Probation periods by country (2026)

Last updated July 24, 2026. Jump to: How probation periods work · The country table · What employers can and cannot do · Extensions and hiring implications · How to use this data · FAQ

How probation periods work

Probation sits at the front of an employment relationship, before the usual dismissal and notice rules fully apply. Across our country guides, a few things decide how it works in a given country:

• How long it can run. Statutory maximums range from as little as 15 days for general staff in Morocco to as much as 12 months for managerial or technical roles in Malta. Several countries set no statutory maximum at all — Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom among them — leaving the term to the contract.
• Whether the role changes the length. Seniority often shifts the cap. Czech Republic allows 4 months generally but 8 for managerial roles; Morocco scales from 15 days for general employees up to 3 months for managers; Tunisia sets 1 month for most employees and 3 for executives.
• Whether the contract type allows it at all. Indonesia permits probation only on permanent (PKWTT) contracts — fixed-term (PKWT) contracts may not include one. Chile has no formal statutory probation; employers there commonly use a fixed-term contract, up to 12 months, as a practical evaluation period instead.

A single global number does not exist. What applies depends on the country, sometimes the role, and sometimes the contract type. The table below states each country’s probation term as our guide records it.

Probation periods by country

The table lists 31 countries whose guides state a probation term. Each entry is summarized from that country’s guide and checked July 2026. Where the length depends on the role or contract type, that is noted. Open a country’s guide for the full termination and notice rules that apply once probation ends.

Source: our country guides, checked July 2026. Figures are the statutory position as each guide records it; the guide sets out the full termination and notice rules once probation ends.

Some countries with a full guide do not state a probation term in the same field — Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey among them. That does not mean probation does not exist there; it means the length is not summarized in our conditions field. Open the country guide for the full picture in any of these.

What employers can and cannot do during probation

Probation usually loosens the rules around ending employment, but it rarely removes them entirely, and how much it loosens them differs by country. Our guides show three patterns:

• No notice or compensation required. In Jordan, either party may end employment during probation without notice or compensation; Egypt permits termination during probation without compensation obligations. Austria is similar in spirit — either side can end the relationship without notice or specific justification during its shorter, 1-month probation.
• A shortened but real notice period. Germany requires just 2 weeks’ notice during probation, against much longer notice once probation ends. Ghana requires 1 week; Croatia and Cyprus require at least 7 days. Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, and Morocco leave the exact notice to what the contract specifies, with Morocco scaling it to tenure.
• Fair process still applies. South Africa sets no mandated probation length, but a dismissal during probation must still be procedurally and substantively fair under the Labour Relations Act — probation shortens the runway, not the standard. Mexico takes the opposite approach for liability: an employee dismissed during probation carries no further employer liability at all.

The practical takeaway is that “probation” does not mean the same thing everywhere. In some countries it is close to an at-will arrangement for a fixed window; in others it is simply a faster version of the normal process, with real notice and real fairness requirements attached. For the fuller notice terms that apply once probation ends, see notice periods by country.

Extensions, and what it means for hiring

Several countries let an employer extend probation once, rather than setting a single hard cap. Bulgaria allows a probation clause only once per employee per position at the same company, capped at 6 months. Kenya allows one extension by written agreement, also within its 6-month cap. Portugal is typically 90 days but can extend to 240 in certain cases, and Ireland is normally 6 months but can extend to 12 in exceptional circumstances. Where an extension is possible, the mechanism — and any limit on it — is worth checking before it is needed, not after.

For a company hiring across borders, the practical planning question is less “how long is probation” and more “what can actually happen if this hire is not working out.” A 6-month cap with no notice obligation (Jordan) behaves very differently from a 6-month cap with a full fairness requirement (South Africa), even though the headline number is the same. Building that distinction into the hiring plan — alongside notice, severance, and the wider cost of the role — avoids treating every country’s probation as interchangeable. Our guide to the total cost of hiring abroad covers the wider set of costs a hire carries beyond salary.

Administering probation correctly in a country where you have no entity is where an employer of record comes in. An EOR is the legal employer, so it manages the probation term, the notice, and the exit under local law on your behalf. Our guide to what an employer of record is explains the model in full.

How to use this data

This table states the statutory position as our guides record it — a starting point for planning, not a substitute for local legal advice on a specific hire. Two places to take it further:

• The employment cost calculator turns a salary into an all-in employer cost for a given country. Several markets in the table above — including India, Germany, Brazil, and Singapore — have a dedicated calculator page.
• Each country’s guide sets out the full picture: the exact probation clause, the notice and termination rules once it ends, and the statutory benefits and leave that apply from day one.

Used together, the table tells you the probation term, the guide tells you what surrounds it, and the calculator tells you what the hire costs overall.

Frequently asked questions

What is a probation period?

A probation period is a set stretch at the start of employment, set by law or by contract, during which the usual dismissal and notice rules are often loosened for both employer and employee. It lets either side end the relationship faster than they could once probation ends. What is allowed during probation — the notice required, whether compensation is owed — varies by country.

How long can a probation period last?

It depends entirely on the country, and sometimes the role. Our table shows a range from 15 days for general employees in Morocco to up to 12 months for managerial roles in Malta, with 3 to 6 months the most common statutory maximum. Several countries — including Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom — set no statutory maximum at all.

Can an employer terminate someone during probation without notice?

It depends on the country. In Jordan, either party can end employment during probation without notice or compensation; Egypt permits termination during probation without compensation obligations, and Austria allows it without notice or specific justification. Most other countries in our table require some notice even during probation — 2 weeks in Germany, 1 week in Ghana, at least 7 days in Croatia and Cyprus — just shorter than the notice required once probation ends.

Can a probation period be extended?

In some countries, yes, usually once and within an overall cap. Bulgaria and Kenya both allow one extension within their 6-month statutory maximum. Portugal can extend from a typical 90 days to 240 days in certain cases, and Ireland can extend from 6 months to 12 in exceptional circumstances. Other countries, like Brazil’s 45-to-90-day cap, set a single hard limit with no further extension.

Which countries have no statutory maximum probation period?

Our guides record no statutory maximum in Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and India at the central level (state-level rules may vary in India). In these countries the probation length is left to the employment contract, though other protections — like South Africa’s requirement that any dismissal be procedurally fair — can still apply regardless of length.

Do independent contractors have probation periods?

No. Probation is an employment concept, tied to the notice and dismissal protections that come with an employment contract. A genuine independent contractor’s engagement runs on the terms of their contract, not on a statutory probation clause. If you rely on contractors, our guide to contractor management covers keeping that relationship compliant.