Annual Leave and Public Holidays in Armenia

Employers operating in Armenia — especially those managing international teams or subsidiaries — must navigate local labor laws to remain compliant. Two key areas are paid annual leave and public holidays, which are governed by the Armenian Labor Code. This guide explains the rules and entitlements for annual leave and official public holidays in Armenia as of 2026, with practical examples and legal references. It is designed for HR professionals, employers, and consultants to ensure company policies meet local requirements.

Annual leave entitlements under Armenian labor law

Armenian law provides generous paid annual leave to employees. The Labor Code guarantees a minimum amount of annual leave for all employees and outlines how leave is accrued, taken, and paid. Understanding these rules is crucial for compliance.

Minimum annual leave duration and eligibility

All employees in Armenia are entitled to paid annual leave — this is a fundamental right under the Labor Code. The minimum duration of annual leave for a full-time employee is 20 working days for a five-day workweek, or 24 working days for a six-day workweek. In practice, this equates to four calendar weeks of vacation per year. Part-time employees are also entitled to the minimum annual leave, not prorated down — the law explicitly states that part-time status does not reduce leave entitlement.

Employers cannot offer less than this minimum. Many international employers are surprised by how high this statutory minimum is — comparable to European standards — and must adjust their company policies accordingly. For instance, a company accustomed to giving 10 business days of vacation would be non-compliant in Armenia, where the legal minimum is roughly double that.

Eligibility: Employees begin to accrue leave from the start of employment, but the Code stipulates that annual leave for the first year is typically granted after six months of continuous employment with the company. However, this six-month waiting rule can be waived by agreement. The law allows employers and new employees to agree to take leave earlier within the first six months if desired — a provision especially useful for international hires or transfers who might need time off sooner. Starting from the second year of employment, annual leave can be taken at any time during the working year as per the agreed leave schedule.

Leave notice: Under Armenian labor law, employees are required to give at least 3 days advance notice when requesting annual leave. Employers should incorporate this requirement into their internal leave request procedures.

Example — First-year eligibility: Suppose an employee joins a company in Armenia on February 1, 2026. By August 1, 2026 (after six months of uninterrupted work), they become eligible to take their annual leave for the first working year. If the employer and employee agree, the employee could even take some leave before August (e.g., a short vacation in June 2026), because the law permits early annual leave by mutual consent. In the second year (2027), the employee could schedule their annual leave at any time during the year according to the company’s leave plan.

Accrual of leave: Although Armenian law does not require a monthly accrual system (it grants the full annual entitlement for each working year), many employers calculate accrual for administrative purposes. Over a 12-month period, 20 working days of leave equates to about 1.67 days per month of service. If an employee leaves the company before using all their leave, they are typically entitled to payment for any accrued but unused leave. Likewise, if an employee has worked only part of the year, their paid leave upon departure is pro-rated based on the length of service in that year.

Extended and additional annual leave (special cases)

While 20 working days is the minimum for most employees, Armenian law provides extended and additional annual leave for certain categories of workers due to the nature of their work.

Extended annual leave: Employees in jobs that involve great nervous, emotional and intellectual strain or professional risk are entitled to an extended vacation of up to 25 working days for a five-day workweek (30 for six-day), and in exceptional cases up to 35 working days for a five-day workweek (42 for six-day). The Government of Armenia defines which positions qualify. This typically covers teachers, high-stress technical roles, or other roles explicitly listed by government decree.

Additional annual leave: Certain working conditions warrant additional leave days on top of the minimum. Under Armenian labor law, additional annual leave may be granted to employees working in harmful or dangerous conditions, those with unregulated (irregular) work schedules, or those doing special nature work. The government defines the specific categories and the minimum extra days for each. This additional leave is added to the 20-day base leave.

If a worker qualifies for both extended and additional leave, they choose either the extended leave or the minimum plus additional days — they do not double-count both. In practice, most office-based or standard jobs will stick to the minimum 20 working days. HR should check if any roles in their organization fall under government lists for extended or additional leave and reflect entitlements in employment contracts.

Scheduling annual leave and company policies

Timing of leave: Annual leave is generally taken during the working year in which it is earned. The “working year” for each employee is defined as the 12-month period starting from their hire date. Employers commonly use a leave schedule to plan when employees will take vacations. If there is a collective agreement it may set out the scheduling procedure; otherwise, the schedule is set by mutual agreement between employer and employee.

