Every country establishes a minimum requirement for statutory paid annual leave. Refer to this list to ensure compliance and facilitate time off for your global team.
Key Points to Note:
- Vacation days differ from sick leave or parental leave, each with distinct legal requirements.
- The count of vacation days typically applies to full-time employees (working 5 days a week or approximately 40 hours), with leave entitlement adjusted for part-time workers.
- In some countries, public holidays may be integrated into the vacation leave.
Annual leave, also known as annual vacation, represents the allotted paid vacation time for employees and stands as a highly valuable and appealing employment benefit.
Legally, companies are obligated to provide a specific number of paid vacation days to full-time employees, with the exact count varying based on employment laws in each country. For instance, European Union countries mandate a minimum of 4 weeks of paid leave, while in Mexico, employees are entitled to six days.
Certain private-sector companies go above legal requirements, offering extended vacation leave as part of their competitive benefits package.
This guide comprehensively outlines the statutory minimum annual leave for 76 countries worldwide. Whether you’re a company expanding into a new country or an employee contemplating relocation, this resource provides essential information about paid leave.
30+ Days
Argentina
The duration of your annual paid leave in Argentina is contingent upon your tenure with the company:
- For a period ranging from six months to five years, employees are entitled to 14 days of paid leave.
- Up to ten years of service warrants a leave entitlement of 21 days.
- Employees with a service tenure between 10 and 20 years are eligible for 28 days of paid leave.
- Those who have devoted 20 or more years to the company enjoy a generous leave period of 35 days.
Brazil
In Brazil, once you have completed one year of employment, you are entitled to a 30-day paid annual leave.
Finland
In Finland, individuals have the right to 30 days of paid annual leave.
Germany
In Germany, employees are officially entitled to 20 days of paid leave. However, it’s common for many employers to provide their workers with up to six weeks of paid time off.
Panama
In Panama, employees are granted 30 days of paid time off per year once they have completed a year of service with a company.
Peru
In Peru, employees are eligible for 30 days of vacation if they have completed more than one year of service with the company.
Taiwan
The duration of your annual leave is contingent upon your tenure with the company. Here’s a breakdown:
- After six months with the company, you are entitled to three days of leave.
- Upon completing one year, your leave entitlement increases to seven days.
- After two years, you enjoy a leave period of 10 days.
- Three years of service grants you 14 days of annual leave.
- Once you’ve completed five years, your leave allowance extends to 15 days.
- For every additional year beyond 10 years of service, you receive one extra day of leave each year, capped at a maximum of 30 days.
United Arab Emirates
After completing six months of work, you receive two paid days off per month. Once you’ve been with the company for a year, you are entitled to 30 days of annual leave.
20+ Days
Albania
In Albania, employees are granted four weeks of paid time off per year. Notably, any unused time off rolls over until the end of March in the following year, after which it expires if not utilized.
Australia
In Australia, employees are typically granted 20 days of paid annual leave.
Austria
Austrian employees receive 25 days of paid time off annually. Upon completing 25 years of service, they become eligible for an extended period, enjoying 30 weeks of paid leave.
Belarus
When employed by a company in Belarus, individuals are entitled to 24 days of paid annual leave.
Belgium
In Belgium, employees typically have the opportunity to take 20 days of paid time off each year.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, regular employees generally receive 20 days of paid time off. However, minors and those engaged in risky or health-harming occupations are entitled to additional leave.
Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, employees are granted 20 business days of paid annual leave once they have worked for an employer for at least eight months.
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Canada
In Canada, the government ensures your initial paid leave after one year of service, although many employers provide paid time off from the outset. The duration of your leave increases with your tenure:
- One to five years: Two weeks off
- Five to ten years: Three weeks off
- 10+ years: Four weeks off
Croatia
In Croatia, employees are entitled to a minimum of 20 days of paid annual leave..
Cyprus
In Cyprus, the entitlement to paid time off is based on the number of days worked per week. Employees receive:
- 20 days off for a five-day week
- 24 days off for a six-day week
Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, employees typically receive 20 days of paid time off.
Denmark
In Denmark, employees typically receive 25 days of paid time off.
Egypt
In Egypt, employees are entitled to 21 days of paid time off per year after completing at least six months of service with a company. This entitlement increases to 30 days after 10 years of continuous service.
