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A letter by which an employee in Austria gives the employer a concrete final deadline (Nachfrist) for pay withheld, announcing that the employee will leave early if it is not paid (§ 26 Z 2 AngG; for blue-collar workers § 82a lit d GewO 1859). Leaving over unpaid wages without such a deadline has been held unjustified, so this letter is the first step. It also meets the forfeiture deadlines of the collective agreement. With a receipt for hand delivery. In German.

The letter asking your former school in Germany for a replacement (Zweitschrift) of a lost or damaged certificate, such as the Abitur certificate or a school-leaving certificate. It names the certificate, the year it was issued, the years at the school and your name at the time, asks for your present name after a change of name, and asks about any fee beforehand. If the school has closed, it goes to the school that keeps its records or to the school administration of its operator. Each Land sets its own fees and procedure; in Brandenburg the school offices take applications on their own form. In German, ready to print, sign and send.

For an employee in Spain who needs a few days or weeks off without pay. The request asks the employer for unpaid leave on stated dates, under the collective agreement or as an agreement, because the Spanish Workers' Statute gives no general right to it, and asks for a written answer. It is handed over against a receipt, sent by certified letter or by burofax. In Spanish.

For a mother, father or other parent working in Spain who will take leave for a birth, adoption, guardianship or foster care. The letter tells the employer, with the fifteen days' notice of art. 48.4 of the Spanish Workers' Statute, in which weeks the leave will be taken after the six compulsory ones. The benefit is claimed separately, free of charge, from the INSS. It is handed over against a receipt, sent by certified letter or by burofax. In Spanish.

A letter by which the employed father, or the mother's employed spouse, civil partner (PACS) or cohabiting partner, tells the employer the expected date of birth and the dates of paternity and childcare leave (congé de paternité et d'accueil de l'enfant, article L. 1225-35 of the French Labour Code) in mainland France or an overseas department other than Mayotte: four compulsory days after the birth leave, then twenty-one days (twenty-eight for multiple births) in one or two periods within six months. Send it at least one month ahead, by registered post with proof of receipt or against a receipt. In French.

For an unmarried couple without a PACS who are asked to prove they live together: by an insurer, a health fund, an employer, a landlord, a pension fund or a foreign authority. Both partners declare on their honour that they live together in a stable and continuous way (article 515-8 of the French Civil Code), since when and at which address, and enclose their ID and proof of address. The French document recalls the penalty for a false declaration (article 441-7 of the French Criminal Code).

An employee's request in Germany to cut working hours, permanently under § 8 of the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (TzBfG) or for one to five years as bridging part-time under § 9a TzBfG, with current and desired weekly hours, the start date, the end date for bridging part-time and the preferred spread over the week. It reaches the employer in text form at least three months before the start; unless the employer refuses in text form a month before, the hours are reduced as asked. Requires over six months' service and over 15 employees (over 45 for bridging part-time). In German.

The out-of-court notice (εξώδικη δήλωση) in which an employee in Greece calls on the employer to pay overdue wages and declares that work is withheld under art. 325 of the Greek Civil Code from a set date: the periods, the amount in words, the IBAN. While a lawful withholding lasts, the employer owes pay as if work continued. A court bailiff serves it, and the bailiff's report of service proves what was said and when — which is what counts at the Labour Inspectorate and in court.

A car owner's authorisation for another person to drive it for a set time and in a set territory — for a trip abroad, or when lending the car to family or an employee. It gives both people's details, the vehicle, the OC policy, what is authorised, and states plainly that selling or passing the car on is not. There is room below the signature for notarisation, which some non-EU countries require.

An order imposing a disciplinary penalty is challenged in writing and quickly — the time limit runs from its service, so the first thing to note down is the date you received it. The objection says specifically which of the alleged breaches you dispute and why: you were not heard, the act was not committed, the penalty does not match the gravity. Keep a copy with a reference number.

For an employee in Cyprus who considers the dismissal unjustified: a written challenge to the termination, a request that the employer state in writing the reasons and the facts behind them, and a request to pay what is owed. The employer bears the burden of proving a lawful reason (sections 5 and 6 of the Termination of Employment Law). The next step is an application to the Labour Disputes Court, on its own prescribed form, within twelve months of the termination. Send it by registered post or by hand against a signature.

For a worker dismissed in Italy who wants to keep the right to contest the dismissal. The law requires a written act within sixty days of receiving the dismissal (art. 6 of Italian Law 604/1966): this letter is that act, without going into the grounds. After sending it, there are one hundred and eighty days to file the claim in court or ask for conciliation or arbitration. Send it by registered post or PEC, as early as possible. In Italian.

