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Public holidays in Cyprus 2026–2028: which days are off

Every Cyprus public holiday for 2026–2028 with weekdays. Easter falls on 12 April 2026, 2 May 2027 and 16 April 2028. A weekend holiday is not moved; banks, offices and shops keep different lists.

Public holidays in Cyprus Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check

In short

Who it applies to
Everyone living and working in the Republic of Cyprus. There are 14 common holidays, but the exact list depends on who you are: government offices, banks and shops each have their own, and in a private company the contract sets the days off.
What it costs
A shop employee is paid for the holiday, and for working on it receives at least double pay (1:2). A civil servant working on Easter Sunday, or on a listed holiday that falls on a Sunday, also gets 1:2. In a private company holiday pay is set by the contract or a collective agreement.
How long it takes
A holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday is not moved — neither government offices nor banks get a replacement day. In 2027 that is how 1 May, 15 August, 25 and 26 December are “lost”, in 2028 — 1 January, 25 March, 1 April, 1 and 28 October.
Where to apply
The Republic of Cyprus only. The list for government offices is in the civil service regulations, for banks — in the Central Bank’s list for each year, for shops — in the shops law. The north of the island keeps its own calendar.
If your case differs
The Easter holidays follow Orthodox Easter, not Western: in 2026 the gap is one week, in 2027 five weeks, and in 2028 the two coincide. A holiday that falls within annual leave does not count as a leave day — the leave runs one day longer.

Your case

If you are a civil servant — or are going to a government office

Government offices close on all 14 common holidays and also on 24 December. They do not have Easter Tuesday off — they work that day. Holy Saturday is a holiday only for shift workers.

If you need a bank

Banks close on all 14 common holidays and also on Easter Tuesday, but they work on 24 December. Branches and transactions that run on working days wait for the next working day.

If you work in a shop

The shops law gives you 15 paid holidays. Besides the common ones, they include 2 January and Easter Sunday, but not Good Friday. You can be asked to work on such a day only with your consent and for at least double pay.

If you work for a private company

There is no general law obliging every employer to give each holiday off. Which holidays are days off and how they are paid is set by your contract and your industry’s collective agreement. The law guarantees one thing: a holiday that falls within your leave does not count as a leave day.

