# Business Travel Etiquette Around the World

URL: https://emptvl.vercel.app/travel-guides/business-travel-etiquette-around-the-world
Publisher: Empyrean Travel (https://emptvl.vercel.app/)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-19

Business etiquette for international trips: greetings, business cards, meetings, dining, gifts and holidays in Japan, China, the Gulf, Europe, India and beyond.

**Quick answer:** Good business etiquette abroad comes down to four habits: be punctual even where local norms are looser, follow your host’s lead on greetings and titles, treat business cards and gifts with care, and learn the local calendar so you don’t schedule into Ramadan, Golden Week or European August. When unsure, be slightly more formal than at home and keep gifts modest and policy-compliant.

- Default setting: A little more formal than at home
- Business cards: Both hands in Japan, China and Korea
- Gifts: Modest, and within anti-bribery rules
- Calendar traps: Ramadan, Lunar New Year, Golden Week, August

## How should you greet people in international business meetings?

Follow your host’s lead. A firm handshake works across most of Europe and the Americas; in Japan a slight bow often accompanies or replaces it; in parts of the Gulf and South Asia, wait to see whether a woman offers her hand before offering yours. Use titles and surnames until you’re invited to switch to first names, which can take longer in Germany, Japan or Korea than you’re used to.

Hierarchy shows in small things: who enters first, where people sit, who speaks for the team. Let the most senior person on your side lead, and address the most senior person on theirs.

## What are the rules for business cards?

In Japan, China and Korea, business cards carry real weight. Present yours with both hands, text facing the recipient; receive theirs with both hands, read it, and keep it on the table during the meeting rather than pocketing it straight away. Never write on someone’s card in front of them. A reverse side printed in the local language is a courtesy that gets noticed.

Bring more cards than you expect to need. Elsewhere cards are less ceremonial, and digital cards or QR codes are now common, but a printed card is still useful at first meetings.

## How do meetings and time differ by country?

Punctuality is non-negotiable in Germany, Switzerland, Japan and the Nordic countries, and agendas are followed closely. In much of Latin America, the Middle East and India, meetings may start later and relationship-building comes before business; be on time yourself, but expect flexibility and don’t push for a decision at the first meeting.

Communication style matters as much as the clock. Americans tend to be direct; in Japan, China and much of Asia, “that would be difficult” may mean no, and disagreement is rarely voiced in front of a group. Dutch and German counterparts may be more direct than you are, and it isn’t meant as rudeness.

## What should you know about business dining, drinking and gifts?

Meals are where relationships are built. In China, expect banquets with toasts and wait for the host to begin; in Korea and Japan, pour for others rather than yourself; in France and Italy, business lunches can be long and talking shop too early is unusual. In the Gulf and other Muslim-majority markets, alcohol may not be served and pork is avoided; eat and pass items with your right hand there and in India.

Gifts are expected in some cultures, especially Japan and China: keep them modest, well wrapped and presented with both hands, and in China avoid clocks and sets of four, both associated with death. Above all, follow your company’s gift policy and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; anything that could look like a payment to influence a foreign official is off-limits.

## Which holidays and seasons should you plan around?

Check the local calendar before you propose dates; a well-timed trip gets better meetings.

- Ramadan: moves about 11 days earlier each year. Working hours shorten, meetings shift later and eating in public by day is inappropriate in some countries.
- Lunar New Year: late January or February. China and much of East and Southeast Asia slow down for a week or more.
- Golden Week in Japan: late April to early May, when offices thin out and travel books up.
- August in Europe: many French, Italian and Spanish businesses run on skeleton staff.
- Weekends: Saudi Arabia’s weekend is Friday–Saturday; the UAE moved to a Saturday–Sunday weekend in 2022.

## What should you wear for business meetings abroad?

Err on the conservative side: dark suits in Japan, Korea and much of European finance; lightweight but covered-up clothing in the Gulf, India and Southeast Asia, with shoulders and knees covered. Tech and creative industries everywhere are more casual, but a first meeting isn’t the time to find out how casual.

Our business trip packing list covers the essentials, the meeting planner finds overlapping working hours across time zones, and our international business travel service handles the logistics around the meetings.

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: How do you exchange business cards in Japan?**
A: Offer your card with both hands, text facing the recipient, and say your name and company. Receive theirs with both hands, read it carefully and place it on the table in front of you for the rest of the meeting. Don’t write on it, fold it or put it straight into a back pocket, and bring far more cards than you expect to need.

**Q: Should I bring a gift to a business meeting abroad?**
A: In some cultures, yes. In Japan and China a modest, well-wrapped gift, often something from your home city, is appreciated and presented with both hands. Elsewhere gifts are less expected. Keep the value low, follow your company’s gift policy and anti-bribery rules such as the FCPA, and never give a government official anything that could look like an inducement.

**Q: How should I schedule business meetings during Ramadan?**
A: Expect shorter working days and later meeting times in many Muslim-majority countries, and avoid proposing lunch meetings. Don’t eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight where that is the local norm or law. Evenings after iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, can be social and productive. Check the exact dates, which move earlier each year.

**Q: Do I need to tip when traveling for business abroad?**
A: It depends on the country. Tipping is expected in the U.S. and Canada; in Japan it generally isn’t and can cause confusion; in much of Europe service is often included, and rounding up or leaving a small amount is enough. Check local norms before you go, and follow your company’s expense rules on tips and gratuities.

**Q: How formal should I be in international business meetings?**
A: Start more formal than you would at home, then follow your host’s lead. Use titles and surnames, dress conservatively, arrive on time and let the most senior person on each side lead. It’s easy to relax once invited to, and much harder to recover from seeming overfamiliar at a first meeting, especially in Japan, Korea, Germany and the Gulf.

## Sources

- [International Trade Administration: Country Commercial Guides](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides)
- [U.S. Department of Justice: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act](https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act)
- [U.S. Department of State: Travel.State.Gov](https://travel.state.gov/)