The European baseline: four weeks, guaranteed
Every employee in the EU is entitled by law to a minimum of four weeks of paid annual leave — 20 working days for a standard five-day week — under the EU Working Time Directive. This is a floor, not a ceiling: national law and collective agreements push it higher almost everywhere, and the leave cannot be replaced by a cash payment while you are still employed. If a contract offers you less than the legal minimum, that clause is void.
On top of statutory vacation sit public holidays — paid days off set by each country, ranging from about 9 to 14 per year. Public holidays are national law, not EU law, which is why they vary so much: they reflect each country's history, religion and regional structure. Together, statutory leave plus public holidays define the real shape of your working year in Europe.
Paid leave by country: the 2026 picture
| Country | Statutory minimum leave | Public holidays (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 30 working days (25 ouvrés) | 11 | Highest statutory leave in the set; leave accrues monthly at 2.5 days per month worked |
| Spain | 30 calendar days | 14 (national + regional + local) | Most holidays of any country here; unused leave generally expires at year-end |
| Germany | 20 working days | 9–13 (varies by state) | Bavaria has the most holidays; collective agreements commonly give 28–30 days |
| Netherlands | 20 working days | 9–11 | Statutory leave expires 6 months after the year earned; above-statutory days last 5 years |
| Ireland | 20 working days | 10 | Leave year runs April–March in many contracts; part-timers accrue pro-rata |
| Italy | 20 working days (4 weeks) | 11–12 | Collective agreements (CCNL) usually add days; leave must be taken within 18 months |
| Poland | 20–26 working days | 13 | 26 days after 10 years' total employment (including study time); strong holiday count |
Two things jump out. First, collective agreements matter enormously: in Germany and Italy, the contract or sectoral agreement you sign often adds a full extra week beyond the legal minimum. Second, France's 30 days and Spain's 14 public holidays mean workers in those countries can easily enjoy 40+ paid days off a year — roughly double the EU floor.
How public holidays actually work
A public holiday is a paid day off for most employees, but the details have traps for newcomers:
- Holidays on weekends: some countries move the day off to the nearest weekday (Spain and Ireland commonly do this); others, like Germany, simply lose it. France does not generally shift holidays that fall on weekends.
- Bridge days (pont / Brückentag / puente): when a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many employers — especially in France, Spain and Germany — let staff take the Monday or Friday off, sometimes counted against annual leave, sometimes given freely. Ask about the company's bridge-day policy when you join.
- Regional holidays: Spain has national, regional and local holidays (Catalonia, Andalusia and others differ); Germany's holidays vary by federal state; Italy adds each city's patron saint day. Your holiday count depends on where you work, not just the country.
- Working on a holiday: essential services, hospitality and healthcare staff often work holidays — usually for premium pay (commonly +100% or a compensatory day off) set by law or agreement. Read our overtime pay guide for the premium rules.
Accrual, carryover and expiry: the rules that cost people days
The EU floor says leave must be taken — but when it expires is national law, and this is where foreign workers lose days:
- Netherlands: the sharpest deadline — statutory leave days expire 6 months after the calendar year in which they were earned. Extra contractual days above the minimum last 5 years.
- Germany: leave should be taken in the calendar year; carryover into the next year is allowed only in special cases and must then be taken by 31 March.
- France: the leave year runs June–May in many companies; unused days can sometimes be banked in a compte épargne-temps (time savings account) if the company offers one.
- Italy: unused leave must generally be taken within 18 months after the year it was accrued.
- Spain: strict — unused vacation usually expires at year-end with no carryover unless the collective agreement says otherwise.
- Ireland and Poland: carryover is possible by agreement with the employer; in Poland, leave untaken by 30 September of the following year is still owed and the employer can schedule it.
- Sick leave overlap: EU case law is clear — if you fall ill during booked vacation, those days convert to sick leave and your vacation days are restored. You need a medical certificate and must inform the employer promptly.
Cash instead of leave is not allowed while employed — an employer cannot pay you to skip vacation. The only exception is payment in lieu of untaken leave when the employment relationship ends.
Part-time, fixed-term and probation: pro-rata rules
Part-time workers accrue leave pro-rata: work three days a week, get three-fifths of the full-time entitlement. Fixed-term contractors accrue leave for the months actually worked — a six-month contract in France earns roughly 15 days. During probation, leave rights already accrue from day one in most countries; the probation period affects dismissal protection, not vacation entitlement. Agency and posted workers are covered by the same rules — see our European labour law basics for how posted-worker rights work.
What your contract should say about leave
Before signing, check these five lines in the contract or the applicable collective agreement:
- The exact number of vacation days — and whether the figure quoted is working days or calendar days.
- Whether public holidays are on top of the vacation figure or included in it (they should be on top).
- The leave year (calendar year vs June–May vs April–March) and the carryover deadline.
- How leave is requested and approved — notice periods, blackout periods, and whether the employer can schedule your leave.
- What happens to untaken leave on departure — it must be paid out.
Employers can refuse specific dates for operational reasons, and in several countries they can schedule part of your leave (France allows the employer to set dates for a portion; many German companies close between Christmas and New Year as Betriebsferien counted against leave). But they cannot refuse leave indefinitely or let it expire through their own obstruction — courts across Europe have held that employers must actively enable workers to take their leave.
Planning your year: getting the most from the calendar
Smart planning multiplies your time off. A few patterns experienced expats use:
- Stack leave around Easter and Christmas — the densest holiday clusters in every country here.
- Use bridge days: one vacation day on a Friday can buy a four-day weekend when Thursday is a holiday.
- Know your regional holidays before booking — a holiday in your region that is a workday elsewhere is a free travel day with empty roads.
- Book summer early: in France, Italy and Spain, August leave is a near-universal expectation and popular weeks go fast; many companies allocate by seniority or rotation.
- Track expiry dates — set a calendar reminder for September/October so no statutory day dies unused, especially in the Netherlands.
Europe's leave culture is one of its biggest quality-of-life advantages over other regions — but only for workers who know the rules. Read the contract, learn the carryover deadline in your country, and treat your vacation days as part of your compensation: because legally, that is exactly what they are.
Note: leave entitlements, public holiday counts and carryover deadlines are set by national law and collective agreements and can change. Figures above are typical 2026 values for orientation — confirm the exact rules in your contract and with the national labour authority before planning around them.