Eid al-Fitr 2026: Indonesia and Malaysia Align on 21 March, Check the Holiday Scheme

The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia have officially determined that Eid al-Fitr, 1 Syawal 1447 Hijriah, falls on Saturday, 21 March 2026. This decision was made after authorities from both countries conducted moon sighting (rukyatul hilal) and stated that the position of the new moon did not meet visibility criteria.

Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, explained during a press conference at the Sidang Isbat in Jakarta on Thursday evening (19 March 2026) that astronomically, the crescent moon’s position across all Indonesian regions did not reach the MABIMS criteria (Ministers of Religious Affairs from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore).

“Since the crescent was not successfully sighted, the age of the Ramadan month is perfected to 30 days,” he said.

In Indonesia, the public will enjoy a fairly long holiday period. Based on the Joint Decree of Three Ministers, the government has set the following schedule:

[Note: Specific holiday dates omitted in source, but implies extended breaks around the date.]

Additionally, the government is implementing a Work From Anywhere (WFA) policy for civil servants (ASN) and issuing similar recommendations to the private sector to anticipate severe congestion during the homecoming and return flows.

In contrast to Indonesia, Malaysia is applying a more concise holiday scheme while still providing flexibility. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced an additional one-day holiday on Friday, 20 March 2026, to give citizens an earlier opportunity for “Balik Kampung” (returning to hometowns).

This alignment in setting the Eid date is welcomed positively as a form of harmonisation for Muslims in Southeast Asia. In addition to Indonesia and Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore have also set Eid al-Fitr on 21 March 2026.