Public holidays in Belgium (2026)

Last reviewed: 7 November 2026

In short: Belgium has 10 legal public holidays. Employees may not be employed on them unless Sunday work is allowed, they are paid, and a holiday on a Sunday or non-working day is replaced by another working day.

RuleWhat applies
National public holidaysPublic holidaysThe ten legal holidays are 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, 21 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. [1]
Number of national public holidaysPublic holidaysThere are 10 legal public holidays per year. [1]
Working on a public holidayPublic holidaysIn principle an employee may not be employed on the ten holidays, and the employer must pay these days even when not worked. If Sunday work is allowed under the Labour Act of 16 March 1971, the employee may work on a holiday and is then entitled to compensatory rest (inhaalrust). [1]
Shop opening on public holidaysPublic holidays⚠ Not yet verified
Holiday falling on a weekendPublic holidaysIf a holiday falls on a Sunday or on a normal day of inactivity in the company, it must be replaced by another day on a normal working day (substitute day). The joint committee sets it, failing that agreement with the union representative, then a collective agreement, then common consent. Without agreement it is the first normal working day after the holiday. [1]

Notes

  • The page gives no 2026 dates for Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Whit Monday. In some sectors a holiday is replaced by another day, for example 11 November by 1 December in the steel industry (joint committee 104).
  • The page covers private-sector employees; the law does not apply to staff of the State, provinces and municipalities, except in some institutions.
  • The Federal Public Service Employment page read does not cover shop opening, and the opening-hours law (10 November 2006) is on a host whose robots.txt disallows it. No holiday rule for shops was verified.

Sources

  1. FOD Werkgelegenheid, Arbeid en Sociaal Overleg: Feestdagen (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources

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