Changing banks is a small matter until a salary goes to a closed account. This application tells the payroll office what the new account is and from which month it applies. File it before payday rather than after — the transfer is prepared in advance.

For an employee in Italy with at least eight years of service with the same employer who asks for an advance on the end-of-service allowance (TFR). Art. 2120 of the Italian Civil Code allows it once during the employment, up to 70% of the TFR accrued, for exceptional medical costs or for buying a first home for oneself or a child; art. 7 of Italian Law 53/2000 adds costs during parental or training leave. The letter states the reason and encloses the documents. If the TFR goes to a pension fund, the advance is asked of the fund. Send it by registered post, PEC or by hand. In Italian.

The letter a freelancer in Germany — a translator, architect, consultant, teacher or journalist, for example — sends to the tax office (Finanzamt) on giving up their self-employed profession. Section 138 of the German Fiscal Code (AO) requires the notice within one month, and there is no official form for it. It gives the tax number, the kind of work and its last day, says whether the practice is closed or sold, deals with the VAT pre-returns and asks for the advance payments to be adjusted. In German, to post or to send through ELSTER.

An Italian letter, in Italian, to a company, bank, employer, app or public body asking whether it processes your personal data and for a copy, with purposes, recipients, retention periods and source (art. 15 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679). The controller must answer within one month, and the first copy is free. The Italian data protection authority (Garante) publishes a free model on its website. Send it by PEC, by e-mail to the privacy address in the privacy notice, or by registered post with proof of receipt.

Your request to the German tax office (Finanzamt) to bring the quarterly income tax advance payments into line with lower income under § 37(3) of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) — after fewer orders, higher business costs, parental leave, illness or the end of an activity. The letter gives the year, the current and the requested payment and the expected income, explains the change, covers the solidarity surcharge and church tax, and asks for overpaid amounts to be refunded. For the self-employed, freelancers and landlords. In German.

For an employee in Northern Ireland who has been dismissed, warned or demoted after a disciplinary process: a letter appealing within your employer's time limit, setting out your grounds and what you ask for, and requesting an appeal meeting before a manager not involved in the decision, with a companion. For a dismissal it is the appeal step of the statutory dismissal procedure Northern Ireland keeps, and asks for the reasons in writing. Hand it in and email it.

For a bereaved parent in Northern Ireland — after the death of a child, a stillbirth or, since 6 April 2026, a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, for the mother and her partner: a short notice telling your employer you will take parental bereavement leave, with the date of the loss, how you will take the two weeks (one week, two together or two separate weeks) and when the leave starts, and asking about the pay. No medical evidence is needed. The Labour Relations Agency's guide is free. Sold blank, to complete by hand.

For an employee in Northern Ireland with parental responsibility for a child under 18 and at least one year's service: a notice taking unpaid parental leave, giving the child, the dates and the number of weeks. The default rules allow 18 weeks for each child, up to four weeks a year, in whole weeks, with at least 21 days' notice. The employer can postpone the leave for up to six months, but not refuse it. nidirect explains parental leave free. Hand it in and email it.

For an employee in Northern Ireland whose flexible working application has been turned down: a written, dated notice of appeal setting out your grounds — a reason outside the business grounds the law allows, wrong facts, no real discussion — and any alternative you would accept. The appeal goes in within 14 days of the decision; the employer must then hold an appeal meeting within 14 days and decide within 14 days after it. Hand it in and email it.

For a client and a self-employed consultant or freelancer in England and Wales, working on their own account or through their own limited company. The agreement covers the services, fees and invoices, expenses, the right to send a substitute, who owns the work, confidentiality, liability, ending the contract and the off-payroll working rules (IR35) for medium and large clients. Its wording does not decide employment or tax status, which follows how the work is actually done, so each party should take advice if the status is unclear.

For anyone in the UK who wants a copy of the personal data an organisation holds about them: an employer or former employer, a bank, a council, a landlord, a phone company or a parking operator. A request under Article 15 of the UK GDPR: it asks for all your data, or the parts you name, and the information about how it is used, and reminds the organisation that it has one month and may not charge. Sent by email to the data protection officer. The ICO publishes a free template too.

For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who has been dismissed, warned or demoted after a disciplinary process: a letter appealing within your employer's time limit, setting out your grounds and what you ask for, and requesting an appeal hearing before a manager not involved in the decision, with a companion, as the Acas Code expects. If you have been dismissed, it asks for the reasons in writing. Hand it in and email it.