How Kazakhstanis will rest in December 2025

Tengrinews.kz – In December 2025, Kazakhstanis will get an additional day off thanks to Independence Day. Tengrinews.kz has compiled information on how many days off residents will have and which dates to keep in mind when planning work tasks, vacations, or New Year shopping.

How many days off will there be in December 2025?

In December, employees with a five-day workweek will have 9 days off and 22 working days. Those on a six-day schedule will have 4 days off and 26 working days.

The main holiday of the month is Independence Day, celebrated on 16 December.

In 2025, the holiday falls on a Tuesday, meaning Kazakhstanis will enjoy an extra day off in the middle of the week. This will be a non-working day for both five-day and six-day workers.

Those already planning for New Year’s Eve should remember: 31 December 2025 remains a working day. So it's best to prepare for the holiday in advance.

Illustration: Tengrinews.kz / Serikbolsyn Alibekov

Debate about making 31 December a holiday

On social media, people have repeatedly raised the idea of making 31 December an official day off. However, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection reminded that this date is not included in the list of state holidays and noted that declaring it a holiday is not advisable at this time.

Professional holidays in December

In addition to Independence Day, Kazakhstanis will celebrate several professional holidays:

• December 5 – Advocacy Day;
• December 6 – Prosecutor's Day;
• December 13 – Day of the Penal System Employees;
• December 20 – Day of the State Courier Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
• December 22 – Energy Worker’s Day and Archivist's Day.