Public Holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina [2026]

Are you living in Bosnia and Herzegovina or going on holiday there? Here’s a practical guide to the public holidays you need to know in 2026, plus the dates already visible for 2027 and 2028.

Whether you live in Bosnia and Herzegovina or are just visiting, it helps to plan around public holidays early. In this country, the calendar is not completely uniform. Some holidays apply across the whole country, while others apply only in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, or Brčko District.

That regional split matters in real life. A date that is a non-working day in one part of the country may be a normal working day elsewhere, especially for religious holidays and entity-level commemorations.

Public Holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina

How many public holidays are there in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

There is no single nationwide total that works neatly for every part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 2026 calendar published by Timeanddate shows 6 federal or national public holidays, plus a separate layer of local, optional, and entity-specific holidays. In practice, that means your actual days off depend on where you live and which legal calendar applies to your workplace or institution.

The most widely shared non-working dates in 2026 are New Year’s Day on 1 and 2 January, Labour Day on 1 and 2 May, and then a smaller set of regional public holidays such as Independence Day in the Federation and Dayton Peace Agreement Day in Republika Srpska. Religious holidays such as Catholic Easter Monday, Orthodox Christmas, Orthodox Easter Monday, and Catholic Christmas are also observed differently depending on region and community.

The most important public holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The best-known dates across the country are New Year’s Day, Labour Day, and the entity-specific national dates such as Independence Day on 1 March in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Statehood Day on 25 November in the Federation. In Republika Srpska, commonly listed regional dates include Orthodox Christmas, Victory Day on 9 May, and Dayton Peace Agreement Day on 21 November.

Public Holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2026

DateDayHolidayApplies inIs it usually a day off work?
1 January 2026ThursdayNew Year’s DayNationwideYes
2 January 2026FridayNew Year’s Day (Day 2)NationwideYes
6 January 2026TuesdayOrthodox Christmas EveRepublika SrpskaNot always
7 January 2026WednesdayOrthodox Christmas DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
9 January 2026FridayDay of Republika SrpskaRepublika SrpskaNot always
14 January 2026WednesdayOrthodox New YearRepublika SrpskaNot always
1 March 2026SundayIndependence DayFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
2 March 2026MondayDay off for Independence DayFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
20 March 2026FridayEid al-FitrFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaNot always
3 April 2026FridayGood FridayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
5 April 2026SundayEaster SundayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
6 April 2026MondayEaster MondayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
10 April 2026FridayOrthodox Good FridayRepublika SrpskaNot always
12 April 2026SundayOrthodox Easter SundayRepublika SrpskaNot always
13 April 2026MondayOrthodox Easter MondayRepublika SrpskaNot always
1 May 2026FridayLabour DayNationwideYes
2 May 2026SaturdayLabour Day (Day 2)NationwideYes
9 May 2026SaturdayVictory DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
27 May 2026WednesdayEid al-Adha / Feast of the SacrificeFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaNot always
1 November 2026SundayAll Saints’ DayPart of the FederationNot always
21 November 2026SaturdayDayton Peace Agreement DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
25 November 2026WednesdayStatehood DayFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
24 December 2026ThursdayChristmas EveMost areas except BrčkoNot always
25 December 2026FridayChristmas DayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always

This table reflects the 2026 holiday calendar currently published for Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the distinction between nationwide, local, and optional holidays. For the Federation’s Catholic Easter holidays in 2026, a court notice reproducing the competent ministry’s notice confirms that Good Friday on 3 April and Easter Monday on 6 April are non-working days in Herzegbosnian County.

What are the public holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day on 1 January and the second New Year holiday on 2 January are the clearest countrywide non-working dates in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Independence Day

Independence Day on 1 March is observed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday, so the day off is shown on Monday, 2 March.

Labour Day

Labour Day on 1 May is observed nationwide, and Bosnia and Herzegovina also marks a second Labour Day holiday on 2 May. In 2026, 1 May falls on a Friday and 2 May on a Saturday.