Estonia
In Estonia, employers are required to provide employees with 28 days of paid time off per year.
France
In France, employees generally have the right to 25 days of paid time off. Additionally, depending on their seniority, they may be eligible for holiday bonuses.
Greece
In Greece, employees typically have the opportunity to take 20-22 days off per year. However, after spending more than 10 years at the same company, the entitlement may increase to 25 days of annual leave.
Ireland
In Ireland, employees are generally entitled to receive payment for four weeks of vacation from their employer.
Italy
In Italy, employees are typically entitled to take at least 20 days of paid annual leave.Learn more about the statutory employment regulations in Italy.
Kenya
In this scenario, if an employee works for more than a year at the same company, they become eligible for 21 days of paid leave. Additionally, in their first year of employment, once they complete two uninterrupted months of work, they are entitled to seven paid days off.
Latvia
According to Latvian law, every employee is entitled to take four calendar weeks of paid time off. However, if the employee is under 18 years old, they have the right to take a month off.
Lithuania
In Lithuania, employers are typically required to provide employees with 20 days of paid holiday per year.
Luxembourg
In Luxembourg, employees generally receive 25 days of paid leave per year.
Malta
In Malta, if you work 40 hours a week, you typically have the right to 26 days of paid annual leave.
Mauritius
In Mauritius, employees typically receive 20 days of paid time off per year.
Montenegro
In Montenegro, the duration of your annual leave is contingent on both the length and type of your employment. For those working 36 hours a week in severe conditions, the entitlement is 30 business days of paid time off. If you have a 40-hour workweek, you are entitled to 20 days of paid leave. For those working six days a week, the allowance is 24 days of paid time off.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, employees typically have the right to take 20 days of paid time off in a year.
New Zealand
In New Zealand, employees typically enjoy an entitlement of 28 days of paid annual leave.
Norway
In Norway, employees are generally entitled to 20 days of paid holiday each year.
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Poland
In Poland, employees are typically granted 20 days of paid leave if they have been with the company for up to ten years. However, if their tenure exceeds ten years, the paid vacation entitlement increases to 26 days.
Portugal
In Portugal, employees working for a company typically have a statutory entitlement to 22 days of annual leave.
Romania
Employees in Romania are granted 20 days of paid annual leave, according to statutory regulations.
Russia
In Russia, employees are eligible to take 28 days of paid annual leave after completing one year of employment with an employer. Learn more about hiring employees in Russia here.
Serbia
In Serbia, employees have the right to 20 business days of paid annual leave. This entitlement may increase based on factors such as years of service, educational qualifications, and other relevant considerations.
Slovakia
Employees in Slovakia are entitled to 28 days of paid annual leave.
Slovenia
If you are employed by a Slovenian company, you are entitled to 28 days of paid time off per year.
South Africa
Employees in South Africa are entitled to a minimum of three weeks of paid leave per year.
South Korea
If you have worked for an employer for less than two years, you are entitled to 15 days of paid holiday. For each additional two years of employment beyond the initial two years, you are entitled to an extra day of holiday, with a maximum limit of 25 days after three years of employment.
Spain
In Spain, the duration of your leave is contingent on your weekly working hours. If you work 36 hours per week, you are entitled to 22 paid business days off. After completing more than a year of service with the same employer, this entitlement increases to 23 days.
Sweden
Swedish employees are granted 25 days of paid vacation annually. Additionally, employees receive holiday bonuses each May.
Switzerland
Employees working for a Switzerland-based company are typically granted 20 days of paid time off per year.
Turkey
For employees with less than five years of service in Turkey, the minimum entitlement to paid days off per year is 14. After completing five years of employment, this allowance increases to 20 days. Furthermore, after 15 years of service, employees are entitled to 26 days of paid vacation.
Ukraine
Similar too many other European countries, Ukrainian employees are entitled to 24 calendar days of annual leave. It’s important to note that this leave period includes weekends but typically does not include official holidays.
10+ Days
Cambodia
In Cambodia, employees who have worked for three years are entitled to take 18 days off annually. For each subsequent year of employment beyond the initial three years, an additional day of leave is granted.
Chile
In Chile, employees who have worked for the same company for one year are entitled to 15 paid days off. During the first year of employment, the accrual rate is 1.25 days of leave per month.
