Which working-time rules apply if I work abroad?

In principle those of the country you work in. In the EU, minimum rules from Directive 2003/88/EC apply as well: 11 hours of rest, a break for more than 6 hours, at most 48 hours a week on average, 4 weeks of leave.

Magazine · World

Working outside Germany: what working-time rules have in common

In short

Which rules apply to your working hours depends on the country you work in, not the language of your phone. In the EU, minimum rules apply to everyone: 11 hours of daily rest, a break once the day is longer than 6 hours, at most 48 hours a week on average and 4 weeks of paid leave. Outside the EU the rules differ a lot. Writing your hours down helps everywhere.

By Fieravend · Heidrich Digital · Published 20 October 2026 · As of 20 October 2026 · Reading time 7 minutes

The country you work in counts

Sam is from Poland and works at a hotel in Austria. The Berg family lives in Germany, and Mr Berg commutes to Switzerland. Which rules apply? In principle, those of the country where the work is done. That is why Fieravend asks for the place of work for each job and calculates by that, not by your iPhone’s language.

For Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Fieravend knows the law in detail: breaks, rest periods, maximum hours, public holidays. For other EU countries the app uses the EU minimum rules. For countries outside the EU there are no law hints yet. Better no hints than wrong ones.

EU: minimum rules for everyone

The Working Time Directive 2003/88/EC sets what applies at least in every EU country. Countries may give more protection, not less:

11 hours of restin a row per 24 hours (Art. 3).
A breakwhen the working day is longer than six hours. How long is set by each country or by collective agreements (Art. 4).
48 hoursper week on average, overtime included (Art. 6).
4 weeks of leavepaid, at least (Art. 7).

Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Germany goes a little further: a 30-minute break for more than six hours, 45 for more than nine, usually at most eight hours per working day, up to ten. More in Leaving early today. In Austria you have the right, once a month, to have your employer send you your working-time records free of charge (section 26(8) AZG). Switzerland is not in the EU and has its own Labour Act. Fieravend calculates for all three countries by their own rules.

United Kingdom: 48 hours, with an opt-out

In the UK you cannot work more than 48 hours a week on average, normally averaged over 17 weeks. If you are 18 or over, you can opt out voluntarily and in writing. You cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly for refusing. You can cancel the opt-out at any time with at least seven days’ notice, or up to three months if your agreement says so.

On top of that: 11 hours of rest between working days, 24 hours in a row each week (or 48 each fortnight) and a 20-minute break if the day is longer than six hours.

United States: no cap, but money

The US federal law (Fair Labor Standards Act) sets no limit on weekly hours for employees aged 16 and over. Instead it regulates pay: non-exempt employees get at least one and a half times their regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek. Individual states have their own rules, some of them stricter.

One sentence from the US Department of Labor fits this magazine well: work not requested but suffered or permitted is work time that must be paid. If someone voluntarily stays on to finish a task, it counts. The reason does not matter.

Australia: a right to disconnect

Since 26 August 2024, employees in Australia may refuse contact outside their working hours, meaning not reading or replying to emails, calls and messages, unless that is unreasonable. At first it applied to employers with 15 or more employees, and since 26 August 2025 to smaller ones too. After-hours contact is not banned. But not replying is expressly allowed.

What counts as a floor worldwide

The International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted its very first convention in 1919: eight hours a day, 48 a week, in industry. A later convention (No. 132 of 1970) sets at least three working weeks of paid leave a year. But such conventions only apply in states that have ratified them, and they bind states, not employers directly. According to the ILO, 46 of its 187 member States have ratified the first one.

What helps everywhere

Wherever you work: writing your hours down shows you what is happening. Start, end, breaks, and for extra work one sentence on who wanted it. With these numbers you can ask better in any country whether everything is right. Whether you have a claim is something a union, labour office, authority or lawyer can clarify locally.

How big the invisible extra work is in Germany, Austria and the UK is shown in Unpaid overtime in numbers.

Quick questions

Which working-time rules apply if I work abroad?: In principle those of the country you work in. In the EU, minimum rules from Directive 2003/88/EC apply as well: 11 hours of rest, a break for more than 6 hours, at most 48 hours a week on average, 4 weeks of leave.
Is there a maximum number of working hours in the US?: Not at federal level for employees aged 16 and over. Non-exempt employees get at least one and a half times their regular rate from the 41st hour in a workweek.

Sources

All sources checked on 20 October 2026. This article explains things in general and is not legal advice. For questions about your own case, a works council, union, the Chamber of Labour (Austria) or an employment lawyer can help.