Taking paternity / partner leave
Has your partner just given birth? Then you are eligible for geboorteverlof (childbirth leave). Geboorteverlof must be taken within 4 weeks of your child being born.
Last updated 12 December 2022
Lees deze informatie in het Nederlands
Applying for paternity / partner leave
Are you the birth mother’s partner and would you like to take paternity / partner leave (in Dutch)? You are entitled to 1 week of leave within the first 4 weeks after the birth of your child. Ask your employer for paternity / partner leave as soon as possible after the birth of your child. You also need to indicate on which days you intend to take the leave. You must apply in writing by letter or email. The 4-week period does not change even if your child needs to stay in hospital for some time.
Taking additional paternity / partner leave
If your partner has just given birth, in addition to 1 week geboorteverlof , you can take aanvullend geboorteverlof (additional paternity / partner leave) (link in Dutch). You are entitled to a maximum of 5 weeks of leave (5 times the number of hours that you work per week). Additional paternity / partner leave must be taken within 6 months of the birth of your child. You must first take 1 week of paternity / partner leave. Only after this first week of leave can you start taking the additional paternty / partner leave. You must request additional paternity / partner leave 4 weeks in advance.
Laws and regulations (in Dutch)
Wet arbeid en zorg, artikelen 4:2, 4:2a, 4:2b en 4:2c