China
Your entitlement to paid days off with a company in this scenario begins after working for at least a year. For the initial ten years, you are entitled to five paid days off per year, which increases to ten days after ten years, and further increases to 15 days after 20 years of service.
Colombia
In Colombia, employees have the right to 15 business days of paid annual leave per year. Among these 15 days, it is mandatory to take at least six business days off consecutively, while the remaining days can be compensated through payment.
Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, employees have the right to take two weeks of paid annual leave for every 50 weeks worked. If an employee has been with the company for less than 50 weeks, they are entitled to one day off per month.
Georgia
In Georgia, employees are granted annual leave based on the duration of their employment:
- 15 days off for the first five years of service.
- 18 days off for employees with a tenure between five and ten years.
- After ten years of service, employees are entitled to 21 paid days off.
India
In India, employees typically receive 18 days of paid holiday per year. Furthermore, if an employee doesn’t utilize all of their vacation days, they have the option to carry over up to 30 days to the following year.
Indonesia
After a year of employment in Indonesia, employees are entitled to 12 days of paid time off.
Israel
In Israel, employees are typically entitled to 12 days of paid annual leave.
Hong Kong
If you’ve been with a company for up to two years, you are entitled to seven days of paid leave. For each additional year of employment, an extra day is granted. Therefore, if you’ve been working for a company for 9 or more years, you are entitled to 14 days of paid leave.
Hungary
In Hungary, employees typically have the right to take at least three weeks of paid holiday. If an employee is working five days a week, this corresponds to a total of 15 days off per year.
Japan
In Japan, employees typically receive 10 days of paid time off. During the first 2.5 years of service, they accrue an additional day of leave each year. After this period, the accrual rate increases to two additional days per year.
Madagascar
Workers in Madagascar are typically granted five paid days off for their annual vacation.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, employees receive eight days of paid leave after two years with the company. If the tenure is between two and five years, the entitlement increases to 12 days of paid leave per year. For those staying with the same employer for five or more years, the annual paid leave allowance is 16 days.
Mexico
When working for a Mexican company, the number of paid days off you are entitled to depends on the duration of your employment:
- 1 year: 6 paid days off
- 2 years: 8 paid days off
- 3 years: 10 paid days off
- 4 years: 12 paid days off
5 or more years: Two additional paid days off every five years. Learn more about the statutory employment regulations in Mexico.
Mongolia
Mongolian employees are entitled to a minimum of 15 days of paid leave per year.
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Nigeria
In Nigeria, employees can take a minimum of six working days off after completing one year of employment. However, if they are under 16 years old, they are entitled to 12 paid days off.
Philippines
If you are employed by a company in the Philippines, you are typically allowed to take five days off in a year. If you choose not to use these days, you have the option to receive monetary compensation instead.
Singapore
In Singapore, if you have been with a company for three months, you are entitled to at least seven days of paid time off. Subsequently, you receive an additional day off each year, reaching a maximum of 14 days off after eight years. It’s noteworthy that many employers in Singapore typically provide between 14 to 20 days off from the start, surpassing the legal minimum.
Sri Lanka
As an employee in Sri Lanka, you are typically entitled to 14 days of paid time off after completing the first year of your employment.
Thailand
In Thailand, employees typically have the right to take six days off per year with pay. Additionally, there are 16 public holidays in Thailand, but it’s important to note that typically only banks and government offices observe these holidays.
Tunisia
In Tunisia, employees are usually entitled to take 12 paid days off per year after completing one year of service with an employer. This entitlement may increase up to 21 days with additional years of service.
Uganda
In Uganda, employees typically have the right to take 21 days of leave after completing one year of service. Subsequently, they are entitled to seven days for each four-month period they work.
United Kingdom
In the UK, if you are employed, you typically have the right to take 20 days of paid annual leave.
United States
In the United States, there is no specific federal law mandating that employers must provide paid time off. For instance, in New York, employees may be obligated to work on holidays unless otherwise specified in their employment contracts. Nevertheless, many employees typically receive around 15 days of paid annual leave.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, employees are typically permitted to take 12 days off in a year. Additionally, for every five years spent with the same employer, they are entitled to one additional paid holiday.
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