Denmark have introduced The New Danish Holiday Act from September 2020, where people who work in Denmark now earn "concurrent holiday(vacation)", which means people can take a holiday the month when they earn the vacation days. Rather than getting a bank of vacation days at the beginning of a year, people will earn them — and can use them — as they go.

Under this Danish vacation law, Danish salaried employees earn and need to use up to 3 vacation days each month.

If they have worked less than 30 days in a month, the earning of vacation days is prorated.

Employees can only use what they have earned, but not more than 3 days a month.

They can use more than 3 days only if:

• the customer uses the vacation activity.

• there is some balance left from the previous year.

• the balance was not used in the previous month.     

The vacation days might not be spent in the same month they are earned in case:

• The crew are on sick/ maternity leave for a long time without the opportunity to use the vacation days.

• The crew are on a long onboard without the opportunity to use the vacation days.

• Certain ranks according to their contracts do not use the vacation days monthly (for example, masters), they accumulate the vacation days and only use them when they go on vacation (vacation activity is applied).

However, they still earn vacation pay and days to be settled for this period.

The accumulated vacation days and amount should be used in the first coming month, where they have an opportunity to use them.

There is also a Vacation Cards system being used in Denmark.

Vacation cards are mainly used to manage the vacation for employees who are hourly-wages, weekly-waged or the like. For example, waiters and other catering positions are included in the vacation card-system.

Vacation cards are not for salaried employees who are entitled to paid vacation. They can only be used for salaried employees when they are leaving the company. Then the employee who is leaving during the year will receive a vacation card for the past year of earning the vacation pay.

The reporting for the crew who are entitled to Vacation Cards is done monthly and sent to the Danish Shipping Association.