Annual Leave Entitlements by European Country in 2026

At a Glance 

Annual leave entitlements vary across different European countries, and understanding the statutory minimums in each country is a legal requirement for any company employing people there. This guide covers the minimum paid leave entitlements, public holiday rules, and key considerations for employers hiring across European markets in 2026.

Introduction 

Annual leave is one of the most regulated areas of employment law across Europe. Every country sets its own statutory minimum, and in many cases collective agreements or industry standards push actual entitlements considerably higher than the legal floor. For companies hiring internationally, getting this right is not optional — failing to provide the correct leave entitlement is a compliance breach that can result in back payments and penalties. 

This guide covers the statutory annual leave entitlements for each major European market, with a focus on the countries where Swapp Agency operates its own entities. 

How European Annual Leave Law Works 

The EU Working Time Directive sets a baseline minimum of four weeks of paid annual leave for all workers across EU member states. This works out to 20 days for someone working a standard five-day week. However, most European countries go beyond this minimum in their national legislation, and many sectors have collective agreements that set higher entitlements still. 

Public holidays are treated separately from annual leave in most European countries. Some countries require that public holidays falling on working days are given as additional paid time off. Others allow employers to include public holidays within the annual leave total. The rules vary by country and sometimes by sector. 

Annual Leave by Country 

Iceland 

Statutory minimum: 24 working days per year, which equates to approximately 30 calendar days for a standard working week arrangement. 

Iceland's Annual Holidays Act sets one of the more generous statutory minimums in Europe. Employees accrue leave at a rate of two days per month of employment. During the first year of employment, the entitlement is proportional to the time worked. 

Iceland also has 13 public holidays. These are separate from annual leave entitlement and must be given as additional paid time off. 

Employers in Iceland are required to pay a holiday allowance of at least 10.17% of total wages earned during the reference year. This is paid out during the summer holiday period or upon termination. 

Sweden 

Statutory minimum: 25 working days per year under the Annual Leave Act (Semesterlagen). 

Sweden has one of the most employee-friendly leave frameworks in Europe. The statutory minimum of 25 days applies regardless of the collective agreement in place, and many agreements provide additional days on top of this. 

Sweden has 13 public holidays. Employees are entitled to these in addition to their annual leave, though some collective agreements have specific rules about how public holidays interact with shift work and other non-standard working arrangements. 

Leave accrues during the reference year (April to March) and is taken in the subsequent leave year. Employees who have not yet accrued leave are entitled to unpaid leave in lieu. 

Denmark 

Statutory minimum: 25 working days per year under the Holiday Act (Ferieloven). 

Denmark updated its holiday law significantly in 2020, introducing a concurrent holiday system where employees accrue and use leave in the same period rather than the previous system where leave was accrued in one year and taken in the next. The current system runs on a holiday year from 1 September to 31 August. 

Employees in Denmark are entitled to five weeks of holiday per year. They accrue 2.08 days per month of employment. Denmark has 11 public holidays, which are separate from annual leave. 

A holiday supplement of at least 1% of salary is also required under Danish law, on top of the regular salary paid during leave. 

Norway 

Statutory minimum: 25 working days per year for employees under 60, and 31 working days for employees aged 60 and over, under the Holiday Act (Ferieloven). 

Norway's holiday entitlement includes a mandatory summer holiday of at least three consecutive weeks, which employers cannot override. Employees are also entitled to take their remaining leave in other periods throughout the year. 

Norway has 12 public holidays, which are separate from annual leave. A holiday pay supplement of 10.2% of gross wages (12% for employees over 60) is paid in lieu of salary during the holiday period, rather than regular salary continuing during leave. 

Finland 

Statutory minimum: Between 24 and 30 working days per year depending on length of service, under the Annual Holidays Act. 

During the first year of employment, employees accrue two working days of leave per month worked. After one year of continuous employment, this increases to two and a half working days per month, resulting in 30 days per year. 

Finland has 15 public holidays. These are in addition to annual leave and must be given as paid time off when they fall on working days. 

Finnish employees are also entitled to a holiday bonus, commonly set at 50% of holiday pay, under many collective agreements. While this is not a statutory requirement in all sectors, it is standard practice in most. 

Greenland 

Statutory minimum: 30 days of annual leave per year under Greenlandic employment law, which operates separately from Danish law despite Greenland's status as an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. 

Greenland has its own employment legislation and collective bargaining structures. Employers hiring in Greenland need to be aware that Danish employment law does not automatically apply. 

Faroe Islands 

Statutory minimum: 25 working days per year under Faroese holiday legislation, which is separate from both Danish and Norwegian law. 

The Faroe Islands are an autonomous territory with their own tax, payroll, and employment framework. Employers must comply with Faroese rather than Danish employment legislation. 

Åland Islands 

Statutory minimum: 25 working days per year, following Finnish employment law with some local variations. 

The Åland Islands are an autonomous region of Finland with their own legislative assembly. Finnish employment law generally applies, but employers should verify whether any local rules affect specific sectors. 

Estonia 

Statutory minimum: 28 calendar days per year under the Employment Contracts Act. 

Estonia measures annual leave in calendar days rather than working days, which means the effective working day equivalent depends on how many weekends fall within the leave period. For a standard working week, 28 calendar days typically works out to around 20 working days. 

Employees in certain roles, including teachers, judges, and some public sector workers, are entitled to longer leave periods under specific legislation. 

Estonia has 12 public holidays, which are given as additional paid time off when they fall on working days. 

Lithuania 

Statutory minimum: 20 working days per year (28 calendar days) under the Labour Code. 

Lithuania also measures leave in calendar days in some contexts. Employees in certain categories, including those raising children under 14, employees with disabilities, and those in specific hazardous roles, are entitled to additional leave of up to 35 calendar days. 

