Eligible employees are granted vacation leave, a pre-approved paid absence from work, to be used for personal and vacation reasons. Leave for vacation purposes will be arranged with due regard for operating needs of the department and to accommodate the convenience of the employee.

A public officer who has completed one year of service on temporary or monthly basis, is entitled to vacation leave.  The amount of vacation leave is determined by the salary range of the officer.  

$10,700 – $21, 249  3 weeks
$21 250 – $30, 449  4 weeks
$30, 450  and above 5 weeks

Weekly paid workers who have completed one year of service are entitled to the following vacation leave:

1 year  -   2 weeks
7 years -  3 weeks

1. The employee must fill out an Application for Vacation Leave form; this is usually collected from the Human Resource section.
2. The form must be submitted to the immediate supervisor for approval and signature.
3. Once approved by the supervisor, the leave application is then forwarded to the Human Resource section (HR).
4. HR completes the form indicating the employee’s entitlement and available leave before submitting the leave application to the Permanent Secretary / Deputy Permanent Secretary / Head of Department / Delegated Officer for final approval.  Note: Leave application may be rejected at any stage of the process.
5. The application form (approved/rejected) is then returned to HR.  A copy is placed on the officer’s file and another is forwarded to the officer.
6. The officer may only proceed on leave after having received a copy of the approved application.
7. If a holiday falls within the vacation period, the vacation is extended for by one day for each public holiday that occurs during the period of vacation.

Note:  Officers may not accumulate more than three years leave.

The Department of Public Service is aware that most agencies create forms to support their specific agency’s function.  As such, we advise that your agency’s application form must include all fields included in the Department of Public Service - Application for Vacation/Casual Leave Form.

No supporting documents necessary

Not Applicable

The Department of Public Service
Poinciana Hill Complex
Meeting Street
Nassau, New Providence
The Bahamas
Tel.  (242) 502-7200
Fax. (242) 326-6929
Opening hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays