New Year's Day in Belgium
View the global New Year's Day guide
New Year's Day is a statutory Belgian holiday on 1 January, called Nieuwjaarsdag in Dutch and Jour de l’An in French. Private-sector substitute-day rules matter when a listed holiday coincides with Sunday or an ordinary inactive day.
New Year's Day
Holiday
Belgium
Country
2026
Next Date Year
Thursday
Day
Jan
01
January 1, 2026
New Year's Day Date in Belgium
Date
January 1, 2026
Day
Thursday
Public Holiday
Yes
Bank Holiday
No
Date Confirmed
Yes
New Year's Day Dates in Belgium
New Year's Day 2026
- Confirmed
New Year's Day 2027
- Confirmed
New Year's Day 2028
- Confirmed
History of New Year's Day
Belgium lists 1 January among its ten statutory public holidays. The date marks the start of the civil year after New Year’s Eve.
Importance of New Year's Day
It opens the civil year and is one of Belgium’s ten statutory private-sector holidays.
How New Year's Day Is Celebrated in Belgium
New Year’s Day is generally the quieter continuation of the year-end period, following midnight celebrations and greetings. The public-holiday statute does not prescribe a national ceremony.
Office Impact
Private-sector workers generally may not be employed on this statutory holiday, except where Belgian law permits Sunday work. The employer owes holiday remuneration and, where applicable, compensatory rest or a substitute day under the federal rules.
Bank Impact
The National Bank of Belgium publishes its own closure calendar and lists this observance for 2026. Commercial-bank hours and payment-system availability should be checked separately because the NBB list is not a universal retail-bank schedule.
School Impact
Belgium’s education calendars are community-specific. Families should consult the calendar for the relevant Flemish, French-speaking or German-speaking system and the individual school.
Travel Information
The reviewed federal rules establish paid public-holiday treatment for 1 January, not a uniform transport timetable. Check the relevant Belgian operator’s New Year schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is New Year’s Day in Belgium?
It is 1 January.
What if it falls on Sunday or a normal inactive day?
A substitute rest day must be fixed under the applicable workplace procedure.
Is it a paid private-sector holiday?
Yes. Belgium’s official employment guidance includes it among ten statutory holidays.