Pregnancy and Maternity Leave

    This page will give you some more information about pregnancy and maternity leave. These conditions apply to everyone who has a contract according to the Dutch regulations, whether you are living in the Netherlands or Germany. Please note that regulations from other Dutch employers (such as the Radboud University) do not apply to MPI employees.

    Regulations

    • Pregnant employees should inform HR by the end of their fourth month of pregnancy and hand in a pregnancy statement which can be obtained from the midwife or gynecologist.
    • At least three weeks before the date you want the leave to start, please inform HR about the first day of your pregnancy and maternity leave, so the MPI can inform UWV. 
    • In the Netherlands you are entitled to at least sixteen weeks of pregnancy and maternity leave. The length of leave will depend on the date the baby is actually born.
    • Pregnancy leave can be taken from six weeks before the due date and should start no later than four weeks before the due date. 

    Please note: in case of multiple births, you are entitled to at least twenty weeks of pregnancy and maternity leave. The leave can be taken from ten to eight weeks before the due date and should start no later than eight weeks before the due date.

    • After giving birth, you are always entitled to at least ten weeks maternity leave, even if the baby is born later than the due date.
    • After six weeks of maternity leave, you can choose to take the remaining maternity leave on a flexible/part-time basis. The total leave duration remains the same, only you can take it on over a longer period of time. The leave can be spread over a period of 30 weeks. You request for the flexible maternity leave should be submitted to HR no later than three weeks after giving birth. 
    • In case of a prolonged hospitalisation of the child, the maternity leave can be extended up to a maximum of 10 weeks.
    • Within three days after the birth of your child, you should register your child with the municipality where you are residing. For the municipality Nijmegen, please check this link. UWV is automatically informed about the birth of your child by the municipality.
    • During pregnancy and maternity leave you are entitled to an allowance from the Dutch government under the Work and Care Act (WAZO). The allowance is directly paid to the employer, so the MPI continues to pay your salary during your entire leave.
    • During the entire leave, you are still building up holidays. The employer is not allowed to ask you to compensate your leave with your holidays. 
    • If you fall ill more than six weeks before the due date, your leave will start six weeks before the due date. Any other agreement you had made with the MPI about the desired start date is void. 
    • If your contract runs out during your pregnancy and maternity leave, you will receive benefits directly from UWV.
    • As per decision by our Board of Directors, all our female employees with a temporary contract have the possibility to get a contract extension in case of absence due to pregnancy and maternity leave. The temporary contract can be extended with the period of leave of 16 weeks. Other renegotiation of your contract (for example, changing from full-time to part-time work or taking parental leave) should be discussed as soon as possible with your Director and HR.
    • For further leave around the birth, also for a partner, please see Parental leave and Compassionate and special leave. 

    Information

    More general information can be found on the following websites:

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