Paid Time Off (PTO) in Venezuela

Last updated on January 2, 2024.

Vacation (Annual Leave) Quota

15 days

Employees in Venezuela working full-time are entitled to 15 days of paid annual leave per year. On top of that, employees obtain one more day for each following year of service, and the vacation entitlement can go up to 30 days per year.

An employee must have at least one year of service with the employer in order to be eligible for leave.

Employees are entitled to acquire a “vacation bonus” for each day of leave when they are taking their vacation.

Carry Over

Required by law.

Workers are entitled to carry over unused vacation days; these days must be added to their vacation time in the following year.

Payment for Unused Vacation Days Upon Termination

Required by law.

An employer is required to pay for all unused vacation time of the employee upon ending their employment.

Sick Leave in Venezuela

Up to 52 weeks

Employees in Venezuela may have up to 52 weeks of paid sick absence.

Employees must submit a medical certificate within the first 48 hours of the illness from the National Social Security Institute in order to obtain paid leave.

Payout

For the initial three days of sick leave, employees receive their full salary from the employer. From the fourth day onwards, the employer pays 33% of the salary, while the National Social Security Institute covers the remaining 66%. However, some employers choose to pay the full salary during the entire sick absence due to frequent delays in payments from Social Security.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave in Venezuela

26 weeks

A pregnant employee in Venezuela is entitled to 26 weeks of partially paid maternity leave. This leave is divided into 6 weeks of prenatal absence and 20 weeks of postnatal

Mothers can also take two 30-minute breastfeeding breaks daily for 9 months after childbirth.

An employee who became a mother may not be fired for 2 years following the birth of the child.

Payout

During the period of maternity leave, an employee receives 66.66% of their regular income from the government (social security).

An employer may choose to compensate the employee and then collect the pay from the government.

Paternity Leave in Venezuela

Up to 2 weeks.

An employee who is the father of a newborn is entitled to 2 weeks of paid paternity leave.

A father is entitled to paid paternity leave from the social security system for 14 continuous days from the date of birth (Article 339, New OLL).

The father, the same as the mother, may not be terminated for up to 2 years following the childbirth.

Payout

Social Security pays for paternity leave.

Bereavement leave in Venezuela

2 days

Employees in Venezuela are entitled to 2 days of paid bereavement leave in the event of the death of an immediate family member.

Jury Duty Leave in Venezuela

There is no legal definition of jury duty leave.

Military Leave in Venezuela

An employee who is on military service or military training is entitled to leave with pay.

Voting Leave in Venezuela

There is no law defining voting leave.

Public Holidays in Venezuela for 2024

January 1 - New Year

February 12 & 13 - Carnival

March 28 - Maundy Thursday

March 29 - Good Friday

April 19 - Declaration of Independence

May 1 - Labor Day

Jun 24 - Battle of Carabobo

July 5 - Independence Day

July 24 - Simon Bolivar’s Day

October 12 - Indigenous Resistance Day

December 24 - Christmas Eve

December 25 - Christmas Day

December 31 - New Year’s Eve

Sources

1. Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/Venezuela

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Venezuela, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/venezuela/

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

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