Key Takeaways:
- Colombian employees are legally entitled to paid time off for vacation, illness, parental leave, serious family emergencies, voting, and more.
- Paid leave rules vary by benefit, with different requirements for eligibility, pay, documentation, and days off.
- Even when Colombia’s social security system covers or reimburses the cost, employers help administer leave.
Colombia provides foreign companies with access to skilled workers at competitive costs. But hiring in Colombia also means following the country’s labor laws — including its extensive paid leave requirements.
Employees in Colombia are entitled to paid time off for a variety of reasons, including vacation, illness, parental leave, bereavement, voting, and certain medical appointments.
Employers pay for some types of leave, while others are covered by Colombia’s social security system.
No matter who pays, employers must be closely involved in the process. This can include tracking leave, processing payments through the company payroll, and submitting reimbursement claims to health insurers.
Understanding how each type of leave works and the company’s role in the process is key to ensuring compliance when hiring workers in Colombia.
Overview of Paid Leave Laws in Colombia
Many of Colombia’s paid leave laws are dictated by the Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, or Labor Code. It’s been amended repeatedly, most recently by Law 2466 of 2025, which added several new leave categories and adjusted existing ones.
Some paid leave types, including vacation and bereavement leave, are funded directly by the employer. For maternity, paternity, and most sick leave, employers typically pay the employee first and then seek reimbursement through Colombia's Entidad Promotora de Salud (EPS), a health insurance provider within the country’s social security system.
Annual Vacation Leave
After a full year of continuous service, Colombian workers are entitled to 15 consecutive working days of paid annual vacation.
Employers generally decide when employees can use their vacation time, although employees can request particular dates. Employers must provide employees with at least 15 days' notice of any scheduled leave.
Vacation days don't need to be taken all at once, as long as the employee takes at least six consecutive days each year. The remaining nine days can be split into smaller periods.
Carryover and Payment in Lieu of Vacation
After an employee takes the required six consecutive days, they can generally carry forward the remaining vacation for up to two years. Certain employees may be able to carry it forward for up to four years.
Employees can opt to take up to half of their vacation entitlement as a cash payment if their employer agrees.
When an employee leaves the company, the employer must include any unused vacation they've earned in their final settlement.
Sick Leave
In Colombia, an employee who can't work because of an illness or injury unrelated to their job is entitled to paid sick leave. Who pays depends on the length of the absence.
For an ordinary illness, the employer covers the first two days. Beginning on day three, the burden shifts to Colombia's health insurance system.
The EPS generally covers two-thirds of the employee’s base salary from day three through day 90, then 50% from day 91 through day 180, subject to minimum-wage protections. If the employee remains unable to work after 180 days, responsibility for the benefit shifts to the pension system.
To qualify, employees typically need to have contributed to the health system for at least four weeks before taking sick leave. They also need a medical incapacity certificate issued through the EPS network or validated by the EPS.
Employees should report the absence and promptly provide the required medical documentation. The employer is then responsible for submitting the claim to the EPS on the employee’s behalf.
Maternity Leave
Maternity leave in Colombia lasts 18 weeks and is paid at 100% of the employee’s salary. Typically, one week is taken before the expected delivery date and 17 weeks after birth, although the timing can change for medical reasons. The EPS funds the benefit, with the employer typically paying the employee through payroll and then seeking reimbursement.
Parents can also choose to share the final six weeks of maternity leave. The mother must take the first 12 weeks, while the remaining six can be divided between the parents.
Paternity Leave
Fathers receive two weeks of paid paternity leave in Colombia, funded by the EPS. The employer must record the absence and complete the EPS process, including submitting the civil birth registration, within 30 days of the birth.
Adoptive Leave
Adoptive parents are also eligible for maternity and paternity leave. An adoptive couple can decide which parent receives the maternity benefit and which receives paternity leave.
Leave Related to Family Emergencies and Bereavement
Employees are entitled to five business days of paid bereavement leave following the death of a spouse, permanent partner, or a qualifying close family member. This typically includes parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, certain in-laws, and adoptive parents or children.
