Public Holidays

Public holidays are rest days that are distinct from paid holidays.

Statutory holidays

The statutory holidays in Monaco are:

• New Year's Day (1^stJanuary)
• Saint Dévote's Day (27^th January)
• Easter Monday
• The 1^st of May
• Ascension (the Thursday 40 days after Easter)
• Whit Monday (50 days after Easter)
• Corpus Christi (the Thursday 60 days after Easter)
• Assumption (15^th August)
• All Saints' Day (1^st November)
• The Prince's Day (19^th November), the National Day
• The Immaculate Conception (8^th December or 9^th if 8^th is on Sunday)
• Christmas Day (25^th December)

If New Year's Day, the 1^st of May, Assumption, All Saints' Day, the Prince's Day or Christmas Day fall on a Sunday, the following Monday will be a statutory holiday.

Public holidays are obligatory non-working days for all employees.  However, after consultation with staff representatives, or, failing this, with the employees concerned, exemptions may be requested from the Labour Inspector.

Statutory public holidays falling on a non-working day

Payment is obligatory for these days.  Employees who are paid on an hourly or daily basis, or on a piece rate/performance-based rate, must be given the salary that they would have received if they had been working on this day.  Public holidays that fall either on the employee's weekly rest day or on a normal working day that is a non-working day for a particular company, or when part of the day is not usually worked by that company, are also paid.

Payment for a statutory public holiday will only be due if the employee has been present in the company the day before and the day after the public holiday, unless their absence was for exceptional reasons (such as a medically certified accident or illness and some special family circumstances).

Working on Public Holidays

When an employee has to work on a statutory public holiday, he or she is eligible for payment corresponding to the work undertaken:

• Either payment equivalent to their salary
• Or a paid day's leave in compensation

When a public holiday falls during a period of paid leave, it is not counted as part of the total days of paid leave.