Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 7. Labor and employment › Vacation and public holidays in the Dominican Republic: 14 or 18 days and the Monday rule

Vacation and public holidays in the Dominican Republic: 14 or 18 days and the Monday rule

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Stable

Workers earn 14 working days of paid vacation after one year and 18 after five years. Vacation pay is due the day before the break and unused days are paid at the end of the contract, whatever the reason. Holidays falling Tuesday to Friday can move to a Monday under Ley 139-97, and the Ministry publishes each year's calendar.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar for 29 October 2026, as shown on its home page on the verification date, rounded to the cent.

Key facts

Paid vacation after one year	14 working daysLey 16-92 art. 177, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Paid vacation after five years	18 working daysLey 16-92 art. 177, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Paid public holidays in the 2026 notice	12 daysLey 139-97 and Ministry notice, as of 2026-01-01 · in force
Exchange rate used for USD conversions	60.9007 DOP per USDBanco Central reference selling rate, as of 2026-10-29 · in force

The rule

1. Workers get 14 working days of paid vacation after one to five years of continuous work and 18 days after five years. By agreement vacation may be split, with at least one week taken together, but not for minors.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 177, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: Text from Ley 97-97 of 1997.

2. The right arises each time a worker completes a year of uninterrupted service.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 178, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Indefinite workers who could not serve a full year through no fault of their own get a proportional amount if they worked more than five months, from six days after five months to 12 days after eleven months.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 179 and art. 180, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Vacation pay is paid the day before the break starts, together with salary earned to that date.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 181, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. A worker on vacation cannot work for anyone, and vacation cannot be swapped for money. Only a worker who leaves without taking it gets cash, whatever the cause of the end of the contract.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 182 and art. 184, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Employers fix vacation dates in the first 15 days of January, send a copy to the labor authority and post it. Workers who qualify later go on added lists within 30 days.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 186 and art. 187, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Employers can move dates if needed, but all workers must take vacation within six months of earning it. A record book signed by the worker is required.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 188 and art. 189, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. Justified absences cannot reduce vacation.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 185, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. Holidays are paid rest days, unless they coincide with the weekly rest. Companies close on Sundays and non working days, with exceptions for hotels, restaurants, pharmacies, utilities and others in art. 169.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 165, art. 166 and art. 169, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. Work on a legal holiday by agreement pays 100% more.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 205, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. Ley 139-97, published in Gaceta Oficial 9957 of 25 June 1997, moves to Monday certain holidays falling on Tuesday to Friday. The Ministry's 2026 notice moved 6 January to 5 January, 1 May to 4 May and 6 November to 9 November.Ley 139-97; Ministerio de Trabajo notice, 2026 calendar, 1997-06-19 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Holiday	Date in 2026	Observed
New Year	Thursday 1 January	Not moved
Santos Reyes	Tuesday 6 January	Monday 5 January
Altagracia	Wednesday 21 January	Not moved
Duarte	Monday 26 January	Not moved
Independence	Friday 27 February	Fixed
Good Friday	Friday 3 April	Fixed
Labor Day	Friday 1 May	Monday 4 May
Corpus Christi	Thursday 4 June	Not moved
Restoration	Sunday 16 August	Not moved
Mercedes	Thursday 24 September	Not moved
Constitution	Friday 6 November	Monday 9 November
Christmas	Friday 25 December	Not moved

2026 holidays from the Ministry of Labor notice

Worked example

A worker on RD$60,000 a month with six years of service leaves with a full unused vacation period. The payout is 18 × RD$2,517.83 = RD$45,321.02 (about US$744.18).

Step by step

Set the vacation plan by 15 January and file it.
Pay vacation the day before it starts.
Have the worker sign the vacation book.
Add new qualifiers within 30 days.
Publish the holiday calendar to staff and plan cover at premium pay.

Common traps

Vacation cannot be cashed out during employment.
The 14 and 18 day counts are working days, not calendar days.
Whether a holiday moves changes every year, so check the Ministry's notice instead of last year's dates.
A bill in Congress in 2026 proposed a 15 day step, but it did not become law.

Sources

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