an employee when his or her employment ends.

Sick Leave in Romania

Up to 183 days

Employees in Romania may have up to 183 days of paid sick leave for ordinary illnesses. An employee on sick leave is required to submit a medical certificate to their employer as soon as practicable and must apply for sick pay at the latest 90 days after the beginning of the illness.

Eligibility Criteria for Sick Leave

An employee must have contributed to tax for at least six months in the 12 months preceding the leave request.

Duration Limits

General Limit: Sick leave confirmed by a doctor is limited to 28 calendar days per year, starting from the first day of illness, regardless of the cause.

Extension for Serious Conditions: If there are serious health issues or special needs, the attending physician can extend the leave beyond 28 days, up to the legal maximum.

Ordinary Illnesses or Non-Work-Related Accidents: For these cases, sick leave is capped at 183 days per year, starting from the first illness day.

Sick Leave Due to Work Accidents: For occupational diseases or work accidents, leave can last up to 180 days, with an allowance of 100% of the average gross salary from the last 6 months.

Special Illnesses

The sick leave is longer in some cases, but the duration varies according to specific diseases.

Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Certain Cardiovascular Diseases: Up to 1 year in 2 years.

Meningeal, Peritoneal, Urogenital Tuberculosis, AIDS, and Neoplasms: 1 year, extendable to 1 year and 6 months by a social insurance expert doctor, within 2 years.

Operated Pulmonary and Osteoarticular Tuberculosis: 1 year and 6 months within 2 years.

Other Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis: 6 months, extendable to 1 year within 2 years, with the social insurance approval.

Payout

Who pays for sick leave determines the duration of the illness:

• First 5 days: paid by the employer 75% of the average employee’s salary from the 6 months before the leave;

• Beyond these 5 days, the employee is eligible for social security benefits.

To understand how sick leave is granted and compensated, it’s important to know about the governing ordinance. The main legal guidelines are provided by GEO No. 158/2005, which covers vacation and social health insurance allowances. This has been further supplemented and updated by Law 399/2006 and Order No. 1398/2021.

Maternity, Paternity, and Parental Leave

Maternity Leave in Romania

126 days

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

This leave consists of

• Prenatal period: 63 days

• Postnatal period: 63 days

A pregnant employee is required to stay on her maternity leave for at least 42 days following childbirth.

A worker must be employed for at least 6 months to be eligible for maternity leave.

Payout

Social Security pays for maternity leave at 85% of average earnings in the 12 months before the leave. The employer is actually the one who pays this first, but they can get their money back from the government.

Paternity Leave in Romania

15 days

An employee who became a father in Romania is entitled to 5 days of fully paid paternity leave. This leave must be taken within a period of 8 weeks following the birth of a child.

An employee may also attend a childcare course, for which he is entitled to an extra 10 days of leave. This extends the total duration of paternity leave to 15 days.

Payout

An employer pays for paternity leave at 100% of the regular salary.

Parental Leave in Romania

Until the child is 2 years old.

Parents may take parental leave when maternity leave ends until the newborn child is 2 years old. This leave is extended for parents with a disabled child, up to 3 years old.

Payout

A parent may receive up to 85% of their regular income during parental leave.

Bereavement Leave in Romania

3 days

Employees have the right to receive paid bereavement leave.

• 3 days of leave due to the death of their parents, child spouse, or parents-in-law;

• 1 day of paid leave due to the death of a sibling or grandparent.

Jury Duty Leave in Romania

Jury duty leave is not specified by law.

Military Leave in Romania

Military leave is not specified by law.

Voting Leave in Romania

Voting leave is not specified by law.

Public Holidays in Romania for 2024

17 days of public holidays

Romania officially celebrates 11 public holidays, but they last 17 days in total. The following holidays last more than one day:

• New Year’s Day: 2 days;

• Orthodox Easter: 3 days;

• Orthodox Whit Sunday (Pentecost): 2 days;

• Christmas: 2 days.

A complete list of official holidays celebrated in Romania in 2024:

Official national holidays occurring on weekends generally are not observed on other days.

Sources

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

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Romania, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/romania/

3. Definitive Guide to Hiring in Romania, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/Romania

4. Câte zile de concediu ai pe luna (How many vacation days do you have per month?), https://www.prohuman.ro/blog/cate-zile-de-concediu-ai-pe-luna

5. Concediu si indemnizatia de concediu (Vacation leave and vacation leave allowance), https://www.fellesforbundet.no/ro/lonn-og-tariff/arbeidsvilkar/ferie-og-feriepenger/

6. Concediul medical: cum se acordă, perioada și de ce sumă poţi dispune, (Medical leave: how it is granted, the period and what amount you can dispose of), https://www.nn.ro/newsroom/concediul-medical-cum-se-acorda-perioada-sume

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