Statehood Day

Statehood Day on 25 November is observed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2026 it falls on a Wednesday.

Orthodox Christmas and Orthodox Easter dates

Republika Srpska observes Orthodox Christmas Eve on 6 January, Orthodox Christmas Day on 7 January, Orthodox Good Friday on 10 April 2026, and Orthodox Easter Monday on 13 April 2026.

Catholic Easter and Christmas dates

In Catholic-majority parts of the Federation, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day are commonly treated as non-working or optional holidays. An official 2026 notice from Herzegbosnian County confirms Good Friday and Easter Monday as non-working days there.

Dayton Peace Agreement Day and Victory Day

Republika Srpska also marks Victory Day on 9 May and Dayton Peace Agreement Day on 21 November as local holidays.

Public Holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2027

DateDayHolidayApplies inIs it usually a day off work?
1 January 2027FridayNew Year’s DayNationwideYes
2 January 2027SaturdayNew Year’s Day (Day 2)NationwideYes
6 January 2027WednesdayOrthodox Christmas EveRepublika SrpskaNot always
7 January 2027ThursdayOrthodox Christmas DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
14 January 2027ThursdayOrthodox New YearRepublika SrpskaNot always
1 March 2027MondayIndependence DayFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
26 March 2027FridayGood FridayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
28 March 2027SundayEaster SundayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
29 March 2027MondayEaster MondayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
30 April 2027FridayOrthodox Good FridayRepublika SrpskaNot always
1 May 2027SaturdayLabour DayNationwideYes
2 May 2027SundayLabour Day (Day 2)NationwideYes
3 May 2027MondayOrthodox Easter MondayRepublika SrpskaNot always
9 May 2027SundayVictory DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
17 May 2027MondayEid al-Adha / Feast of the SacrificeFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaNot always
1 November 2027MondayAll Saints’ DayPart of the FederationNot always
21 November 2027SundayDayton Peace Agreement DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
25 November 2027ThursdayStatehood DayFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
24 December 2027FridayChristmas EveMost areas except BrčkoNot always
25 December 2027SaturdayChristmas DayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always

These 2027 dates follow the currently published Bosnia and Herzegovina holiday calendar and keep the same distinction between nationwide holidays and entity-level or optional holidays.

Public Holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2028

DateDayHolidayApplies inIs it usually a day off work?
1 January 2028SaturdayNew Year’s DayNationwideYes
2 January 2028SundayNew Year’s Day (Day 2)NationwideYes
6 January 2028ThursdayOrthodox Christmas EveRepublika SrpskaNot always
7 January 2028FridayOrthodox Christmas DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
14 January 2028FridayOrthodox New YearRepublika SrpskaNot always
1 March 2028WednesdayIndependence DayFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
14 April 2028FridayGood FridayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
16 April 2028SundayEaster SundayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
17 April 2028MondayEaster MondayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always
1 May 2028MondayLabour DayNationwideYes
2 May 2028TuesdayLabour Day (Day 2)NationwideYes
15 June 2028ThursdayEid al-Adha / Feast of the SacrificeFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaNot always
1 November 2028WednesdayAll Saints’ DayPart of the FederationNot always
21 November 2028TuesdayDayton Peace Agreement DayRepublika SrpskaNot always
25 November 2028SaturdayStatehood DayFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaYes
24 December 2028SundayChristmas EveMost areas except BrčkoNot always
25 December 2028MondayChristmas DayMainly Catholic areas in the FederationNot always

The 2028 table follows the same published holiday framework now shown for Bosnia and Herzegovina, though regional practice can still depend on the entity and religious community involved.

Conclusion

Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have one simple holiday calendar that works the same everywhere. For travel and everyday planning, the safest approach is to check whether a holiday is nationwide, Federation-only, Republika Srpska-only, or limited to a specific religious community. That matters more here than in most European countries.

Last Updated on 04/04/2026

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