Paid leave, maternity leave and public holidays in Cameroon
The 1992 Labour Code (Law No. 92/007 of 14 August 1992) sets a minimum floor of leave for every employee it covers: paid annual leave, maternity leave and time off for family events. Collective agreements and contracts may be more generous, never less. Public holidays are governed by a 1973 law on legal holidays.
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Paid annual leave
Employees earn one and a half working days of paid leave per month of actual service, or 18 working days for a full year (section 89). Four weeks or 24 working days count as a month. Periods treated as actual work include time off for workplace accidents or occupational illness, medically certified sick leave up to six months, maternity leave and temporary lay-off.
| Situation | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| General rule | 1.5 working days a month (18 days a year) |
| Workers under 18 | 2.5 working days a month (30 days a year) |
| Length of service | +2 working days per full period of 5 years' service with the employer, continuous or not |
| Working mothers | +2 working days per child under six who is registered and lives in the household (only 1 day if the main leave is six days or less), on top of the seniority bonus |
- The right to take leave is acquired after one year's service; a more generous agreement may require up to two years (section 92).
- Leave of more than 12 working days may be split by mutual agreement, provided one part is at least 12 consecutive working days (section 90).
- Paying cash instead of leave is forbidden, except when the contract ends before the employee could take it: they then receive compensation in lieu. The claim lapses three years after work ends (section 92).
Holiday pay
During leave the employee does not receive their usual salary but a âholiday allowanceâ, which the employer must pay no later than the day before departure (section 93). Its calculation is set by a decree adopted after consulting the National Labour Advisory Commission. The Code specifies that commissions, bonuses and allowances that do not reimburse expenses are included, at their monthly average over at most the last twelve months of service (section 65).
The text of the implementing decree setting the exact formula could not be found online: if in doubt, the industry's collective agreement and the labour inspectorate are authoritative.
Maternity, breastfeeding and birth
| Right | Length | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity leave | 14 weeks, starting 4 weeks before the expected due date; +6 weeks for illness arising from pregnancy or childbirth | CNPS: daily allowance equal to the salary received when the contract was suspended |
| Breastfeeding breaks | Up to 1 hour per working day, for 15 months after the birth | Employer (working time) |
| Birth of a child to the employee's partner (father) | 3 days' special leave | Employer, with no pay deduction |
If the birth comes early, leave is extended so the employee still gets her 14 weeks; if it comes late, prenatal leave is lengthened without cutting postnatal leave. During a medically confirmed pregnancy and during the leave, the employer may not dismiss her on that ground; she herself may end her contract without notice (section 84). The Labour Code does not provide for paternity leave as such.
Leave for family events
Up to ten days a year, employees are entitled to paid special leave, not deducted from annual leave, for events affecting their own household (section 89(4)). Decree No. 75/DF/29 of 10 January 1975 sets out the details, according to WageIndicator:
| Event | Length |
|---|---|
| Employee's own wedding | 3 days |
| Death of father, mother, spouse or child | 3 days |
| Wife giving birth | 3 days |
| Child's wedding | 1 day |
Unpaid leave, not deducted from annual leave, may also be granted for workers' education or trade-union training courses; up to 18 working days, it counts as actual work for seniority and leave purposes (section 91).
Official public holidays
Legal holidays are set by Law No. 73/5 of 7 December 1973. It distinguishes civil holidays (New Year, Youth Day, Labour Day, National Day) from religious ones, Christian and Muslim. The dates of the two Muslim festivals depend on the sighting of the moon: they are announced a few days beforehand by the National Crescent Moon Commission, in a statement read on CRTV. In 2025, Cameroon thus marked the end of Ramadan on Monday 31 March, a day after several neighbouring countries.
| Holiday | Type | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Civil, fixed (1 January) | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Youth Day | Civil, fixed (11 February) | Wednesday 11 February | Thursday 11 February |
| End of Ramadan (Djoulde Soumae, Eid al-Fitr) | Religious, movable | Friday 20 March (forecast) | Tuesday 9 March (forecast) |
| Good Friday | Religious, movable | Friday 3 April | Friday 26 March |
| Labour Day | Civil, fixed (1 May) | Friday 1 May | Saturday 1 May |
| Ascension Day | Religious, movable (39 days after Easter) | Thursday 14 May | Thursday 6 May |
| National (Unity) Day | Civil, fixed (20 May) | Wednesday 20 May | Thursday 20 May |
| Feast of the Sacrifice (Tabaski, Eid al-Adha) | Religious, movable | Wednesday 27 May (forecast) | Sunday 16 May (forecast) |
| Assumption Day | Religious, fixed (15 August) | Saturday 15 August | Sunday 15 August |
| Christmas Day | Religious, fixed (25 December) | Friday 25 December | Saturday 25 December |
The Central African Stock Exchange (BVMAC), based in Douala, for example closed on Wednesday 20 May 2026 for National Day, resuming trading the next day.
When a holiday falls on a Sunday
- Civil holiday: when it falls on a Sunday or another holiday, the following day is treated as that holiday for working conditions and pay, with no decree needed. That is what happened on Monday 2 May 2016, when 1 May fell on a Sunday (Le360).
- Religious holiday: the move to Monday is not automatic; it requires a decision by the President of the Republic (Le360).
- âBridgeâ days: when a legal holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Friday, the adjoining day may be declared a holiday by presidential decree (section 4 of the 1973 law, as cited by Journal du Cameroun).
In 2027, Assumption Day (15 August) and, on current forecasts, Tabaski (16 May) fall on a Sunday: any Monday off will depend on a presidential decision. No carry-over rule exists for a holiday falling on a Saturday, such as 1 May 2027.
Frequently asked questions
How many days of annual leave do you get in Cameroon?
The law grants 1.5 working days per month of service, or 18 working days a year, plus 2 days for each 5 years of service. Workers under 18 get 2.5 days a month.
How long is maternity leave in Cameroon?
Fourteen weeks, starting four weeks before the expected due date, extendable by six weeks for pregnancy-related illness. The CNPS pays a daily allowance equal to the salary.
Is there paternity leave in Cameroon?
Not as such. Fathers get 3 days of paid special leave when their wife gives birth, within a cap of 10 days a year for family events.
How many public holidays are there in Cameroon?
Ten: four civil holidays (1 January, 11 February, 1 May, 20 May), four Christian ones (Good Friday, Ascension, Assumption, Christmas) and two Muslim ones (end of Ramadan and Tabaski).
If 20 May falls on a Sunday, is the Monday a holiday?
Yes: for civil holidays, the 1973 law automatically treats the next day as the holiday. For religious holidays, a decision by the President is required.
Can you be paid instead of taking your leave?
No, it is forbidden, unless the contract ends before the employee could take the leave: they then receive compensation based on the days earned.
Handle with care
The text of Law No. 73/5 on legal holidays was not consulted directly: the list and carry-over rules come from the press (Journal du Cameroun, Le360) and online calendars. Office Holidays adds the Prophet's Birthday (Mawlid) as a day off, which neither Wikipedia nor the Cameroonian press consulted does: it is not included here. The 2026 and 2027 Muslim holiday dates are forecasts, not official dates announced in Cameroon. The decree setting how holiday pay is calculated was not found. Maternity leave lasts 14 weeks under the Labour Code (section 84) and according to the SSA; CLEISS gives 15 paid weeks. The version of the Code consulted reads âchild aged sixâ for the mothers' bonus; it is generally read as âunder sixâ. Pay rates for working on a public holiday were not checked against an official text.