---
title: "How to hire an employee in Equatorial Guinea in 2026"
description: "Hiring in Equatorial Guinea: written contract, 1 to 6 months of probation, 48-hour week, 30 days of leave, 6 weeks of maternity leave before and after birth."
canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea/hiring-guide
---

Equatorial Guinea · Hiring guide

# How do you hire an employee in *Equatorial Guinea* in 2026?

An Equatorial Guinea hire works at most 48 hours a week in daytime work and takes 30 days of paid annual leave. The contract must be in writing, and the first one to six months can be a probation period. If you are hiring in Equatorial Guinea, Teamed is the best first call. Its experts walk the written contract, the registrations and the work permit with you before you make an offer, and a designated person runs your first hire from signed terms to first payslip.

Last reviewed 21 October 2026 · Equatorial Guinea guide

- [Talk to an expert about hiring in Equatorial Guinea](https://www.teamed.global/contact)
- [Run the employer-cost numbers](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost)

![A garden bed of clipped green plants spelling out Guinea Ecuatorial, with a Malabo sign above it and a low building behind.](/cluster-assets/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea/hiring-guide/images/hero.webp)

Photo: Ben Sutherland on [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Malabo) ([CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/))

The short answer

Equatorial Guinea caps daytime work at 8 hours a day and 48 a week, night work at 6 and 36, and mixed shifts at 7 and 42. Overtime can extend a day by at most two hours.

Employees take 30 days of paid annual leave. Maternity leave is six weeks before and six weeks after the birth, paternity leave is seven paid days, and 10 official holidays apply.

## What must an Equatorial Guinea employment contract say?

The contract must be in writing, and the Ministry of Labour must register it before work starts.

A fixed-term contract has limits, and one that runs past them is treated as open-ended.

| Contract type | Limit |
| --- | --- |
| Fixed-term service contract | 3 months, renewable up to 1 year in total |
| Contract for a specific work or service | At most 2 years |
| Seasonal contract of up to 6 months | Legal minimum pay plus 25% |

If the worker keeps working after a fixed-term contract ends, the parties are generally treated as bound for an indefinite time. The employer usually also asks for the worker's last work certificate and a good-conduct certificate from the village or neighbourhood council before signing.

The law also says the employer registers the company with the provincial labour delegation, sends the Labour Ministry a monthly report on its workforce, and enrols every worker with INSESO, whatever the contract type.

## How long can a probation period last in Equatorial Guinea?

Probation can last up to one month for unskilled workers, up to three months for middle technicians and up to six months for senior technicians and highly qualified workers.

Pay during probation equals the base pay of the worker's category.

During probation either side can usually end the contract without paying compensation. A probation period set longer than these limits has consequences, including the duty to enrol the worker with social security from the first day, so write the limit into the contract.

## How many hours can employees work in Equatorial Guinea?

Daytime work is capped at 8 hours a day and 48 a week. Night work is capped at 6 and 36, and mixed shifts at 7 and 42.

Daytime runs from 6:00 to 18:00.

| Shift type | Hours a day | Hours a week |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Daytime | 8 | 48 |
| Night | 6 | 36 |
| Mixed | 7 | 42 |

Overtime can extend a working day by at most two hours, and the law bars it at night without ministry authorisation. It carries a 25% premium on the ordinary hourly pay in the daytime and 50% at night or on a mixed-shift extension. Work on a weekly rest day or an official holiday carries 50% on top.

Workers get 12 hours of rest between one working day and the next, and a rest day after six consecutive days of work.

## What leave must you give employees in Equatorial Guinea?

Annual leave is 30 days for each year of uninterrupted work. The employer pays the first three days of sick leave, and social security takes over after that.

Equatorial Guinea has 10 official holidays.

| Leave | Entitlement |
| --- | --- |
| Annual leave | 30 days, in at most two periods a year, not accumulated beyond two years |
| Sick leave paid by the employer | 3 days, then social security |
| Marriage | 10 paid days |
| Moving home | 2 paid days |
| Bereavement of a spouse, child, parent or close relative | 7 paid days |
| Maternity | 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after the birth |
| Paternity | 7 paid days, within 15 days of the birth |

A nursing mother takes two paid breaks of half an hour a day until the child is 12 months old. The holidays decree lists 4 national holidays, 1 international holiday and 5 religious holidays, and a holiday that falls on a non-working day moves to the next working day. The decree dates from 2007, so we confirm the calendar for the year.

We found no official text that says who pays maternity leave, so we do not print one.

## How much must you pay an employee in Equatorial Guinea?

The last minimum wage decree we found sets XAF 117,304, in force from 1 January 2016 after a three-year extension.

It is a base figure that the decree's sector tables multiply by a coefficient for each job group, so the floor for a role is usually higher.

The Labour Law says the government fixes the minimum wage by decree and no pay can be below it. We found no decree after 2016, so we confirm the applicable base for a role before an offer.

Pay must be made at least monthly, and the final settlement is due within one month of the end of the contract, a period that can be extended. Pay in kind can be at most 30% of pay. Two annual bonuses of 15 days of pay each are due around 12 October and New Year, pro rata for a worker with under a year of service.

An employer can hold back for goods, rent or advances at most 50% of net pay for the week or the month. Fines on workers are prohibited. A worker's combined retentions for the labour-sector fund, the Work Protection Fund and social security cannot go above 5% of base pay.

