The next public holiday in Saudi Arabia is Saudi National Day on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. Public, private and non-profit sector staff get one paid day off. It marks the Kingdom’s 96th National Day, and it is the last official holiday on the 2026 calendar.
The next public holiday in Saudi Arabia at a glance
| Holiday | Date | Day of week | Who gets it | Paid days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi National Day (96th) | 23 September 2026 | Wednesday | Public, private and non-profit sectors | 1 |
| Founding Day | 22 February 2027 | Monday | Public, private and non-profit sectors | 1 |
Three things worth knowing before you book anything:
- National Day is fixed to 23 September every year. Unlike the two Eids, it does not move with the moon.
- Because it lands mid-week in 2026, there is no automatic long weekend.
- After 23 September there is no official holiday until Founding Day in February 2027.
Why there is no long weekend this year
The Saudi weekend runs Friday and Saturday. A National Day that falls on a Wednesday sits in the middle of the working week, so you get Wednesday off, return on Thursday, then break again for the normal weekend.
That gap is fixable. If you book Thursday, 24 September as a single day of annual leave, Wednesday through Saturday becomes a four-day break for the cost of one leave day. Many expats in Saudi Arabia use that trick every year, which is also why flights out of Riyadh and Jeddah in that week fill early. If you are travelling home, sort your paperwork now rather than in the third week of September.
Compare that with 2025, when National Day fell on a Tuesday, and with Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, which carry four-day entitlements in the private sector rather than one.
What you are entitled to under Saudi labour law
Saudi National Day is one paid day off, and it applies to the private and non-profit sectors, not only to government employees. Expats and Saudi nationals are treated the same on this. Your nationality does not change the entitlement, your sector and your contract do.
A few practical points from how this plays out on the ground in KSA:
- Shift and site workers. Hospitals, security, retail and hospitality often run on National Day. If your employer needs you on site, agree in writing before the day how it will be compensated. An official holiday is paid time off, so working it should not quietly cancel the entitlement.
- If you are already on annual leave. Where an official holiday lands inside your booked annual leave, the leave is extended rather than swallowed, so you do not lose a day from your balance.
- If the holiday hits the weekend. This does not apply in 2026, but it is worth knowing. Under the Civil Service HR regulations amended in 2023, a National Day falling on a Saturday moves to the following Sunday, and one falling on a Friday is compensated on the Thursday before.
For the wider picture of how the four official holidays fit together across the year, our complete 2026 public holidays calendar for Saudi Arabia lists each one with its sector coverage.
What closes and what stays open
Government service counters shut for the day. That means Jawazat offices, Maktab Amal, municipality desks and the passport counters at police stations. Banks close their branches.
Digital services do not stop. Absher, Muqeem, Tawakkalna and your banking app run through the holiday as normal, so an iqama renewal payment or an exit re-entry visa status check can still be done from your phone on the day itself.
Malls, restaurants and cinemas stay open and get very busy. Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam all run National Day events, and city centre traffic is heavy from late afternoon. In Riyadh, the metro is usually the faster option on the night, and our Riyadh Metro ticket prices and timings guide covers fares and operating hours.
The five-month gap after National Day
This is the part most people miss. Saudi Arabia has four official holidays: the two Eids, National Day and Founding Day. Both Eids have already passed in 2026, and Eid al-Fitr will not return until the Ramadan that begins in 2027, with the exact dates set by Umm al-Qura moon sighting closer to the time.
So the calendar between 24 September 2026 and 22 February 2027 contains no public holiday at all. Five months of ordinary working weeks. If you are planning a trip home, a family visit or a long break, that trip is coming out of your annual leave, and your exit re-entry visa needs to be valid for the whole period you are away.
The next public holiday in Saudi Arabia after that is Founding Day, on Monday, 22 February 2027. It is a separate occasion from National Day, marking a much earlier moment in the Kingdom’s history, and the two are regularly confused. Our guide to the difference between Founding Day and National Day sets them side by side.
What this means for expats
Book your leave early. One paid day on a Wednesday is thin, the five-month stretch after it is long, and everyone in your company is looking at the same calendar. Get your Thursday leave request in before the queue forms.
Check your documents this month, not in September. Iqama validity, exit re-entry validity and passport expiry all need working government counters to fix, and those counters are closed on the 23rd and busy either side of it.
If you track dates in Hijri as well as Gregorian, note that National Day is one of the few Saudi occasions pinned to the Gregorian calendar. Our Hijri to Gregorian date converter guide explains why the Eids move each year while this one does not.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next public holiday in Saudi Arabia?
The next public holiday is Saudi National Day on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, the Kingdom’s 96th National Day. It is one paid day off for the public, private and non-profit sectors. It is also the final official holiday of the 2026 calendar year.
Is Saudi National Day a paid holiday for private sector workers?
Yes. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development designates National Day as an official paid holiday covering the private and non-profit sectors alongside government. Expat employees receive the same entitlement as Saudi nationals. Your sector and contract decide the terms, not your nationality.
Will Saudi National Day 2026 be a long weekend?
No, not by default. The 23rd falls on a Wednesday and the Saudi weekend is Friday and Saturday, so the day off sits mid-week. Booking Thursday, 24 September as annual leave turns it into a four-day break from Wednesday through Saturday.
What happens if National Day falls on the Saudi weekend?
It does not in 2026, but the rule exists. Under the Civil Service HR regulations amended in 2023, a National Day falling on a Saturday shifts to the following Sunday, and one falling on a Friday is compensated on the Thursday before it.
Do government offices close on Saudi National Day?
Yes. Jawazat offices, Maktab Amal, municipality counters and bank branches close for the day. Online services including Absher, Muqeem, Tawakkalna and banking apps keep running, so digital transactions and status checks can still be completed on the holiday.
