Leave in Colombia
Capital
Bogota
Official Language
Spanish
Currency
Colombian Peso
Payroll cycle
Monthly, Bi-Weekly
Quick facts about Colombia
Straddling the border between Central and South America, Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. From the country’s high altitude sprawling capital Bogotá to the Caribbean island San Andres, Colombia offers some of the best natural resources in the world. The country is known for its robust education system, which makes it an appealing place to build out a local employment hub.
Leave in Colombia is broken up into annual leave, national holidays, and other miscellaneous leave, such as maternity leave and sick leave. Some payments for leave come directly from the Colombian social security system, while the rest of the costs and leave come directly from the employer.
Vacation leave in Colombia
All employees in Colombia are entitled to 15 days of vacation leave after 1 year of service.
Employers must give the employee notice if their vacation leave has been approved at least 15 days prior to the start of the holiday. If any extenuating circumstances arise where the employee must return to work for part of their vacation, once the problem has been solved, they are legally allowed to resume their holiday for the duration of the original time requested off.
Employees are generally allowed to request compensation in lieu of vacation for up to half of their vacation days. The employee must do so in writing and the salary they last earned is the amount their vacation pay is based off of.
All employees are entitled to take at least 6 days of annual leave per year. They can accumulate their leave for up to two years. During their vacation period, employees must be paid at their regular monthly salary.
Colombian labor code states that terminated employees who have not used their vacation time are entitled to payment as compensation as part of their severance agreement.
Public holidays
Employees in Colombia are entitled to have 18 mandatory national holidays each year as paid time off, including:
Holiday | 2023 Date |
New Years Day | January 1, 2023 |
Saint Joseph’s Day | March 19, 2023 |
Maundy Thursday | April 6, 2023 |
Assumption of Mary | April 15, 2023 |
Good Friday | April 7, 2023 |
Labor Day | May 1, 2023 |
Ascension | May 23, 2023 |
Epiphany (Three Kings Day) | June 6, 2023 |
Corpus Christi | June 8, 2023 |
Sacred Heart | June 19, 2023 |
Saint Peter and Saint Paul | June 29, 2023 |
Independence Day | July 20, 2023 |
Battle of Boyaca | August 7, 2023 |
The Day of the Race | October 12, 2023 |
All Saint’s Day | November 1, 2023 |
Independence of Caratenga | November 11, 2023 |
Immaculate Conception | December 8, 2023 |
Christmas Day | December 25, 2023 |
Smaller jurisdictions and townships in Colombia have additional holidays, so always be aware of where you’re hiring.
Other leave in Colombia
Sick Leave
If an employee is sick, they are entitled to ⅔ their minimum monthly salary for the first 2 days that they miss, paid directly by the employer. After the 3rd day and up to 180 days, they are still entitled to ⅔ of their salary, but this payment comes from their social security.
When an employee is injured on the job, they are given 100% of their salary.
Maternity/Paternity Leave
New mothers are entitled to 14 weeks of paid maternity leave. This leave can start up to 2 weeks before labor, and can go for 12 weeks after giving birth.
New fathers are entitled to 2 weeks of paid paternity leave for both birth and adoption. Depending on the circumstances, paid paternity leave can be extended from 1 week to up to 5 weeks.
Maternity and paternity leave are provided through the country’s social security system paid for by tax contributions from both the employee and employer.
Bereavement Leave
In the event of the death of a parent, in-law, grandparent, sibling, child or spouse, employees are entitled to 5 days of paid bereavement leave.
Marriage Leave
Colombian labor laws state that upon marriage, employees must receive days of paid leave for their wedding.
All other leave
Employees are entitled to leave for voting, in the cases of domestic violence, to carry out union work, or to attend the funeral of a colleague. The employee can choose to lose a day of work or to work an additional day to make up for the lost time.
Why companies partner with Via
Via makes hiring talent around the world and building your global team seamless by helping you onboard workers in as little as 2-3 business days. With our easy-to-use platform, Via helps you manage local HR processes for direct employment such as work visas & permits, employee data privacy compliance, benefits, global payroll, background checks, and more. Our team of local labor lawyers and on-the-ground experts provide 24-hour local support and ensure that your company remains compliant while expanding abroad. As your employer-of-record/entity abroad, Via assumes responsibility for employment liability, so that you can focus on what matters: recruiting and managing your team.
