Maternity Leave and Allowances

Find out about maternity and paterntity leave and the allowances available to new mums and dads in Turkey...

Turkish labour law allows a pregnant woman 16 weeks maternity leave with eight weeks to be taken before the birth and eight after; leave may not all be taken after the birth. In the case of a multiple pregnancy (twins or more) the maternity leave is increased to 18 weeks. A pregnant women may work up to three weeks before the birth with the balance of leave added to leave taken after the birth providing her health and that of the baby allow it.

After the birth, when the paid leave period is over, a working mother may apply for six months unpaid leave; this does not affect the annual leave allowance. Fathers are allowed a parental leave of up to three days.

During pregnancy, a working woman may have time off for periodic medical examinations. After a birth, she may request breaks in the working day amounting to 1 hour 30 minutes per day for breastfeeding. Mothers may determine at what times and how much of this period they used. This applies until the baby is one year old.

To qualify for maternal leave, an employee must have an official medical report which indicates the expected date of birth. This report is also required for the allowance paid during maternity leave. The employer (human resources or accounting departments) can provide details of the social security institution the company is affiliated to.

For further information on maternal rights and regulations: Click here (in Turkish)

Maternity allowances and breast feeding fee

Maternity allowance and breast feeding fee is a lump sum available to Turkish citizens only. The maternity allowance is subject to the official certification of pregnancy before birth, and the breast feeding fee is subject to the official certification of the infant at three months.

It is available to insured women and the wives of insured men not covered by their own social security, provided:

she had at least 90 days of insurance within the year preceding the birth
he had at least 120 days of insurance within the year preceding the birth and his marriage preceded the pregnancy

Application is made at the local provincial directorates or social security centres; the official birth report is required.