Splitting leave: Armenian law allows annual leave to be taken in parts, but with an important restriction: one portion must be a continuous period of at least 10 working days (two calendar weeks) for a five-day workweek employee, or 12 working days for a six-day workweek. The employee is legally entitled to at least two weeks of uninterrupted vacation. Splitting into smaller pieces is possible only if the employee agrees.

Employee preferences: After six months of employment, certain employees have a legal right to choose their vacation time. Priority is given to employees under 18, pregnant employees or those raising a child under 14, and husbands during their wife’s maternity leave. Similarly, employees pursuing education can align vacations with exam periods, and teachers can take leave during school holidays in their first year of work.

Company approval: Employers have the right to approve the timing of leave based on business needs, as long as the employee gets their full entitlement within the year. It is best practice to have a clear leave policy: requiring leave requests to be submitted in writing at least 3 days in advance, and handling overlapping requests fairly.

Employer’s obligation to ensure leave is taken

Annual leave is intended to be used for rest and cannot be indefinitely postponed. Armenian labor law does not encourage hoarding of leave. An amendment effective December 1, 2023 introduced a mechanism for employers to ensure employees take their vacation.

Forcing leave after 2.5 years: If an employee continuously avoids or refuses to take annual leave for two and a half years, the employer now has the right to unilaterally schedule the employee’s leave in the next period. The employer must also pay a penalty fee: 0.15% of the employee’s average monthly salary for each day of leave postponed beyond the 2.5-year window, up to a maximum of one month’s salary. This amendment is not retroactive for leave accumulated before December 1, 2023.

Carry-over of leave: As a general rule, annual leave should be used in the year it is earned. However, the Armenian Labor Code allows unused leave to be carried over to the following year if the employee agrees. No special justification is required — the employee’s consent or request is sufficient to defer unused leave. Employers cannot unilaterally postpone an employee’s leave into the next year without such consent.

Payment during annual leave (vacation pay)

Wages during leave: During paid annual leave, an employee must receive their average wage so that going on holiday does not financially disadvantage them. Armenian law calculates vacation pay based on the employee’s average earnings over the preceding 12 months. The employer computes an average daily wage and multiplies by the number of leave days.

Timing of payment: Vacation pay must be paid in advance of the leave — at least three days before the employee’s leave starts. If the employer fails to pay on time (through no fault of the employee), the employee’s leave is extended by the number of days of delay in payment, and those extra days are also paid as leave. This is a strong incentive for employers to pay promptly.

No work during leave: Annual leave is a rest period — the employee is not to perform work. The employment position is held for them. Recall from leave is only allowed with the employee’s consent. An employee cannot be forced to cut short their vacation, and if they agree to return early, any unused days must be rescheduled.

Unused leave and compensation

Armenian law strongly encourages that employees take their minimum annual leave in kind, rather than employers paying out vacation days. The Labor Code explicitly states that the minimum annual leave may not be replaced by monetary compensation during employment. Employers cannot skip giving time off by paying extra salary — such “vacation buy-out” practices would violate Armenian labor law.

Payment in lieu of leave is allowed when an employee is terminating employment. In these cases, any unused leave days must be compensated in cash. Importantly, under Armenian labor law, the term “unused leave” encompasses all types of leave — not only annual leave. This means that upon termination, the payout obligation extends to any accrued but unused leave of any type the employee was entitled to.

Maintain clear records of each employee’s accrued and used leave. Upon termination, calculate exactly how many days were earned versus taken. For instance, if an employee worked half the year and is leaving, they earned half of their annual leave entitlement (about 10 working days out of 20) — pay those out if not taken.

Overlapping public holidays and annual leave

When a public holiday occurs during an employee’s vacation period, that day is not charged as a vacation day. Under Armenian law, public holidays are separate paid non-working days and should not be counted against annual leave entitlement.

Example: An employee takes two weeks of annual leave from April 20 to May 3, 2026. Within this interval, April 24 (Genocide Remembrance Day) and May 1 (Labor Day) are public holidays. The employer should not count these as vacation days. The employee uses 8 of their annual leave days for the other workdays, and the holidays are paid separately — effectively extending uninterrupted time off without reducing the vacation balance.

HR should configure leave tracking systems so public holidays do not deduct from PTO. Armenia’s 13 public holidays are in addition to annual vacation. Always double-check each leave request period for any holiday overlap.

Public holidays in Armenia: employer obligations

In addition to annual leave, Armenia has a set of official public holidays each year on which employees are entitled to time off. These holidays are established by law and must be granted as paid non-working days. Both local and international employers need to be aware of these dates to plan work schedules, office closures, and payroll.

Legal status of public holidays

The Armenian Labor Code treats public holidays as non-working days with full pay. No work should be performed except for jobs that cannot be stopped (continuous operations, emergency services, etc.).

