Poland: New additional leave for parents of premature babies or babies ill at birth

1m read
April 25, 2025

What’s new?

With effect from 19 March 2025, parents of babies born prematurely or newborns who must be hospitalised after birth due to health complications are entitled to additional leave.

Key changes

The leave is available to mothers, fathers, legal guardians, foster parents and adoptive parents.
An application for additional leave by the employee must include (i) a medical certificate with information on the week of pregnancy in which the child was born, (ii) the weight at birth, and (iii) the duration of hospitalisation.
The application must be submitted no later than 21 days before the end of the basic maternity leave.
The duration of the additional leave employees are entitled to depends on various factors but the common rule across all three scenarios is one additional week of maternity leave for each week of hospitalisation.
The employee is entitled to receive 100% of their pay / benefits during the additional leave.
The additional leave must be taken in one continuous period.

What does this mean for employers and what should they do now?

Employers should familiarise themselves with the new rules on additional leave and review and update family leave policies as necessary. Please get in touch with a member of the MDR ONE team if you require any support.

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