Portugal public holidays 2026

Three of Portugal's 2026 holidays depend on Easter, April 5: Good Friday two days before (April 3), Corpus Christi 60 days after (Thursday, June 4) and, among the optional ones, Carnival Tuesday 47 days before (February 17). Easter Sunday itself is a mandatory holiday but always lands on a Sunday.

Apart from Easter, April 25 and August 15 fall on a Saturday; November 1 falls on a Sunday in 2026. The Labour Code does not move them to Monday, so they give no extra day off to people who work Monday to Friday.

In 2026, December 1 and 8 both fall on a Tuesday, which makes two bridges in a row in December.

The 13 mandatory holidays are listed in article 234 of the Código do Trabalho (Labour Code). Four of them, Corpus Christi, October 5, November 1 and December 1, were suspended from 2013 to 2015 (Lei 23/2012) and restored by Lei 8/2016; in 2026 they fall on a Thursday, a Monday, a Sunday and a Tuesday, respectively.

Article 235 adds two optional holidays: Carnival Tuesday, which is February 17 in 2026, and the municipal holiday. They apply only if the employment contract or collective agreement provides for them, and can be swapped for another day agreed with the employer. In the civil service, Carnival depends on the government granting tolerância de ponto that year.

Good Friday (April 3 in 2026) may be observed on another day of local significance in the Easter period (art. 234, no. 2).

A long weekend is a holiday on Monday or Friday. A bridge (ponte) is a holiday on Tuesday or Thursday: one day of leave gives four days off. 2026 has four long weekends and four possible bridges.

Long weekends (no leave needed)

• Friday, April 3 to Sunday, April 5: 3 days · Good Friday (Sexta-Feira Santa), Easter Sunday (Domingo de Páscoa)
• Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3: 3 days · Labour Day (Dia do Trabalhador)
• Saturday, October 3 to Monday, October 5: 3 days · Republic Day (Implantação da República)
• Friday, December 25 to Sunday, December 27: 3 days · Christmas Day (Natal)

Bridge days (one day of leave, four days off)

• Thursday, January 1 to Sunday, January 4: 4 days · New Year's Day (Ano Novo) · take Friday, January 2 off
• Thursday, June 4 to Sunday, June 7: 4 days · Corpus Christi (Corpo de Deus) · take Friday, June 5 off
• Saturday, November 28 to Tuesday, December 1: 4 days · Restoration of Independence (Restauração da Independência) · take Monday, November 30 off
• Saturday, December 5 to Tuesday, December 8: 4 days · Immaculate Conception (Imaculada Conceição) · take Monday, December 7 off

Business days = Monday to Friday minus mandatory holidays that fall on a weekday. Carnival Tuesday and the municipal holiday are not subtracted. In 2026, the months with the fewest business days are February, May, June, and December (20 each), and the one with the most is July (23).

Portugal's 13 mandatory holidays in 2026 are highlighted; Carnival Tuesday is shaded grey. Weeks start on Monday, as Portuguese calendars do. Print with your browser's print command.

Each municipality (concelho) has its own holiday, usually its patron saint's day or a local anniversary, and the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira have regional holidays. In the largest municipalities, in 2026:

Lisboa: Santo António, June 13 (Saturday); Porto: São João, June 24 (Wednesday); Braga: São João, June 24 (Wednesday); Coimbra: Rainha Santa Isabel, July 4 (Saturday); Faro: Elevação a cidade, September 7 (Monday).

How many public holidays does Portugal have in 2026?

13 mandatory national holidays (article 234 of the Labour Code), 9 of them on weekdays. Carnival Tuesday (February 17) and the municipal holiday are optional.

Is Carnival a public holiday in Portugal in 2026?

Carnival Tuesday, February 17, 2026, is an optional holiday: it is a day off only if the contract or collective agreement says so, or the employer grants it. For civil servants it depends on the government's tolerância de ponto.

When is Corpus Christi in Portugal in 2026?

Corpus Christi (Corpo de Deus) is Thursday, June 4, 2026, 60 days after Easter. It has been a mandatory holiday again since Lei 8/2016. Taking Friday, June 5, off gives four days in a row.

If a holiday falls on a weekend in Portugal, is it moved to Monday?

No. The Labour Code does not move holidays; article 234(3) would allow it only for specific holidays by separate law. In 2026, April 25 and August 15 fall on a Saturday; April 5 and November 1 fall on a Sunday, and those dates stay on the weekend.

How many working days are there in Portugal in 2026?

252 working days, counting Monday to Friday and subtracting the 9 mandatory holidays that fall on weekdays. The months with the fewest business days are February, May, June, and December (20 each), and the one with the most is July (23). Carnival and the municipal holiday are not subtracted.