Official Holidays in the Kingdom

Official Holidays in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are dates specified in the Saudi calendar and approved by the government of the Kingdom, as outlined in an article of the Implementing Regulations for Human Resources in the Civil Service, specifically in Title Six, 'Official Holidays/Leaves'. Every year during public holidays, non-essential government offices are closed, classes are usually suspended, and the majority of private sector employees are granted paid leave.

The determination of official holidays is based on their importance to Saudi society. These holidays apply to government departments and institutions, and the private sector, and usually coincide with Islamic holidays or significant historical days.

It falls on September 23 each year and is an official holiday according to a royal order approved by King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2004. The Saudi National Day holiday, as an official celebration, follows the Gregorian calendar, and the Founding Day holiday also follows the Gregorian calendar.

On January 27, 2022, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, issued a royal order that February 22 of each year be a day commemorating the founding of the Saudi state as "Founding Day," and it became an official holiday.

Before June 23, 2013, the weekend was from Thursday to the end of Friday. This changed when King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a decision to move the weekend to Friday and Saturday.

The Eid al-Fitr holiday and the Eid al-Adha holiday in the Kingdom share the characteristic of falling on odd dates associated with religious occasions. The Eid al-Fitr holiday, according to the Hijri calendar, begins from 25 Ramadan to 5 Shawwal, lasting approximately ten days to two weeks. The Eid al-Adha holiday, also called al-Eid al-Kabeer or Eid al-Hajj, begins from 5 to 15 Dhu al-Hijjah.

On January 16, 2024, the Council of Ministers issued a decision requiring government entities that implement the Labor Law in accordance with their regulation and have an independent and approved administrative regulation (authorities, institutions, centers, programs, and the like) to amend their administrative regulations. The amendment stipulates that the number of official holidays for both the Eid al-Fitr holiday and the Eid al-Adha holiday should be a minimum of four working days and a maximum of five working days.

For entities where all employees are subject to the Labor Law, the decision applies to all of their employees. For entities whose employees and workers are subject to more than one law, it applies only to workers subject to the Labor Law.

Government entities whose workers are subject to the Labor Law according to their regulation (authorities, institutions, centers, programs, and the like) and whose administrative regulations have not been approved shall apply the limits on Eid holidays mentioned in the decision.

The unified administrative regulations model stipulated in the rules for approving the provisions regulating the affairs of workers in public agencies and their compensation has been amended. Hence, workers are entitled to paid leave during the two Eids, with a minimum of four working days and a maximum of five working days for each Eid holiday. This decision does not apply to those subject to the Labor Law in government entities that implement the Civil Service Law.

Currently, the Kingdom observes four annual holidays out of a total of five major ones: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Saudi National Day, and Founding Day, in addition to the weekend.

The annual holiday schedule is somewhat influenced by the fixed weekend schedule and is determined based on its compatibility with it.