It's time to prepare your agenda and plan your next holidays. At the beginning of the new year, you can now find out what are the mandatory public and national holidays in Portugal in 2020. The Portuguese legislation is very clear about national and public holidays and information on this subject is included in the Labor Code, more specifically in Article 234. It lists the days that are officially considered as mandatory national and public holidays and therefore must be respected as days of rest each year. You will have the possibility of planning long week-ends, extended holidays or simply public holidays. Lisbob will guide you through the 2020 calendar and you will find out what it has for you in terms of mandatory public and national holidays. What are the national and public holidays in Portugal in 2020 ? When can I plan my holidays ? Lisbob, the expatriate assistant in Portugal tells you everything about the calendar of public and national holidays in 2020 in Portugal.

WHAT ARE THE MANDATORY BANK HOLIDAYS ?

Statutory holidays are the days when, officially, people must be put on leave by their employer. During mandatory vacations, employers, businesses and institutions are required by law to grant a work exemption to their employees. Alternatively, regarding a company where some workers will have to perform tasks during that day, the company must pay them, paying them more than if it were a normal work day.

What are the mandatory public and national holidays in Portugal in 2020 ?

The compulsory days of leave taken into account by the Portuguese Labor Code are as follows: 1st January, Good Friday, Easter, 25th April, 1st May, Corpus Christi, 10th June, 15th August. October, November 1st, 1st, 8th and 25th of December. The remaining holiday dates may or may not be considered as days off, as is the case for example for the carnival.

Holiday Carnival National Day In Portugal

Carnival tuesday has been adopted in many parts of Portugal as a compulsory national and public holiday, which has been the subject of several attempts to put the issue to parliamentary debate. The strength of this theory is that schools close on this day, recognizing that it is a factor of significant economic dynamism in many municipalities.

Until the obligation of rest is formalized in the law, it is still possible to benefit from the rest for this day, granted by the government. But in formal terms, the carnival Tuesday remains an optional holiday.

What Are The Different Categories Of Public Holidays In Portugal ?

The field of public holidays in Portugal is formed by a group of dates that are only celebrations of a "civil" or "religious" nature, grouped into three different levels:

·     Level 1 - National Holidays

·     Level 2 - Regional Vacations

·     Level 3 - Holidays

Note that in 2020 there will be 13 mandatory public and national holidays in Portugal and an optional day: carnival Tuesday.

What Services Are Closed During Compulsory Public and National Holidays ?

As a general rule, on compulsory national and public holidays, the institutions that finish their activity are the same as those on Sunday. We are talking about schools, banks, post offices and public offices as well as many shops, supermarkets and factories.

List Of Compulsory National and Public Holidays In 2020 In Portugal

Here is the complete list of mandatory National and Public holidays for 2020 in Portugal :

·     January 1st, New Year's Day ;

·     Friday, April 10th (Easter holidays can be observed another day of local importance at the Easter period, for example the Monday of Pascoela) ;

·     Easter Sunday : April 21st ;

·     April 25 : Liberty Day ;

·     Friday May 1st : Labor Day ;

·     June 10th : Portugal National Day ;

·     June 20th : Corpus Christi Day ;

·     Saturday August 15th : Assumption Day of Notre Dame ;

·     Monday October 5th : Implantation of the Republic ;

·     Saturday November 1st : All Saints ;

·     Tuesday December 1st : Restoration of Independence ;

·     Tuesday December 8th : Day of the Immaculate Conception ;

·     Friday, December 25, Christmas Day.

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