The decree “On establishing additional non-working days during the celebration of official dates and shifting weekends in 2026” was signed by the President of Uzbekistan on December 24, 2025.
According to the document (full text attached to the Russian and Uzbek versions of the article), the decision was made to create conditions for full rest for citizens and to ensure effective use of weekends and holidays, including for the development of domestic and pilgrimage tourism within the framework of the program “Travel around Uzbekistan!”.
Additional non-working days
The decree establishes additional non-working days:
In 2025
– Wednesday, December 31 — for all employees, regardless of the workweek schedule.
In 2026
– For all employees (regardless of the type of workweek):
Friday, January 2;
Thursday, May 28;
Friday, May 29;
Monday, August 31;
– For employees with a six-day workweek, additionally:
Saturday, January 3;
Saturday, May 30;
Thursday, December 31.
Weekend shifts due to overlapping holidays
The decree also notes that, in accordance with Article 208 of the Labor Code, in 2026 some weekends will be shifted due to holidays falling on weekends:
– “March 8 – Women’s Day,” falling on a Sunday, is moved to Monday, March 9;
– “Navruz” (March 21), coinciding with Saturday, is moved to Monday, March 23;
– “May 9 – Day of Memory and Honor,” coinciding with Saturday, is moved to Monday, May 11.
These shifts apply to employees with a five-day workweek.
The decree emphasizes that for work that cannot be suspended due to production, technical, or organizational conditions (continuous production, daily public service, rotational work, etc.), weekends are not shifted.
Additional year-end shift
A separate provision states that in 2026, for employees with a five-day workweek, the weekend of Saturday, December 12, will be moved to Thursday, December 31.
Holiday periods in 2026
Taking into account the additional non-working days and weekend shifts established by the presidential decree, the following extended rest periods will be observed in 2026:
New Year – 2026
The holiday lasts 5 days — from December 31, 2025, to January 4, 2026, inclusive.
This period applies to all employees, regardless of the workweek schedule.
March 8 – Women’s Day
The holiday lasts 3 days — from March 7 to March 9.
Monday, March 9, becomes a day off due to the shift of the holiday falling on Sunday.
Navruz
The holiday period lasts 3 days, from March 21 to March 23.
Monday, March 23, is a day off due to the shift from Saturday.
In 2026, Navruz is expected to coincide with Ramadan Hayit, which may affect the actual configuration of holiday days depending on the official announcement of the religious holiday dates (the decree does not specify this).
May 9 – Day of Memory and Honor
The holiday lasts 3 days — from May 9 to May 11.
Monday, May 11, becomes a day off due to the shift from Saturday.
Kurban Hayit
The holiday period lasts 4 days — from May 28 to May 31, inclusive.
Additional non-working days on May 28 and 29 are established by the presidential decree.
This period applies to all employees, regardless of the workweek schedule.
Independence Day of Uzbekistan
The holiday lasts 4 days — from August 29 to September 1.
Monday, August 31, is declared an additional non-working day.
New Year – 2027
At the end of 2026, another extended holiday period forms — 4 days, from December 31, 2026, to January 3, 2027.
December 31 is a day off due to the shift from Saturday, December 12, for employees with a five-day workweek.