Leave in Italy and Long Trips Home: Planning Holidays as a Relocated Employee

For someone who has moved far from home, leave is not a detail. A wedding in Chennai, the holidays in São Paulo, a parent’s birthday in Ankara: the trips home are often what makes life abroad sustainable. Italy is generous with leave, and a little planning goes a long way.

What you are entitled to  

• At least four weeks of paid annual leave a year by law. At least two of them must be taken in the year they accrue; the rest within the period set by law and the CCNL.
• Extra paid hours off (ROL, permessi) under many CCNLs, on top of the four weeks.
• Public holidays: 12 national holidays plus the local patron saint’s day.
• Sick leave, maternity and paternity leave separately from annual leave.

Leave accrues month by month. In your first months you will have accrued only a part of it. Ask the company employing you whether early use of leave can be agreed if you have an important trip.

Planning long trips  

Many relocated employees prefer one long trip a year rather than several short ones. Four weeks plus ROL hours makes a three-week trip realistic, especially if it includes public holidays.

Tips:

• Agree dates early with your manager, especially if the team is spread across time zones.
• Combine with public holidays, both Italian and, when working for a company abroad, your company’s calendar.
• Check your permit. Make sure it does not expire while you are away, and that you carry the permit or the renewal receipt. Long absences from Italy can matter for permits; ask us if you plan to be away for months.
• Remote work from abroad during a trip home is a different thing from leave. A few days can usually be agreed; longer periods can change where tax and contributions are due. Ask before.

The August question  

Many Italian companies slow down or close for part of August. If you work for a company abroad, its calendar applies, not the Italian one. Still, offices and services in Italy are quieter in August, which is worth knowing if you have appointments to schedule.

Unused leave  

Leave is meant to be taken. Italian rules limit paying it out instead of taking it, except at the end of employment. When you leave, any unused leave is paid in your final payslip.

Leave and your employer abroad  

If the company employing you is used to unlimited or minimal leave policies, explain the Italian rules early. We put them in the contract, track balances in payroll, and include them in the monthly report.

Parental leave  

If you have a child in Italy: mandatory maternity leave of five months, paternity leave of ten working days, mostly paid through INPS, plus optional parental leave, partly paid. Tell us as soon as you can so payroll and planning are in place.

Sick leave while abroad  

If you fall ill during a trip home, the rules on medical certificates differ from those in Italy. Contact us before you assume it counts as sick leave.

A checklist before every long trip  

• Dates agreed with your manager
• Leave balance checked on your payslip
• Permit valid for the whole trip, or renewal receipt with you
• Any remote work days agreed in writing
• Return flight before the permit or receipt expires

Read more about contracts, leave and termination .

Questions we hear often  

Can I carry leave into the next year? Within limits. Two weeks must be taken in the year of accrual; the rest within the period set by law and the CCNL.

Do I get my home country’s public holidays? Not as a right. You can use leave for them, or the company can agree extra days.

Can I buy extra leave? Not as a standard Italian practice. Unpaid leave can be agreed.

Are Saturdays counted as leave days? It depends on whether your schedule counts five or six working days; the CCNL and your contract set how leave is counted.

What if my manager abroad refuses leave? The four weeks are a legal right, not a perk. We explain the rules to the company employing you, and the leave balance appears in every monthly report.

Can I take all four weeks at once? The law requires at least two weeks in the year of accrual and does not forbid a longer block. It needs your manager’s agreement on dates.