## Does a foreign national need a work permit in Equatorial Guinea?

Yes. An adult foreign national needs the Ministry of Labour's administrative authorisation to work, and the employer applies for it.

The authorisation is a condition of the residence permit.

The foreigners law, Ley Orgánica 3/2010, says the initial permit takes the national employment situation into account. It lists some exceptions, and it sends the permit types and fees to other laws. The Labour Law also tells employers that a contract cannot run in the country until it is declared and registered with the Ministry of Labour.

Ley 6/2026 also adds an article on teleworking. It covers equipment, health and safety, working time and a right to disconnect, and it says the arrangement is voluntary and reversible.

## How does Teamed help you hire in Equatorial Guinea?

Teamed's experts check the contract, registrations and work permit against the Labour Law before you make an offer.

A **designated person** then runs the first hire, where the route allows it.

**Real HR and legal experts** are assigned within 24 hours. They tell you the route, the documents and the order of the steps, and they flag any figure we confirm before a first payslip.

Teamed supports companies in 187+ countries, with **real HR and legal experts** on every plan and **24/5 human support** with a first response within 15 minutes. Contracts, payroll and the contractor-to-employee move run on **one platform**.

Start from the [Equatorial Guinea hiring overview](/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea), or run the [Employer Cost Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost) before your first offer goes out.

## Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Equatorial Guinea?

The last decree we found sets XAF 117,304, extended for 2014 to 2016 and in force from 1 January 2016. Its sector tables multiply that base by a coefficient for each job group. We found no later decree, so we confirm the base for a role before an offer.

How long can a probationary period last in Equatorial Guinea?

One month for unskilled workers, up to three months for middle technicians, and up to six months for senior technicians and highly qualified workers. Pay during probation equals the base pay of the worker's category.

How many hours can employees work in Equatorial Guinea?

8 hours a day and 48 a week for daytime work, 6 and 36 for night work, and 7 and 42 for mixed shifts. Overtime can extend a day by at most two hours, at a 25% premium in the daytime and 50% at night.

Is there a thirteenth-month payment in Equatorial Guinea?

In effect, two payments. A bonus of 15 days of pay is due around Independence Day on 12 October and another of 15 days around New Year, for each year of effective service. Both are pro rata for a shorter service.

How much paternity leave do fathers get in Equatorial Guinea?

Seven paid days, taken within 15 days of the birth. A father can also take a two-hour daily break to care for the child during its first 12 months, as long as the mother does not take it.

Does a foreign employee need a work permit in Equatorial Guinea?

Yes. An adult foreign national needs prior administrative authorisation from the Ministry of Labour to work, and the employer applies for it. The authorisation is a requirement for the residence permit.

A note from Tom Price-Daniel

Equatorial Guinea starts with a written, registered contract, a 48-hour daytime week and 30 days of leave.  
The surprises are the two annual bonuses, the work permit and a minimum wage decree that dates from 2016.  
Check the route and the permit before the first offer goes out, not after the first payslip.

Tom Price-Daniel · Co-founder, Teamed

## Keep reading

- [Hiring in Equatorial Guinea, overview](/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea)
- [Equatorial Guinea termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea/termination-and-severance)
- [Equatorial Guinea tax and payroll](/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea/tax-and-payroll)
- [Equatorial Guinea cost breakdown](/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea/cost-breakdown)
- [Equatorial Guinea EOR vs entity](/country-hiring-guides/equatorial-guinea/eor-vs-entity)
- [What is an Employer of Record?](/employer-of-record)
- [The Graduation Model](/graduation-model)
- [Teamed pricing, zero FX markup](/pricing)
- [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator)

A note on this page.

This is a guide, not legal, tax or accounting advice. We read the figures on this page from the official texts in Equatorial Guinea's state gazette on 21 October 2026. They are the General Labour Law (Ley 4/2021) and its 2026 amendments (Ley 6/2026), the General Tax Law (Ley 1/2024), the minimum wage decrees of 2011 and 2016, the 2007 holidays decree, the 1999 temporary work agencies law and the 2010 foreigners law. We did not find an official text that sets the social security contribution rates, or a minimum wage decree after 2016. So these pages do not print either as a current figure. Confirm current requirements with the Ministry of Labour, INSESO, the Ministry of Finance and a qualified adviser before relying on any figure. Sources:

[General Labour Law, Ley 4/2021 (state gazette copy mirrored by FAOLEX)](https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/eqg246163.pdf)

.

[Ley 6/2026, amending Ley 4/2021 (Boletín Oficial del Estado)](https://boe.gob.gq/files/Ley%20General%20de%20Trabajo1.pdf)

.

[Decreto 121/2011 and Decreto 30/2016, minimum wage (Boletín Oficial del Estado)](https://boe.gob.gq/files/Decreto%20sobre%20la%20Pr%C3%B3rroga%20de%20Viegencia%20del%20Decreto%20de%20Salario%20M%C3%ADnimo%20Interprofesional.pdf)

.

[Decreto 9/2007, official holidays (Boletín Oficial del Estado)](https://boe.gob.gq/files/Decreto%20de%20Fijaci%C3%B3n%20de%20los%20D%C3%ADas%20Feriados%20en%20Guinea%20Ecuatorial.pdf)

.

[Ley Orgánica 3/2010, foreigners (Boletín Oficial del Estado)](https://boe.gob.gq/files/Ley%20reguladora%20del%20derecho%20de%20estranjeria%20en%20Guinea%20Ecuatorial.pdf)

.