Number of official holidays is increasing! New regulation will be in Parliament in October...

The AK Party's regulation to declare Nevruz an official holiday is expected to be submitted to TBMM in October. If the proposal is enacted, the duration of official holidays in Turkey will increase to 16.5 days.

FINAL STAGE IN THE WORKS

With the directive of President Erdoğan, the work on declaring Nevruz an official holiday is nearing completion. AK Party Deputy Chairman Kürşad Zorlu stated in April that final adjustments were being made on the prepared draft and that the proposal would be brought to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in due course.

PROPOSAL TO BE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT IN OCTOBER

Due to the Parliament taking a recess in July, deputies are preparing to present several important regulations to the General Assembly in June. According to a report in Sözcü, following discussions on the 12th Judicial Package, student amnesty, and the Income Supplementary Family Support System proposals, the Parliament is expected to go on a three-month recess.

The proposal to declare Nevruz an official holiday will be among the first regulations addressed with the start of the new legislative term. It is planned for the regulation to come to Parliament's agenda in October.

NUMBER OF OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS WILL RISE TO 10

Currently, under the Law on National Holidays and General Holidays, there are 9 official holidays in Turkey.

New Year's Day, April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day, May 1 Labor and Solidarity Day, May 19 Atatürk Commemoration, Youth and Sports Day, July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day, and August 30 Victory Day are all observed as one-day official holidays, while October 29 Republic Day is considered a 1.5-day official holiday. Additionally, there are 3.5 days of official holiday for Ramadan Feast and 4.5 days for the Sacrifice Feast.

TOTAL HOLIDAY DURATION WILL INCREASE TO 16.5 DAYS

Under the current practice, the total official holiday duration of 15.5 days will increase to 16.5 days if Nevruz is included as an official holiday.

If the proposal is enacted, March 21 will become the 10th official holiday added to the Law on National Holidays and General Holidays. It is anticipated that the regulation will be implemented for the first time on March 21, 2027.