Spain public holidays 2026: what employers need to know
Key takeaways
- Workers are entitled to up to 14 paid, non-recoverable public holidays (festivos laborales) per year under the Workers' Statute. 9 are nationwide, plus regional and local days.
- Unlike the Netherlands, Spain requires holidays to be paid and non-recoverable by law when they form part of the recognised calendar for that workplace.
- Calendars differ by autonomous community and municipality; payroll must follow each employee's place of work, and you must publish an annual work calendar (ET Art. 34.6).
Introduction
Spain uses a three-tier public holiday system: up to 14 paid public holidays per worker in 2026 under Article 37 of the Workers' Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores). That total comprises 9 nationwide dates common to all 17 autonomous communities, up to 3 additional regional holidays fixed by each community, and 2 local holidays per municipality. The 2026 calendar was published by the Directorate-General of Labor (Resolution of 17 October 2025, BOE-A-2025-21667).
For international employers, an employee in Barcelona and one in Madrid can lawfully have different holiday sets; payroll and HR systems must track the correct regional and local calendar for each worksite.
Key facts at a glance
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Public holidays per worker (max.) | Up to 14 (paid and non-recoverable) |
| Nationwide holidays (2026) | 9 |
| Governed by | Workers' Statute (ET) Art. 37.2, Royal Decree 2001/1983, autonomous community decrees |
| Paid time off on public holidays? | Yes for recognised festivos per ET Art. 37.2 (retribuidos y no recuperables) |
| 2026 calendar | BOE-A-2025-21667 · administracion.gob.es |
How the calendar is built
The four layers
- National non-substitutable (7): Fixed by the state; communities cannot replace them.
- National substitutable (2 in 2026): Epiphany and Holy Thursday. In 2026 all communities retained them.
- Autonomous community (up to 3): Additional days set by each of the 17 communities.
- Local (2): Set by each municipality; not listed in national tables; verify locally.
Nationwide public holidays 2026 (all communities)
The following nine dates apply across Spain in 2026 per BOE-A-2025-21667.
| Date | Day | Holiday (English) | Local name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day | Año Nuevo | Non-substitutable |
| 6 Jan | Tuesday | Epiphany / Three Kings' Day | Epifanía del Señor / Día de Reyes | All communities retained |
| 3 Apr | Friday | Good Friday | Viernes Santo | Non-substitutable |
| 1 May | Friday | Labour Day | Fiesta del Trabajo | Non-substitutable |
| 15 Aug | Saturday | Feast of the Assumption | Asunción de la Virgen | Non-substitutable |
| 12 Oct | Monday | Spain's National Day | Fiesta Nacional de España / Día de la Hispanidad | Non-substitutable |
| 1 Nov | Sunday | All Saints' Day | Todos los Santos | Falls on Sunday (see regional transfer) |
| 8 Dec | Tuesday | Immaculate Conception | Día de la Inmaculada Concepción | Non-substitutable |
| 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas Day | Natividad del Señor | Non-substitutable |
Sunday holidays in 2026: All Saints' Day (1 November, Sunday) and Constitution Day (6 December, Sunday) fall on weekends. Most autonomous communities formally move observance to the following Monday (often 2 November and 7 December). Confirm the published decree for each region where you employ staff.
Holy Thursday (2 April): A public holiday in nearly every region except Catalonia and the Valencian Community. It usually counts toward the 14-day autonomous allocation. Check each community's official calendar.
Selected regional holidays by autonomous community (2026)
Examples from BOE-A-2025-21667 and community decrees. This list is not exhaustive; always verify local and municipal days.
| Date | Holiday (English) | Local name | Communities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Apr | Holy Thursday | Jueves Santo | All except Catalonia and Valencian Community |
| 6 Apr | Easter Monday | Lunes de Pascua | Balearic Islands, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, Navarre, Basque Country, La Rioja, Valencian Community |
| 23 Apr | St. George's Day / Castile and León Day | San Jorge / Día de Castilla y León | Aragón, Castile and León |
| 2 May | Community of Madrid Day | Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid | Community of Madrid |
| 30 May | Canary Islands Day | Día de Canarias | Canary Islands |
| 9 Jun | La Rioja Day / Murcia Region Day | Día de La Rioja / Día de la Región de Murcia | La Rioja, Murcia |
| 24 Jun | St. John's Day | Día de San Juan | Catalonia, Galicia, Valencian Community |
| 25 Jul | St. James / Galicia National Day | Santiago Apóstol / Día Nacional de Galicia | Basque Country, Galicia |
| 8 Sep | Extremadura Day / Asturias Day | Día de Extremadura / Día de Asturias | Extremadura, Asturias |
| 11 Sep | National Day of Catalonia | Diada Nacional de Catalunya | Catalonia |
| 2 Nov | Monday substitute for All Saints | Traslado de Todos los Santos | Most autonomous communities |
| 7 Dec | Monday substitute for Constitution Day | Traslado del Día de la Constitución | Most autonomous communities |
| 26 Dec | St. Stephen's Day | Sant Esteve | Balearic Islands, Catalonia |
Employer and payroll obligations
Are paid public holidays legally required?
Yes. ET Article 37.2 treats recognised public holidays as paid and non-recoverable (retribuidos y no recuperables) within the 14-day framework. Employers cannot routinely claw back hours for festivos, and must reflect them in the annual work calendar (calendario laboral anual) under Article 34.6.
This differs from purely contractual systems: once a date is part of the applicable calendar for that workplace, statutory pay protection applies alongside collective agreements (convenios colectivos), which may improve terms.
Legal reference: ET Art. 37.2 (14 paid non-recoverable festivos) · RD 2001/1983 Art. 47 (minimum 75% premium if work on a festivo is required, unless compensatory rest) · ET Art. 34.6 (annual calendar, consultation with representatives) · Labour Inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) enforces breaches.
Weekend holidays and transfers
Spanish law does not create a single automatic national substitute day when a holiday falls on Saturday or Sunday; many communities transfer observance by decree (as with All Saints and Constitution Day in 2026 in most regions). Always read the formal regional publication.
Working on a public holiday
If work on a festivo is exceptionally required, Article 47 of RD 2001/1983 requires at least a 75% wage supplement on hours worked unless equivalent compensatory rest is agreed. Many convenios set higher rates or additional rest.
Annual leave and puentes
Statutory annual leave is 30 calendar days (often quoted as 22 working days), separate from public holidays. When a holiday falls on Tuesday or Thursday, employees often book the adjacent day to form a puente (long weekend). In 2026, plan around Epiphany (Tuesday 6 January), the Easter weekend, 12 October (Monday), and the December cluster.
What this means for international employers
Seventeen regional calendars plus municipal local days make Spain one of the more complex EU holiday regimes. Obligations attach to the employee's place of work, not the employer's registered office.
You must compile, display, and agree the annual work calendar per workplace. Since 2019, registro horario (daily time records) is mandatory. Misclassification of contractors (falso autónomo) can trigger back pay for holiday entitlements and social security. Many foreign companies use an EOR or outsourced payroll to manage convenio rules, calendars, and inspections risk.
Hiring in Spain?
Jackson & Frank provides EOR, visa support, and outsourced HR and payroll across Spain. Contact our team to map calendars and compliance for your workforce.
Sources
- BOE-A-2025-21667, public holidays 2026: boe.es
- BOE-A-2025-23702, non-working days calendar 2026: boe.es
- administracion.gob.es, working hours and leave: administracion.gob.es
- Estatuto de los Trabajadores (RDL 2/2015) on boe.es
- Garrigues, Spain work calendar 2026 (summary from BOE): garrigues.com