Public Holidays and Non‑Working Days in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has 12 official public holidays per year, regulated by the Codigo de Trabajo. Of those, 9 are mandatory paid holidays (the employer must pay them even if you don’t work, and if you do work that day you receive double pay) and 3 are non‑mandatory paid holidays (they are days off, but pay depends on whether the business normally operates that day). This distinction is legal/labor, but it mainly affects tourists due to the closure of public offices and banks, and the high demand on roads and beaches.

Mandatory paid holidays:

• January 1: New Year’s Day.
• Holy Thursday and Good Friday (dates vary according to the Holy Week calendar, change each year).
• April 11: Day of Juan Santamaria (Battle of Rivas).
• May 1: International Workers’ Day.
• July 25: Annexation of the Nicoya Peninsula (Guanacaste) to Costa Rica.
• August 15: Mother’s Day.
• September 15: Independence Day.
• December 25: Christmas.

Non‑mandatory paid holidays:

• August 2: Day of the Virgin of Los Angeles, patron saint of Costa Rica.
• August 31: Day of the Black Person and Afro‑Costa Rican Culture.
• December 1: Day of the Abolition of the Army.

Monday shift: a law (Ley 8442, and a temporary extended version between 2020 and 2024 with Ley 9875) allowed some holidays to be moved to the following Monday to encourage domestic tourism when they fell on weekdays. However, this provision does not permanently apply to all holidays or all years — for 2026 in particular, no current shift has been confirmed, so the safest approach is to check the official calendar for the specific year on mtss.go.cr before planning a trip around a holiday.

Holy Week deserves a separate mention: although only Holy Thursday and Good Friday are mandatory paid holidays, in practice much of the country reduces activity from Maundy Thursday, with less public transport available and more Costa Ricans moving to beaches and tourist areas — it is one of the weeks with the highest demand and highest prices of the year along with the end of the year.

What it means for visitors: on mandatory paid holidays, public offices, banks, immigration offices, and many small businesses close or reduce hours; beaches, national parks, and roads to coastal areas have much more people and traffic than normal, and it is advisable to book transport, accommodation, and park tickets in advance. For those living or doing paperwork in the country, these days also mean government offices are closed.

Note: mandatory paid holidays and the movable dates (Holy Week) change each year in their weekly location — confirm the exact current list for the year of your trip on the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (mtss.go.cr) site before planning.