Guide to Doing Business
in Curaçao
Vacation, sick leave and other permitted leave
Vacation
The minimum number of vacation days an employee is entitled to is regulated for all employees. Every employee is entitled to an amount of vacation days per year equal to at least three times the contracted number of working days per week, with a minimum of fifteen days per year for employees who work six days per week. During an employee’s vacation, the employee remains entitled to receive his salary. Vacation allowance, however, is not mandatory. Furthermore, during (official) national holidays the employee also remains entitled to receive his salary.
Sick leave
In the event an employee is unable to perform his/her labor due to sickness (that is not intentionally caused by the employee), the employer is obligated to continue payment of (100% of) the employee’s salary during a relative short period of time (unless otherwise stipulated in the labor agreement).
Pregnancy- and maternity leave
An employee is entitled to payment of 100% of her salary when she is on pregnancy- and maternity leave. The pregnancy leave can be two to six weeks before the estimated due date and the maternity leave can be eight to twelve weeks as of the date the employee gave birth. The total amount of time on leave (pregnancy leave and maternity leave combined) must in all events be at least fourteen weeks.
Other leave
For other situations (such as weddings, funerals, delivery of children (fathers) and personal leave) there is no legal stipulation granting the employee a specific amount of time for permitted leave. However, (unless agreed otherwise) an employee remains entitled to its wages for a fair short period of time, in the event the employee was not able to work during such time due to (i) the fulfillment of an obligation imposed by law or by the government which could not be fulfilled in the employee’s free time or due to (ii) special circumstances not caused by the employee’s fault.