Lithuania has 14 public holidays. These are separate from annual leave and must be compensated when they fall on working days.  

North Macedonia 

Statutory minimum: Between 20 and 26 working days per year under the Labour Law, depending on the nature of the work and length of service. 

Employees in North Macedonia are entitled to a minimum of 20 working days of annual leave. This can increase up to 26 days based on factors including length of service, working conditions, and role complexity, as defined in the employment contract or collective agreement. 

North Macedonia has 12 public holidays, which are additional to annual leave. 

Spain 

Statutory minimum: 30 calendar days per year under the Workers' Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores). 

Spain's 30 calendar days is one of the higher statutory minimums in Europe. This equates to approximately 22 working days for a standard five-day week. Many collective agreements in Spain provide additional leave on top of this statutory floor. 

Spain has 14 public holidays per year, of which 12 are national and 2 are set at the regional level and vary by autonomous community. Public holidays are separate from annual leave. 

Portugal 

Statutory minimum: 22 working days per year under the Labour Code (Código do Trabalho). 

Portugal's statutory minimum of 22 working days is above the EU baseline and has remained stable in recent years. Employees may be entitled to additional leave days based on attendance records under some collective agreements, though the rules around this have been modified in recent legislation. 

Portugal has 13 public holidays. These are in addition to annual leave. 

France 

Statutory minimum: 25 working days per year, calculated as five weeks, under the Labour Code (Code du travail). 

France calculates annual leave as 2.5 working days per month of work, resulting in 25 days for a full year of employment. The reference period runs from 1 June to 31 May. 

France has 11 public holidays. Depending on the applicable collective agreement, some of these may be included within the annual leave total rather than being additional. This varies significantly by sector and is one of the reasons why understanding the applicable collective agreement is essential when hiring in France. 

Additional leave entitlements may apply for employees with long service, certain family situations, or specific working conditions under collective agreements. 

United Kingdom 

Statutory minimum: 28 days per year, which can include up to 8 public holidays, under the Working Time Regulations. 

The UK's 28-day entitlement is the statutory minimum and includes bank holidays in the total, though employers are not legally required to give bank holidays as paid leave — they can be included within the 28-day total. Many employers do give bank holidays on top of the 20 days of leave, making the effective entitlement 28 days excluding public holidays. 

The UK has 8 public holidays in England and Wales, 9 in Scotland, and 10 in Northern Ireland. 

Ireland 

Statutory minimum: 20 working days per year under the Organisation of Working Time Act, increasing to 24 days from 2026 for employees with at least two years of service with the same employer. 

Ireland is in the process of increasing statutory leave entitlements. From 2026, employees with at least two years of continuous service with the same employer are entitled to 24 days of annual leave. This is part of a planned increase towards 26 days for those with five or more years of service. 

Ireland has 10 public holidays. These are in addition to annual leave and must be given as paid time off. 

What Employers Need to Know When Hiring Across Multiple European Countries 

For companies hiring across several European markets, managing different leave entitlements, accrual systems, reference periods, and public holiday rules creates real administrative complexity. 

The most common mistakes companies make are applying their home country's leave rules to employees in other countries, failing to account for country-specific collective agreements that go above the statutory minimum, and not tracking accrual correctly when employees join or leave mid-year. 

An Employer of Record handles all of this on the employer's behalf. The employment contract reflects the correct statutory minimum for the relevant country, collective agreement obligations are applied where they exist, and leave tracking is managed within the local payroll and HR system. 

Summary 

Annual leave entitlements across Europe range from 20 working days in Lithuania at the statutory floor to 30 calendar days in Spain and Greenland. Public holidays add further complexity, with some countries treating them as entirely separate from annual leave and others allowing them to be counted within the total. For companies hiring internationally, the obligation is to meet the statutory minimum in each country where employees are based, account for any applicable collective agreement that goes above that minimum, and manage accrual correctly throughout the employment relationship. 

Swapp Agency manages employment across 150+ countries with its own entities across the Nordics, Baltics, Iberia, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and North Macedonia. If you are hiring in any of these markets and want to make sure leave entitlements are handled correctly from day one, get in touch.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the minimum annual leave entitlement in Europe? The EU Working Time Directive sets a minimum of four weeks (20 working days) of paid annual leave for all EU member states. Most European countries legislate above this minimum, with entitlements ranging from 20 working days in some countries to 30 calendar days in others. 

Are public holidays included in annual leave in Europe? It depends on the country. In the UK, public holidays can be counted within the statutory 28-day total. In most other European countries, including France, Spain, Sweden, and Finland, public holidays are separate from annual leave and must be given as additional paid time off. 

Which European country has the most annual leave? Finland and Iceland both offer among the most generous statutory leave entitlements in Europe, with up to 30 working days per year for employees with sufficient service. Spain also provides 30 calendar days as its statutory minimum. 

Do collective agreements affect annual leave entitlements in Europe? Yes. In many European countries, particularly France, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, collective agreements set entitlements above the statutory minimum for specific sectors. Employers hiring in these countries need to identify the applicable agreement and ensure their employment contracts comply with it. 

What happens if an employer does not provide the correct annual leave entitlement? Failure to provide the statutory minimum annual leave is a compliance breach in every European country. Consequences can include back payment of accrued leave, fines from labour authorities, and in some cases claims from employees through local employment tribunals or courts. 

How does an Employer of Record handle annual leave for international employees? An EOR employs workers on behalf of the client company and is responsible for ensuring the employment contract meets local statutory requirements, including annual leave. Leave accrual is tracked within the local payroll system, and the correct entitlement is applied based on the country and any applicable collective agreement.