Brazil Publishes 2026 Federal Holiday Calendar With 10 Holidays and 9 Optional Days

Overview

• An MGI portaria published in the Diário Oficial da União on December 30 formalizes the 2026 calendar for the federal administration, listing 10 national holidays and nine pontos facultativos.
• Nine of the 10 national holidays fall on weekdays in 2026, increasing the likelihood of extended breaks, with only Proclamation of the Republic (November 15) on a Sunday.
• Federal bodies must keep essential services running and are barred from anticipating or adopting state or municipal pontos facultativos, except for a state’s data magna and municipal centenary observances established by law.
• The order clarifies how absences for religious observance can be authorized and compensated by the following month, with specific compensation rules for employees under the PGD program.
• States and cities have publicized additional local holidays that interact with the federal schedule, with examples in Bahia such as July 2 (state independence) and Salvador’s December 8 increasing regional long-weekend potential.