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Leave in Portugal
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Portugal
Adoption leave in Portugal
Other leave in Portugal
Public holidays in Portugal
Protect your employees and your business
Leave and time off in Portugal
Employees around the world have the right to paid and unpaid time off for various reasons. The exact rules and entitlements differ from country to country and may also depend on collective bargaining agreements and individual employment contracts.
In Portugal, employees are entitled to a set minimum number of paid annual leave days each year, as well as paid sick leave. There are also 13 public holidays per year in Portugal, which employees are entitled to take as rest days.
Employers in Portugal must also grant their employees time off when they have a baby, adopt a child, get married, or need to care for a child. In short, there’s a lot to learn about leave and time off in Portugal — we’ll go through everything you need to know in this guide.
Leave in Portugal
Employees in Portugal are entitled to time off for holidays, which is known as annual leave. They are also entitled to time off work if they are sick and can get sick pay through the social security system.
Annual leave in Portugal
Employees in Portugal are entitled to at least 22 working days of paid holiday per year, as long as they have worked for their employer for at least a year. In practice, many employees get 25 days of holiday. New employees accrue their annual leave at the rate of two days per month, which means they get a total of 20 days’ leave during their first year of employment. They can take this leave after six months of employment.
Employees in Portugal can take their annual leave in one block or divide it into shorter holidays throughout the year. However, they must take at least one block of at least 10 days’ leave. Annual leave expires on 1 January each year.
While these are the conditions set out in the Portuguese Labour Code, collective bargaining agreements may provide for more generous conditions. And of course, it’s possible for employers to provide their employees with more annual leave in Portugal by setting a generous leave policy.
Cashing out annual leave in Portugal
Unlike in some other countries, Portugal’s employment laws specifically prohibit employers from paying employees instead of giving them leave. Employees must therefore use all of their holiday days before they expire.
Sick leave in Portugal
Employees in Portugal are also entitled to time off work when they’re sick. The first three days of sick leave are unpaid, and employees can self-certify their need for sick leave without seeing a doctor. After the first three days, they can get sick pay through the social security system at the following rates:
- Day 4–30: 55% of normal wages
- Day 31–90: 60% of normal wages
- Day 91–365: 70% of normal wages
- After 365 days: 75% of normal wages
Employees can receive sick pay for a maximum of 1095 days, or three years. To qualify for sick pay, they must have worked for a total of at least six months, and they must be certified as unable to work by a doctor.
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Portugal
Portugal’s labour laws provide for generous parental leave, which is shared between the two parents. However, both the mother and the father must take at least a certain amount of leave after the birth of a child.
Parental leave in Portugal
Employees can take a total of 120 or 150 days of parental leave in Portugal when they or their partner has a baby. This is the total amount of leave which must be shared between the two parents, which includes mandatory maternity and paternity leave. Parents can choose whether to take:
- 120 days paid at 100% of salary
- 150 days paid at 80% of salary
Parents can also extend the duration of their leave by taking it part-time. Employees are granted an additional 30 days of parental leave if:
- They have twins
- The baby is hospitalised after birth
- the baby is born prematurely
- The mother and father opt to share the initial leave (i.e. they don’t take leave at the same time)
Maternity leave in Portugal
In Portugal, mothers must take at least 42 consecutive days (six weeks) of leave immediately after the birth of a child. This is included in the overall parental leave allowance of 120 or 150 days. They can also choose to take up to 30 days of leave before the birth. Maternity leave in Portugal is paid at 100% of the employee’s normal wages by the social security system, as long as the mother has been employed for at least 80 days in the previous 12 months.
Paternity leave in Portugal
Male employees in Portugal must take at least 28 days of leave when their partner has a baby. Again, this is included in the overall parental leave allowance which is shared between the two parents. They must take this leave within six weeks of the birth, and at least five days must be taken immediately after the birth. Fathers can choose to take the rest of their leave all at once or divide it into multiple blocks. Like maternity leave, paternity leave in Portugal is paid by social security as long as the father meets the requirements in terms of employment history.
Extended parental leave in Portugal
In addition to standard parental leave, parents in Portugal can choose to take an additional three months of leave immediately after their initial leave. Though they don’t receive full pay, they can get an allowance of 25% of their reference income through social security. If parental responsibility is shared between the two parents, this is increased to 40%.
Parental rights on returning to work in Portugal
Female employees returning to work after maternity leave in Portugal have the right to up to two breastfeeding or bottle-feeding breaks per day, for a maximum of one hour per break. They are also exempt from overtime and night work and are granted additional health and safety protections. New parents also have the right to flexible work hours and remote work.
Adoption leave in Portugal
Employees in Portugal who adopt a child are also entitled to parental leave, under the same conditions as those that apply to birth parents. That means that the mother and father are entitled to a shared balance of either 120 days paid at 100% of their normal salary, or 150 days paid at 80%. This is paid by the social security system, as long as the parents meet the employment requirements.
Other leave in Portugal
There are many other leave types in Portugal, which employers should be aware of before hiring employees. This leave may be paid or unpaid. Employers can also choose to grant their employees additional leave as a means of attracting and retaining talent.
Bereavement leave in Portugal
Employees are entitled to between two and 20 days of leave after a bereavement, depending on their family relationship with the person who has died.
Care leave in Portugal
Employees are also entitled to up to 30 days of paid leave each year to provide urgent and essential care to a family member under 12 years old, or 15 days to care for an older family member.
Marriage leave in Portugal
Employees in Portugal are granted 15 days of paid leave when they get married.
Grandparents leave in Portugal
Grandparents’ leave is a specific leave type in Portugal, which applies when a person under the age of 16 who lives with their parents has a child. In this case, the parents (the child’s grandparents) can take up to 30 days of unpaid leave to care for the child.
Education leave in Portugal
Working students in Portugal are entitled to a certain amount of leave to help them complete their studies. They can take unpaid leave to take exams in up to four subjects per year. This can be taken either the day before a test or the day of the test. If a student has more than one exam in one day, the number of days’ leave they can take is the same as the number of exams they are sitting.
Public holidays in Portugal
There are 13 public holidays per year in Portugal. Of these, 10 occur on set dates every year, while three are moveable. As a Catholic country, most public holidays in Portugal are tied to religious festivals. Unlike in some other countries, there is no substitute system for public holidays that fall on a weekend, which means that these holidays are usually lost. Employees are entitled to time off work on public holidays in Portugal. In addition to the 13 national public holidays listed below, each of Portugal’s 308 municipalities has its own local holiday. Employees have the right to time off on the local public holiday where they work.
Are public holidays paid in Portugal?
Employees in Portugal have the right to time off on public holidays without any reduction in pay, and employers can’t force employees to work. If an employee does work on a public holiday, it’s considered overtime and must be paid at a rate of at least 150% of their normal salary. In addition to this, the employee must be given a compensatory day off within three working days after the public holiday.
Public holidays in Portugal in 2025
Here are the public holidays observed in Portugal in 2025:
1 January
New Year’s Day
18 April
Good Friday
20 April
Easter Sunday
25 April
Liberation Day
1 May
Labour Day
10 June
National Day
19 June
Corpus Christi
15 August
Assumption Day
5 October
Republic Day
1 November
All Saints’ Day
1 December
Independence Restoration Day
8 December
Immaculate Conception
25 December
Christmas Day
Protect your employees and your business
As an employer in Portugal, you need to understand your employees’ rights and entitlements. But keeping up with them can be a lot of work.
When you hire workers with CXC, we’ll ensure your engagements are in line with all local, national and international employment regulations. That way, your workers will get their benefits they’re entitled to, and your business will be protected from risk.
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