Applying for parental leave
Do you work and have one or more children? Then you are entitled to ouderschapsverlof (parental leave). This leave corresponds to a maximum of 26 times the number of hours you work per week. You are entitled to this amount of parental leave during the period from birth up until your child turns 8 years old.
Last updated 12 December 2022
Lees deze informatie in het Nederlands
Eligibility for ouderschapsverlof
You may be granted parental leave under the following conditions (in Dutch):
- you are the official parent of your child or children;
- you are an adoptive parent or foster parent and your child or foster child lives at the same address as you, according to the Basisregistratie Personen – BRP (Personal Records Database);
- your child / foster child is less than 8 years old.
Apply for parental leave through your employer. If you are self-employed with no staff, you are not entitled to parental leave.
Applying for ouderschapsverlof
You must request parental leave from your employer in writing and at least 2 months in advance (in Dutch). In your application, indicate the number of hours of leave you wish to take (in Dutch) and the working day(s) on which you want to take them. You must also indicate the start and end dates of your parental leave.
If the company you work for will be seriously affected by your application for parental leave, your employer may amend your application (in consultation with you), but it can do so no later than 4 weeks before the start of your leave.
Laws and regulations (in Dutch)
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