As the summer period approaches, employee annual leave continues to be an important matter for businesses operating in Greece. Starting from January 2026, a revised regulatory framework has been introduced, bringing meaningful changes to the way statutory annual leave is arranged, divided, and reported in the private sector.
One of the most notable developments concerns the flexibility of leave allocation. Under the new provision introduced by Article 10 of Law 5239/2025, which amended Article 225 of the Greek Labour Code (P.D. 62/2025, Government Gazette A’ 121), employees are now allowed, under specific conditions, to divide their annual leave into up to four different time periods within the same calendar year. Previously, the general principle required leave to be taken continuously, while fragmentation was permitted only in exceptional cases and under stricter conditions.
The updated Article 225 continues to establish continuous leave as the default principle. However, employees may request to take their leave in parts for personal or practical reasons, provided the employer agrees in writing. It is also required that at least one portion of the leave includes a minimum of six working days in a six-day work schedule, or five working days in a five-day schedule. Both the employee’s request and the employer’s decision must be retained in company records for five years and made available to labour inspectors, without requiring prior approval from the Labour Authorities.
Another important change concerns the ERGANI information system. From 2026 onwards, employers are no longer required to declare annual leave in advance. Instead, they must report leave after it has been taken, within the month following the period of leave. The system also now includes additional reporting fields such as the reference year and the number of leave days an employee is entitled to.
What remains unchanged is equally important. Annual leave continues to be determined by length of service and employment type, cannot be replaced by financial compensation except upon termination of employment, and employers must still ensure that at least 50% of staff take their leave between May 1 and September 30.
How Eurofast Can Support Your Business
As an international provider of payroll and compliance services, Eurofast offers expertise in managing constantly evolving labour regulations across different countries. We can take care of the preparation and submission of annual leave declarations on your behalf, helping your business stay compliant while you focus on your core operations.
For more information, contact us at [email protected]