How to Stretch Your Vacation Days in 2027, According to a HR Expert

Russians can make their 2027 vacations last longer by attaching leave days to weekends and public holidays, says Anna Kozulina, head of HR administration at the IT recruiting company Selecty.

Under Article 120 of Russia's Labor Code, non-working holidays that fall during annual leave are not counted as calendar vacation days, Kozulina explained. Regular Saturdays and Sundays offer no such advantage - they still count as vacation days.

The government has moved several days off in 2027: from January 2 to November 5, from January 3 to December 31, and from February 20 to February 22. That creates several long breaks: February 21-23, March 6-8, May 1-3 and May 8-10, June 12-14, and four straight days from November 4-7. The New Year holidays will run 11 days, from December 31, 2026 through January 10, 2027.

Kozulina offered some examples. Taking vacation February 24-26 yields eight consecutive days off - February 21-28 - for just three vacation days. Leave from March 9-12 stretches rest to nine days, March 6-14. Four vacation days from May 4-7 produce ten straight days off, May 1-10. Similar math works in June: leave June 15-18 gives nine days, June 12-20. In autumn, vacation November 1-3 plus weekends and holidays means nine days off, October 30 to November 7.

Article 125 of the Labor Code allows splitting annual leave into short periods, provided at least one part is no less than 14 calendar days. The remaining days can be divided by agreement between employee and employer.