If an employee does work on a public holiday, labor law requires premium compensation — typically at least double pay. Alternatively, the employer can arrange a substitute rest day. Companies should document any holiday work and compensation.

Public holidays are distinct from weekends. Armenia generally has a five-day workweek with Saturday and Sunday as rest days. Public holidays may fall on any day of the week and are observed on their calendar date. Unlike some countries, Armenia does not automatically move a holiday to Monday if it falls on a weekend. However, the government sometimes issues decrees to create long weekends by swapping workdays — these are ad hoc decisions and not guaranteed.

Official public holidays in Armenia

As of 2026, Armenia recognizes 13 official public holidays per year:

• December 31 — New Year’s Eve
• January 1 — New Year’s Day
• January 2 — New Year’s Day (Day 2)
• January 6 — Christmas Day (Armenian Christmas and Epiphany)
• January 27 — Memorial Day (honoring those who fell in defense of the homeland)
• January 28 — Army Day
• March 8 — International Women’s Day
• April 24 — Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
• May 1 — Labor Day
• May 9 — Victory and Peace Day
• May 28 — Republic Day (First Republic Day)
• July 5 — Constitution Day
• September 21 — Independence Day

Employers should treat these days as paid non-working days. It is advisable to circulate an annual holiday schedule to all employees at the beginning of the year so everyone is aware of office closures or special pay arrangements.

Note on religious holidays: Armenia has other observances such as Easter and Vardavar. However, only the 13 holidays listed above are official non-working days under labor law. Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are not public holidays by law, so they are regular working days unless an employer voluntarily grants a day off. Companies should not confuse cultural observances with legal holidays.

Managing public holidays in the workplace

HR and payroll considerations: On public holidays, full-time salaried employees receive their normal salary with no deductions. Hourly workers or those on shift work who are given the day off should also be paid for their scheduled hours. Employers should configure payroll systems so holidays are not counted as leave or absence. When a holiday falls on Saturday, employees on a Monday–Friday schedule do not receive additional compensation — there is no legal requirement for a “day in lieu,” though an employer may offer one as a perk.

For businesses that operate on weekends, a Saturday or Sunday holiday means those scheduled to work must either be given the day off or paid the overtime rate. Plan staffing well in advance for holidays: determine whether you will close operations entirely or keep minimal staff, and inform employees of any extra pay or alternative days off.

International companies: If you follow U.S. or European holidays, ensure you also incorporate the Armenian holidays for your Armenian staff. Even if HQ does not close on January 28 (Army Day), the Armenian office or employees should not be asked to work unless properly compensated. Many multinational companies maintain a country-specific holiday calendar for each office.

Bridging holidays: The Armenian government often creates long weekends by declaring a Friday off and making a nearby Saturday a working day. These decisions are usually announced in advance. Although these one-time bridge days are not in the Labor Code, honoring them can simplify operations since many employees may take off anyway.

Compliance tips for employers and HR professionals

Managing annual leave and public holidays in Armenia requires balancing legal requirements with practical workforce management. Here are key compliance tips for international companies and HR teams.

Align company policy with local law. Review your employment contracts and internal HR policies to ensure the annual leave policy meets the Armenian minimum (20 working days for 5-day week) and that all 13 official holidays are recognized. If your global policy offers more generous leave, that is acceptable — but you cannot go below the local minimum.

Leave scheduling system. Implement a transparent system for requesting and approving leave. Given the rule that one portion must be at least 10 working days, encourage employees to take at least a two-week block. Ensure the system enforces the 3-day advance notice requirement.

Track unused leave. Keep track of leave balances and watch for employees not taking leave. The 2.5-year rule means HR should flag anyone who has not taken vacation in about 2 years and encourage them to schedule time off. It is far better to have them take a break than to reach the point of forcing leave and paying a penalty.

Public holiday staffing. Plan ahead for each public holiday. If your operation must run, arrange a rota and inform employees of their rights (like double pay) for holiday work. Communicate holiday closures early — many businesses issue a memo in December for the next year’s holidays.

Educate foreign managers. If you have expatriate managers, make sure they understand Armenian leave norms. A manager in another country might not expect that Armenian employees have a legal right to nearly a month of vacation and 13 holidays. Denying leave or pressuring employees not to take time off would be illegal and counterproductive.

Stay updated. Labor law updates can occur — such as the 2023 amendments on leave accumulation and the 2026 addition of Memorial Day. Stay informed of any changes and consult local legal advisors when needed.

Frequently asked questions