What is a public holiday?
Who is entitled to the public holiday?
1. What is a public holiday?
Public holidays in Morocco are national, religious, or commemorating an event. They are unemployed and paid as days of actual work.
2. Who is entitled to the public holiday?
Are entitled to public holidays:
Public establishments;
Public administrations and contracted services;
Businesses;
liberal professions;
Agricultural exploitations ;
Groupings.
Exceptional cases:
Public holidays are not applicable for people who work in the health sector: hospitals, private clinics, retirement homes, doctors, nurses.
It is possible that work is not interrupted during public holidays for people who work in sectors that necessarily operate continuously due to the vitality of their activities,
These same provisions apply for:
food retail establishments (supermarket, bakery, pastry);
cafes and restaurants;
Hotels ;
entertainment establishments or establishments in which materials liable to rapid deterioration are used.
However, employers are required in these cases to pay their employees additional compensation in addition to the salary corresponding to the work performed.
The Labor Code offers the possibility for the employer and the employee to agree to replace the additional allowance with paid compensatory rest.
NB: Employers authorized to have their employees work on May 1st must pay them twice because only May 1st is compulsory and paid.
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3. List of public holidays in Morocco
The list of public holidays is fixed by decree n° 2-77-169 for the public sector and by decree n° 2-04-426 for the private sector.
People who work in the public sector benefit from 2 public holidays with pay when these are religious holidays.
The private sector can according to certain conventions grant this same privilege to its employees but no law obliges it.
There are 13 public holidays recognized by law in Morocco:
| Public sector | Private sector | ||||
| Dates | Number of days | Paid/unpaid | Number of days | Paid/unpaid | |
| Hegira New Year | 1er Moharrem | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Eid Al Mawlid | 12 and 13 Rabii I | 2 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Eid al fitr | 1er and 2 Chaouels | 2 | Paid | 2 | 1er paid day |
| Eid Al Adha | 10 and 11 Hija | 2 | Paid | 2 | 1er paid day |
| New Year | 1er January | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Commemoration of the presentation of the independence manifesto | 11 January | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Labor Day | 1er Mai | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| throne party | 30 July | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Liberation of Oued Eddahab | August 14 | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Commemoration of the revolution of the King and the people | August 20 | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Youth party | August 21 | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| green march | 6 November | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
| Independence Day | 18 November | 1 | Paid | 1 | Paid |
Moroccan Israelites in the public sector benefit from additional public holidays on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippor.
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4. Calendar of public holidays in Morocco 2022
| Manifesto of Independence | Tuesday, January 11, 2022 |
| Labor Day | Sunday May 1, 2022 |
| Eid Al Fitr | Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 May 2022 |
| Eid al-Adha | Sunday 10 and Monday 11 July 2022 |
| Feast of the Throne | Saturday July 30, 2022 |
| First Moharram | Saturday July 30, 2022 |
| Liberation of Oued Ed-Dahab | Sunday August 14, 2022 |
| The Revolution of King and People | on Saturday August 20, 2022 |
| Youth party | Sunday August 21, 2022 |
| Eid al Mawlid Annabawi | Sunday 9 and Monday 10 October 2022 |
| green march | Sunday, November 6, 2022 |
| Independence Day | Friday, November 18, 2022 |
5. Special situations
Public holidays and paid leave: Public holidays which are included in a period of paid leave cannot be counted as such. For example, an employee having his leave for a whole week which includes a public holiday will only have 5 working days deducted instead of 6 (or 4 working days instead of 5).
Public holiday and day of rest: It may happen that a public holiday coincides with a usual day of rest (including Saturday and Sunday). In principle, this situation has no impact and does not give rise to any obligation to pay or additional rest days, unless there are more favorable contractual provisions.