Cross-border workers in Germany: What you need to know about summer leave

Minimum legal duration: The statutory minimum is 20 working days per year for a 5-day workweek, or 24 working days for a 6-day workweek (Saturday counts as a working day). Many collective agreements or employment contracts provide for additional days.

Accrual of leave rights: You acquire your full paid leave entitlement after six months of employment with the company. If your contract ends before this period, you are entitled to one-twelfth of the annual leave for each full month worked.

Taking leave: You may take leave on a pro-rata basis before acquiring full entitlement. The employer must take your preferred leave dates into account unless pressing operational needs or other employees’ social priorities prevent this. The employer may also impose mandatory leave periods (such as company-wide closures). German law guarantees the right to take at least 12 consecutive days of leave.

As a rule, leave must be taken during the current calendar year.

Exceptionally, unused leave may be carried over into the following calendar year, but must be used by March 31 at the latest. In principle, leave can only be carried over if:

• You were unable to take your leave due to valid professional or personal reasons.
• If you were ill throughout the year (or until the end of December), your leave is not lost and can still be taken — generally up to 15 months after the end of the relevant year (i.e., until March 31 of the year after next).

If you fall ill during your vacation in Germany, the days of illness (documented by a medical certificate) are not deducted from your leave. You must inform your employer immediately (as soon as you become ill) and provide a doctor’s certificate confirming your illness.

Public holidays in Germany vary by federal state (Land). Common national holidays include May 1st (Labour Day), Ascension Day, Whit Monday (Pentecost), and German Unity Day (October 3rd).