Colombia
Find out key information relating to Colombia’s leave entitlements
Leave entitlement & working time regulations at a glance
Minimum Holiday Entitlement
15 working days per year
Public Holidays
18 per year
Parental Leave
Maternity leave is 18 weeks; paternity leave is 2 weeks
Working Week
48 hours (full time)
Sick Leave Entitlement
Paid sick leave is covered by social security for up to 180 days
Region
LATAM
ABSENCE & LEAVE
Additional information
Sick leave
Employers pay the first two days of an employee’s sick leave at a rate of two-thirds of the employee’s regular salary. After the third successive day of sick leave, the Colombian government takes over the payment of sick pay, at the same rate of two-thirds of the employee’s salary.
Maternity and paternity leave
Mothers can take 18 weeks of maternity leave at full-pay. Though the employer is responsible for paying this maternity leave cover, they can claim the amount back from the government. There are no provisions for shared parental leave, but fathers can take 8 days’ paternity leave at full-pay. Once again, this is covered by the employer, who can later claim the amount back from the government.
Additional leave
Employees in Colombia can take up to 5 days’ bereavement leave, and up to 5 days of paid leave for marriage.