President signs decree approving additional days off and holiday shifts for 2026

A presidential decree titled “On establishing additional non-working days and rescheduling days off during the period of official holidays in 2026” has been signed.

Photo: Presidential press service

Under the decree, December 31, 2025 is designated as a day off for all employees, regardless of the type of workweek.

The decree also sets the following days off in 2026:

for all employees, regardless of the type of workweek: January 2 – Friday; May 28 – Thursday; May 29 – Friday; August 31 – Monday;
for employees working a six-day workweek: January 3 – Saturday; May 30 – Saturday; December 31 – Thursday.

In addition, pursuant to Article 208 of the Labor Code, the non-working public holidays of March 8 – International Women’s Day, which in 2026 falls on a Sunday – a regular day off – as well as March 21 – Navruz, and May 9 – Day of Remembrance and Honor, which fall on Saturdays for employees working a five-day workweek, have been moved to the following Mondays: March 9, March 23, and May 11, 2026, respectively.

The decree stipulates that days off will not be rescheduled for work that cannot be suspended on public holidays due to production-related, technical, or organizational conditions, including continuous production processes, daily public services, shift-based work, and similar activities.

For employees working a five-day workweek, a day off in 2026 has been moved from Saturday, December 12, to Thursday, December 31.

Taking into account the extension of public (non-working) holidays, the decree also provides for measures to ensure meaningful leisure opportunities for the population:

the Tourism Committee and the Agency for Cultural Heritage will organize discounts and promotional campaigns for tourist attractions, including cultural heritage sites and museums, as well as hotel services;
the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan is recommended, together with the Ministry of Health, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, and regional and Tashkent city administrations, to provide discounts and organize promotional campaigns for sanatoriums and health resorts;
Uzbekistan Airways JSC and Uzbekistan Railways JSC are recommended to offer discounts and promotional campaigns for domestic transport services.