Employers must pay bereavement leave benefits, and the death must be documented within 30 days.
Employees can also take paid leave for a serious personal or family emergency, or grave calamidad doméstica, that prevents them from working. There’s no set number of days for this leave; the amount of time depends on the circumstances.
Employees who need to care for a minor child with a terminal illness or qualifying serious medical condition may also receive up to 10 business days of paid leave per year.
Public Holidays
Colombia has 18 paid public holidays a year. They include New Year's Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, the Battle of Boyacá, and Christmas, as well as several religious observances. Employees are generally entitled to paid time off on these dates.
Some public holidays are moved to the following Monday, making long holiday weekends common throughout the year.
Employees who work on a public holiday receive extra pay. As of July 2026, the premium is 90% of their regular pay and will increase to 100% in July 2027.
Other Types of Statutory Leave
Colombian employees may be entitled to additional paid time off in certain circumstances, including:
- Voting: Employees who vote receive a half-day of paid leave, which they can take during the month after the election.
- Serving as an election juror: Employees who serve as election jurors earn one paid day off, which they can take within 45 business days after the election.
- Trade union duties: Employees can take paid leave to carry out certain union responsibilities.
- Attending a colleague’s funeral: Employees are entitled to paid leave to attend a colleague’s funeral, provided they give advance notice and their absence doesn’t disrupt business operations.
The 2025 labor reform also expanded paid leave to cover several additional scenarios, including medical appointments, mandatory school obligations for parents or guardians, and certain judicial, administrative, or legal summons.
Common Compliance Challenges for International Employers
For companies based outside the country, navigating paid leave in Colombia can be confusing.
For example, vacation accrual alone requires tracking each employee's start date, agreed-upon carryover, and whether their role qualifies for the extended four-year window.
A sick employee may need an EPS claim and a different payment calculation depending on how long the incapacity lasts. A new parent may qualify for Social Security-funded leave that the employer's payroll still needs to handle.
These requirements may be relatively easy to manage with one or two employees in Colombia. But as the team grows, so do the leave balances, certificates, claims, payroll adjustments, and deadlines to track. Working with an expert partner can make that administrative workload much easier to tackle.
Hire Employees in Colombia Without Managing Leave Compliance Yourself
Colombia’s leave requirements go beyond approving time off. Employers need to track entitlements, calculate pay, maintain documentation, coordinate with the social security system, and keep up with changing labor laws.
An Employer of Record (EOR) like RemoFirst takes those responsibilities off your plate. RemoFirst handles employment contracts, payroll, statutory leave, social security registrations, and other employment requirements in Colombia, while you manage your employees’ day-to-day work.
With RemoFirst, you can hire employees in Colombia without setting up a local entity or managing Colombian employment administration yourself.
Book a demo to see how we can help you hire employees in Colombia and 185+ countries without taking on the complexity of global HR.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many paid vacation days do employees get in Colombia?
Employees receive 15 consecutive working days of paid vacation after completing one year of continuous service. Employees must take at least six consecutive days each year, while the remaining days can generally be split or carried over.
Who pays for sick leave in Colombia?
For an ordinary illness or injury unrelated to work, the employer covers the first two days of sick leave. Starting on day three, the EPS generally covers the benefit, although the employer must submit the claim.
How long is maternity leave in Colombia?
Employees are entitled to 18 weeks of paid maternity leave. Typically, employees take one week before the expected delivery date and 17 weeks after birth, although timing can vary in certain circumstances.
How long is paternity leave in Colombia?
Eligible fathers receive two weeks of paid paternity leave. The EPS funds the benefit, and the employer manages payroll and submits the required documentation.
How many paid public holidays are there in Colombia?
Colombia has 18 paid public holidays each year. Some holidays are moved to the following Monday, and employees who work on a public holiday are entitled to additional pay.
Does Colombia require paid bereavement leave?
Yes. Employees are entitled to five business days of paid bereavement leave following the death of a spouse, permanent partner, or qualifying close family member.