Deadlines and conditions

  • Orthodox Easter in 2026 falls on 12 AprilCentral Bank list of bank holidays for 2026: Good Friday 10.04, Easter Monday 13.04.
  • Orthodox Easter in 2027 falls on 2 MayCentral Bank list of bank holidays for 2027: Good Friday 30.04, Easter Monday 03.05.
  • Orthodox Easter in 2028 falls on 16 April, the same day as Western EasterCentral Bank list of bank holidays for 2028 (dated 06.04.2026): Good Friday 14.04, Easter Monday 17.04.
  • 1 January, New Year’s Day: 2026 — Thursday, 2027 — Friday, 2028 — SaturdayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(1)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(γ); Law 155(I)/2006 art. 23(α).
  • 6 January, Epiphany (Θεοφάνεια): 2026 — Tuesday, 2027 — Wednesday, 2028 — ThursdayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(δ); Law 155(I)/2006 art. 23(γ).
  • Green Monday, Καθαρά Δευτέρα, 48 days before Easter: 23 February 2026, 15 March 2027 and 28 February 2028Κ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ε); dates from the Central Bank lists for 2026–2028.
  • 25 March, Greek Independence Day: 2026 — Wednesday, 2027 — Thursday, 2028 — SaturdayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(1)(β); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(στ).
  • 1 April, national day — the start of the EOKA struggle in 1955: 2026 — Wednesday, 2027 — Thursday, 2028 — SaturdayLaw 121/1989 art. 2 — «επίσημη δημόσια αργία»; Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ζ); Law 155(I)/2006 art. 23(δ).
Show all conditions (26)
  • Good Friday, 2 days before Easter: 10 April 2026, 30 April 2027 and 14 April 2028Κ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(η); dates from the Central Bank lists for 2026–2028.
  • Easter Monday, the day after: 13 April 2026, 3 May 2027 and 17 April 2028Κ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(θ); Law 155(I)/2006 art. 23(στ); dates from the Central Bank lists for 2026–2028.
  • Holy Saturday, the day before Easter: 11 April 2026, 1 May 2027 and 15 April 2028 — a holiday only for civil servants on shiftsΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α) as amended by Κ.Δ.Π. 80/1994 — «για τους υπαλλήλους που εργάζονται με το σύστημα βάρδιας»; shop hours — Law 155(I)/2006 art. 20(δ)(ii).
  • Easter Sunday: 12 April 2026, 2 May 2027 and 16 April 2028 — named as a holiday in its own right in the shops law, shops are closedLaw 155(I)/2006 art. 16(ζ) and 23(ε) — «Κυριακή του Πάσχα»; Κ.Δ.Π. 372/1996 — 1:2 pay for civil servants working that day.
  • Easter Tuesday, 2 days after: 14 April 2026, 4 May 2027 and 18 April 2028 — a holiday for banks onlyLaw 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ι); Central Bank lists for 2026 (14.04) and 2027 (04.05). The day is absent from civil service reg. 41 and from art. 16 and 23 of the shops law.
  • 1 May, Labour Day: 2026 — Friday, 2027 — Saturday, which is also Holy Saturday, 2028 — MondayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(1)(γ); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ια); Central Bank list for 2027: «συμπίπτει με Σάββατο».
  • Whit Monday — Kataklysmos, the Festival of the Flood, 50 days after Easter: 1 June 2026, 21 June 2027 and 5 June 2028Κ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α) as amended by 292/1991 and 80/1994; Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ιβ); dates from the Central Bank lists.
  • 15 August, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary: 2026 — Saturday, 2027 — Sunday, 2028 — TuesdayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ιγ); Central Bank lists for 2026 and 2027 — «συμπίπτει με Σάββατο / Κυριακή».
  • 1 October, Cyprus Independence Day: 2026 — Thursday, 2027 — Friday, 2028 — SundayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(1)(δ); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ιδ).
  • 28 October, Ochi Day: 2026 — Wednesday, 2027 — Thursday, 2028 — SaturdayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ιε).
  • 25 December, Christmas Day: 2026 — Friday, 2027 — Saturday, 2028 — MondayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ιστ); Central Bank list for 2027 — «συμπίπτει με Σάββατο».
  • 26 December, the day after Christmas: 2026 — Saturday, 2027 — Sunday, 2028 — TuesdayΚ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41(2)(α); Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5(ιζ); Central Bank lists for 2026 and 2027 — «συμπίπτει με Σάββατο / Κυριακή».
  • government offices and banks share 14 holidays — all the dates aboveWhat Κ.Δ.Π. 98/1991 reg. 41 and Law 13(I)/1996 art. 5 have in common: the 14 dates above.
  • in 2026 both banks and government offices have 13 weekday holidays, but not the same ones: banks have Easter Tuesday, government offices 24 DecemberCentral Bank list for 2026, items 3–15; for the civil service — the 12 common weekday dates and 24 December (Κ.Δ.Π. 306/1994).
  • in 2027 there are only 11 weekday holidays: four holidays fall on a Saturday or SundayCentral Bank list for 2027, items 3–13 and the note on four holidays falling at weekends.
  • in 2028 banks have 10 weekday holidays and government offices 9: five holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday, and 24 December is a SundayCentral Bank list for 2028, items 3–12 and the note on five holidays falling at weekends; for the civil service 24 December 2028 is a Sunday.
  • work on a holiday pays at least 1:2: for a shop employee on any of their 15 holidays, for a civil servant on Easter Sunday and on 6 January, 1 April, 15 August, 28 October, 25 and 26 December when they fall on a SundayΚ.Δ.Π. 372/1996, para. 3 of Schedule Β (civil service); Law 155(I)/2006 art. 18(2) (shop employees).
  • annual leave is at least 20 working days on a five-day week, and holidays are not part of those 20 daysLaw 8/1967 art. 5(1) — 20 days on a five-day week; art. 6(1)(α) — «δημόσιαι αργίαι καθιερωμέναι διά νόμου, εθίμου ή συμβάσεως» do not count as leave.

Sources

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