Holidays

• 1st January – New Year’s Day

• 9th January – Martyr’s Day

• 15th February – Carnival Monday

• 16th February – Mardi Gras

• 17th February – Ash Wednesday

• 2nd April – Holy Friday

• 1st May – Labour Day

• 3rd November – Separation Day

• 4th November – Flag Day

• 5th November – Colon Day

• 10th November – Los Santos Uprising Day

• 29th November – Independence Day

• 8th December – Panama Mother’s Day

• 25th December – Christmas Day

Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will normally be observed. Employees are entitled to a double pay if they are requested to work on a holiday.

PTO

The statutory paid vacation is 30 days. Employees are entitled to 30 days of vacation after 11 continuous months of employment.

The law permits the employer to fraction vacation time into two equal periods, as long as the collective bargaining agreement authorizes it.

• PTO payout at the termination

Employers are required to pay their employees at the termination for each vacation day that they are entitled to.

Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, Parental Leave

Maternity Leave 

Pregnant employees are entitled to compulsory maternity leave up to six weeks before childbirth. Total maternity leave must be at least 14 weeks’ duration. If childbirth is delayed, the employee is entitled, after the birth, to paid leave for the following eight weeks.

Employees must apply for maternity allowance a month before the leave start. Employees are required to present a medical certificate issued by an obstetrician-gynecologist. 

During maternity leave, the employer cannot alter the employment relationship or apply any sanctions or penalties on the employee. Further, a worker returning from maternity leave cannot be dismissed without justifiable reason during the first year following their return to work. These rights cannot be exchanged or avoided.

Paternity Leave 

Employees are entitled to up to 3 days of paid leave.

Sick Leave, Paid Sick Leave, and Family Care Leave

An employee is entitled to 18 paid days off in the case of illness or injury per year.

Jury Duty Leave and Voting Leave (Leave due to Public Interest)

Not specified by law.

Bereavement Leave

Not specified by law.

Military Leave

Not Specified by law.

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

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