Guide to Doing Business
in Suriname

Annual leave

According to the Holiday Act 1975, (Vacantiewet 1975) every employee who works  a full calendar year without interruption for the same employer, is entitled to 12 vacation days a year. For every year that the employee works for a full calendar year without interruption for the same employer, two vacation days are earned, up until the employee is awarded a maximum of 18 vacations days a year by operation of law.

The employer is however free to award more vacation days to his employees. Vacation allowance per vacation day (minimal 50% of the normal salary) must be paid in addition to normal salary. Vacation days must be enjoyed each time after the end of the calendar year and within the following year and cannot be setoff with the notice period.

An employee has the right, but also the duty, to go on annual leave. An employee is considered to be employed without interruption if the number of his permitted absent days does not exceed the number of 30 days, excluding the days of sick leave and industrial accidents. When an employee has been lawfully absent for a period of more than 30 days, the employee is entitled to a proportional part of his vacation days.

An employee who is not entitled to more than six vacation days is obliged to take up the vacation days in a continuous period. If the employee is entitled to more than six vacation days, the employee can take up its vacation days in one or more periods, where at least one period consists out of 6 consecutive days.