This article is general information, not legal advice. Public holiday calendars and paid-time-off entitlements vary by country and are updated periodically by law or decree, exact dates and entitlements can shift year to year. Consult a qualified local employment attorney or payroll provider, or the relevant government source, for the current calendar and entitlements before finalizing a schedule. Last updated September 2026.
Planning coverage and deadlines across a distributed LatAm team means knowing two different things for each country: which days are legally non-working (and typically paid at a premium if worked), and how much statutory paid vacation employees accrue. Both differ meaningfully by country, more than most U.S.-based companies expect. This is a good companion read to our overview of what nearshore hiring services include, since holiday and PTO planning is a recurring operational detail once a team is up and running, not just a one-time hiring decision.
Mexico
Mexico's Ley Federal del Trabajo, Article 74, designates a specific list of mandatory rest days (días de descanso obligatorio), including January 1, the first Monday of February (commemorating February 5), the third Monday of March (commemorating March 21), May 1, September 16, the third Monday of November (commemorating November 20), December 1 every six years for presidential inauguration, and December 25, plus any date designated by federal electoral law for a general election. Work performed on these days must generally be paid at triple the normal rate. Paid vacation is governed by Article 76 under the "vacaciones dignas" reform effective January 1, 2023 (see the official DOF decree), which raised the statutory minimum to 12 days after the first year of service, increasing with tenure.
Colombia
Colombia's holiday calendar is set under Ley 51 de 1983, which established the "Ley de Puente" (bridge-day law) moving many civil and religious holidays to the following Monday to create long weekends, resulting in one of the region's higher holiday counts. Paid vacation is set at 15 working days per year of service under CST Article 186, among the lower statutory vacation entitlements in the region, though many employers offer more as a competitive benefit.
Argentina
Argentina's holiday calendar is governed by Ley 27.399, the "Ley de Establecimiento de Feriados y Fines de Semana Largos," which fixes national holidays and additionally allows the executive branch to designate "días no laborables" and shift certain holidays to create long weekends. Paid vacation under LCT Article 150 is notably generous and tenure-based: 14 calendar days for up to five years of service, 21 days for five to ten years, 28 days for ten to twenty years, and 35 days beyond twenty years, among the most generous statutory vacation schedules covered in this guide.
Brazil
Brazil observes a set of federal national holidays fixed by law, plus state and municipal holidays that vary by location, meaning the effective holiday calendar for a Brazil-based hire depends on where in Brazil they're based, not just the federal list. Paid vacation under CLT Articles 129-130 is a flat 30 calendar days per year of service, the most generous flat vacation entitlement among the countries covered here, paid with a mandatory one-third bonus on top of regular vacation pay.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica's Código de Trabajo designates a set of mandatory holidays (feriados de ley), and a separate 2020 reform allows certain holidays to be moved to the following Monday to reduce midweek disruption in specific circumstances. Vacation accrues under the Código de Trabajo based on time worked, with the statutory structure tied to completed periods of service rather than a single flat annual figure.
Planning Around Five Different Calendars
- Build the actual holiday calendar per country and, for Brazil, per state/city, rather than assuming a single LatAm-wide calendar; the count and dates differ meaningfully.
- Budget for holiday-worked premiums if any role requires coverage on a legal holiday, several of these countries mandate a significant pay premium (up to triple time in Mexico) for that work.
- Track vacation accrual by country, since entitlements range from 12-15 days in Mexico and Colombia up to a flat 30 days in Brazil, a meaningful difference when planning coverage and setting expectations with a distributed team.
- Confirm the current-year calendar annually, since bridge-day and Monday-shifting provisions in several of these countries mean the exact non-working dates can shift from a simple fixed list.
How RapiStaffing Handles This
Holiday and vacation tracking is part of ongoing payroll management under our flat 38%-of-salary model, not a separate administrative project your team has to run independently. See our services for employers for the full scope of what's managed on your behalf once a hire is active. For the payroll tax side of these same five countries, see our guide to payroll tax and withholding basics, and for wage and hour rules, see minimum wage, overtime, and working-hours rules across LatAm.
FAQ
Which country has the most paid vacation days?
Brazil, with a flat 30 calendar days per year regardless of tenure, is the most generous among the countries covered here; Argentina's tenure-based schedule can approach or exceed that at longer tenures.
Do public holidays count against an employee's vacation balance?
No, in every country covered here, public holidays and statutory vacation are separate entitlements; a holiday falling during an employee's vacation is generally treated distinctly rather than being absorbed into the vacation days used.
If a Brazil-based employee moves cities, does their holiday calendar change?
It can, since Brazil layers state and municipal holidays on top of the federal calendar. Confirming the applicable local calendar for the employee's actual location is worth doing if a relocation happens.
