Federal bridge days: two service exemptions per year starting in 2027

The Belgian Official Gazette of September 28, 2026, publishes the Royal Decree of August 30, 2026, which reforms the regulations regarding bridging days in the federal civil service. Signed by King Philippe and the Minister in charge of the Civil Service V. Matz, the text bears the reference [C − 2026/006147] and appears on page 51678. Starting from 2027, every federal employee will receive two service exemptions per year.

The decree amends the Royal Decree of November 19, 1998, relating to leave and absences granted to staff members of State administrations. It targets statutory and contractual staff employed within the federal administrative civil service, and the regulations regarding bridging days also apply to mandate holders. Since 2001, bridging days were granted by ministerial circular deliberated in the Council of Ministers; the text now incorporates these exemptions into the federal leave regulations, which simplifies the communication regarding their granting.

Two exemptions, one fixed and one floating

A new Article 14bis is inserted into Chapter II of the 1998 Royal Decree. It provides for:

• a fixed service exemption on the Friday following Ascension Day, a public holiday that always falls on a Thursday;
• one additional floating service exemption per year, granted either on the Monday preceding a public holiday falling on a Tuesday, or on the Friday following a public holiday falling on a Thursday.

“Public holiday” shall be understood as the days listed in Article 1 of the Royal Decree of April 18, 1974, issued in execution of the Law of January 4, 1974, relating to public holidays.

Calendar and replacement day

When several days meet the conditions during the same year, the Minister responsible for the Civil Service announces the date of the floating exemption no later than November 30 of the previous year. In the absence of a decision, a service exemption is granted automatically for the first possible day of the year concerned. The ministerial circular no longer needs to be deliberated in the Council of Ministers, but is negotiated within the Committee of Federal, Community and Regional Public Services (Committee B).

An employee who, by virtue of the working regime applicable to them or due to service requirements, is obliged to work on one of these days receives a replacement day off, which can be taken under the same conditions as annual vacation leave. No replacement day is granted if the employee is on leave for another reason, on availability, or inactive, nor if a day off within the framework of part-time work coincides with one of these days.

Background and procedure

The mechanism is part of a long-standing practice. Since 1999, all staff members of the federal administrative civil service have benefited from two additional days of annual leave, with the afternoon of July 22 having been abolished. Since 2001, a certain number of service exemptions are granted annually; a bridging day may be granted on Monday if a public holiday falls on a Tuesday, or on Friday if a public holiday falls on a Thursday.

Current public holidays run from January 1 to December 26; November 2, November 15, and December 26 are statutory holidays, and public holidays coinciding with a non-working day are compensated during the leave period between December 27 and 31. The file was submitted for the opinion of the Finance Inspector on October 16, 2025, for the agreement of the Minister of Budget on October 31, 2025, for protocol No. 863 of December 15, 2025, of Committee B, and for opinion 78.912/4 of the Council of State on March 11, 2026.

Entry into force

The decree applies to the granting of service exemptions starting from the year 2027. The minister responsible for the Civil Service is charged with its execution. The text was issued in Brussels on August 30, 2026.

For federal employees, the reform transforms an annual practice into a statutory right: the Friday after Ascension becomes a guaranteed bridging day, supplemented by a second exemption whose date will be announced before November 30 of the previous year, failing which it will automatically apply to the first possible day.

Belgian Official Gazette of September 28, 2026, royal decree of August 30, 2026, amending the royal decree of November 19, 1998, relating to leave and absences granted to staff members of State administrations concerning the regulations on bridging days, [C − 2026/006147], p. 51678.