Do International Students Get Paid Holiday Leave (Urlaub) in Germany?

The Expat Exploitation

Thousands of international students working in restaurants, bars, and warehouses in Germany are being actively exploited by their employers.

When a student asks for a week off to visit their family in India or study for exams, the boss says: "Sure, you can take a week off. But I'm only paying you for the hours you work. Students don't get paid vacation."

This is completely illegal.

The Federal Holiday Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz)

In Germany, labor laws are absolute. It does not matter if you are a full-time CEO, a 20-hour Werkstudent, or a 10-hour Minijobber at a bakery.

If you have an employment contract, you are legally entitled to Paid Vacation (Bezahlter Urlaub) and Paid Sick Leave (Lohnfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall).

How Many Paid Vacation Days Do You Get?

The federal legal minimum is 4 weeks of paid vacation per year, based on the number of days you work per week.

It is NOT based on your hours; it is based on the number of days you show up.

Example 1 (Full-Time): If you work 5 days a week, you get a minimum of 20 paid vacation days a year.

Example 2 (Werkstudent): If you work 2 days a week (e.g., 10 hours on Thursday, 10 hours on Friday), you get a minimum of 8 paid vacation days a year (2 days × 4 weeks).

If you request to use 2 of your vacation days, you stay home on Thursday and Friday, and your boss MUST pay you your standard 20 hours of wages for that week.

Paid Sick Leave (Krankenschein)

The exact same law applies to being sick.

If you wake up with a fever on the day of your shift, you must go to a doctor and get an official Sick Note (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, or "AU"). You send this digital note to your employer.

Your employer is legally required to pay you for the hours you were scheduled to work that day. They cannot force you to "make up the hours" next week.

Stand Up for Your Rights

Many shady employers rely on the fact that international students do not know German labor laws. If your boss refuses to pay your vacation or sick leave, show them the Bundesurlaubsgesetz.

If they still refuse, you can contact the Arbeitsgericht (Labor Court). Germany has a highly accessible labor court system that aggressively defends employees against wage theft.

Never work for free. Use our Minijob Calculator to ensure you are maximizing your legal €538 limit fairly.