The government of Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla is giving its employees time off on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, from 10 am. This will allow them to attend the public events welcoming King Felipe VI. and Queen Letizia . The measure was announced on 10 October.
At the same time, the city called on the Delegación del Gobierno in Melilla to introduce an equivalent measure for central government offices in the city. The aim is to enable broad public participation in the official events. The city’s statement gave no details of exemptions or additional services.
The royal couple’s visit to the two Spanish enclaves is scheduled for mid-October: on 13 October 2026 a visit to Ceuta is planned, followed by Melilla on 14 October 2026. According to matching announcements from Zarzuela and the government on 1 October, this will be the first visit by a Spanish royal couple to Ceuta and Melilla since 2007.
In Melilla, the visit is seen as a political signal. The city president, Juan José Imbroda welcomed the visit as a way of strengthening trust and the visibility of the state in the enclave. In recent days, he had also called for the city to be included regularly in national agendas. Local authorities also point out that arrangements on the ground – from protocol to traffic management – are still being finalised. The city expects large crowds at the reception points.
It remains unclear whether the central administration will also give employees in its Melilla offices – for example, in delegations and subordinate authorities – time off. The city government has explicitly called on the Delegación del Gobierno to make a corresponding decision. No confirmed programme details beyond the arrival times have yet been published.
The immediate occasion is the decision, made on 10 October, to give city employees time off from 10 am. The background is the confirmation of the dates for Ceuta and Melilla, already announced on 1 October. Further political assessments come from public statements by local authorities; no announcement has yet been made about any additional steps by the central government.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).