Significant changes to annual leave rules will come into effect from January 1, 2026, offering employees greater flexibility in how they take time off while maintaining employer oversight.
Under the new framework, private-sector workers will be allowed to divide their annual leave into multiple periods throughout the year, rather than taking it in one continuous block. Each leave period must last at least five days. The reform aims to improve work-life balance by giving employees more control over when they rest.
However, the final decision on approving leave requests will remain with employers. This means that while flexibility is increased, coordination and agreement between both sides will continue to be essential.
A key deadline also remains in place: any unused leave from 2025 must be taken by March 31, 2026. If employers fail to grant the leave within this period, they are required to compensate employees with double pay for the unused days. This measure is designed both to protect workers’ right to rest and to discourage delays in granting leave.
At the same time, any agreement that involves forfeiting leave without compensation is considered invalid, reinforcing employee protections.
Until now, annual leave could be split into a maximum of two periods, with one required to be continuous and of a minimum duration. In practice, many businesses favored granting leave during a single period—often in the summer—when activity levels were lower. The new rules mark a shift away from this traditional approach.
Another change concerns administrative procedures. From 2026, employers will no longer be required to pre-declare leave in the country’s digital labor system, a move expected to reduce bureaucracy without affecting workers’ rights.
