Special leave for personal reasons
Last update 06.10.2022
Special leave is granted to employees or apprentices who need to take a leave of absence from work for personal reasons.
The leave must be taken at the time when the triggering event occurs, except in 2 situations: the birth or adoption of a child.
The duration of this special leave depends on the nature of the event (birth, marriage, death, etc.).
This leave may not be counted against the worker's ordinary annual leave days.
Who is concerned
Anyone bound by an employment contract is entitled to special leave for personal reasons.
Workers are entitled to this leave as soon as they start working for a company: they do not need to comply with the 3-month waiting period that is legally required in the case of annual leave.
The employer of a worker who wishes to take leave for personal reasons must grant them this special leave.
How to proceed
Types of special leave
Special leave is considered a legal entitlement to leave and, as such, must be included in the register of legal leave entitlements kept by the employer.
The duration of leave for personal reasons granted to an employee depends on the event that gives rise to the leave.
Event |
Duration of leave | |
|---|---|---|
Marriage |
3 days | |
Declaration of civil partnership (PACS) |
1 day | |
Moving (leave granted once per 3-year period of employment with the same employer) |
2 days | |
| Birth of a child (for the father – regardless of the number of children) | 10 days | |
| Adoption of a child under 16 years old (unless the worker takes adoption leave) | 10 days | |
Death of a minor child |
5 days | |
Marriage of a child |
1 day | |
Death of a spouse or partner |
3 days | |
Death of a worker's or their spouse's/partner's first-degree relative (parents, parents-in-law, children, children-in-law) |
3 days | |
Death of a worker's or their spouse's/partner's second-degree relative (grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law) |
1 day |
The employee may be granted additional days of leave for personal reasons if provided for in:
- a collective agreement in force in their company; or
- their company's internal regulations; or
- their employment contract.
To qualify for special leave in the case of a partnership established under foreign law, employees, and cross-border workers in particular, must have their partnership registered in the Luxembourg civil register.
Exception: pregnant women are entitled to an exemption from work, without loss of pay, to attend the prenatal examinations, if these examinations are scheduled during working hours.
Permission to leave work to vote
Employees may obtain permission from their employers to exercise their civic rights and duties, such as voting in communal, legislative, and European Union elections.
Requesting leave for personal reasons
The worker must formally request the leave from their employer, who cannot refuse leave for personal reasons.
Unlike annual paid leave, employees are entitled to special leave from the moment they start working for the company: they do not need to comply with the 3-month waiting period that is legally required in the case of annual leave.
Taking leave for personal reasons
An employer must grant this special leave at the time the triggering event occurs.
With the exception of special leave in the event of the birth of a child, or the adoption of a child under 16, leave for personal reasons cannot be deferred and does not entitle the employee to financial compensation if was not taken within the legal time limits.
It is possible to apply for this type of leave more than once a year if the personal reasons are justified. In the event of moving, the 2 days of special leave are granted only once over a 3-year period with the same employer, unless the worker has to move for professional reasons.
Special cases
If the triggering event occurs:
- while the employee is on sick leave, the entitlement to leave for personal reasons is lost;
- while the employee is on ordinary leave, the ordinary leave is interrupted and resumes at the end of the leave for personal reasons;
- on a Sunday, a legal public holiday, a working day observed as a holiday or a compensatory day off, the special leave is carried over to the first working day following the event.
Remuneration
The employer must continue to pay the employee's normal salary while the worker is on special leave.
Specific features of special leave in the event of the birth of a child or the adoption of a child under 16
The leave for personal reasons can be split into shorter periods, but must be taken within 2 months of the triggering event.
In principle, the leave is taken according to the worker's wishes, unless the business's operational needs warrant otherwise.
Failing an agreement between the employee and the employer, the leave must be taken all at once, immediately after the event.
The employee must inform their employer of the likely dates on which they intend to take their leave 2 months before the first day of the leave.
This information must:
- be submitted in writing (by ordinary letter, email, fax, etc.) so that the employee can prove, if necessary, that they have complied with the 2-month notice requirement;
- be accompanied by:
- a copy of the medical certificate attesting to the expected delivery date; or
- a supporting document stating the estimated date of arrival of a child under 16 with a view to adoption.
If the employee fails to comply with this time limit, their employer can decide to reduce the amount of leave to 2 days.
In the event of multiple births, the father is only entitled to one paternity leave, as the triggering event is the birth itself.
If the employee is ill (for one or more days) during a predetermined period of paternity leave, the corresponding number of paternity leave days will be lost.
If the initially agreed leave needs to be rescheduled (for example, because of a premature birth) and, therefore, falls within a period of ordinary annual leave, the ordinary leave will be interrupted.
Compensation during special leave is paid from the State budget after the third day of leave, and at the employer's request.
Employers who agree to grant 10 days of paternity leave despite the fact that the worker failed to comply with the 2-month notice requirement, are entitled to reimbursement of salaries paid during the days of leave which exceed the minimum of 2 days.
Employees who work part-time – either because they are on a part-time contract, or because they are on part-time parental leave – are also entitled to 10 days of paternity leave.
Full details can be found in the texts on 'Paternity leave' and 'Applying for adoption leave in the event of adopting a child'.
Forms / Online services
Authentic sources
Health insurance - Leave for family reasons
Consult the balance of days of leave taken for family reasons
To complete your application, the information about you collected from this form needs to be processed by the public administration concerned.
That information is kept by the administration in question for as long as it is required to achieve the purpose of the processing operation(s).
Your data will be shared with other public administrations that are necessary for the processing of your application. For details on which departments will have access to the data on this form, please contact the public administration you are filing your application with.
Under the terms of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, you have the right to access, rectify or, where applicable, remove any information relating to you. You are also entitled to withdraw your consent at any time.
Additionally, unless the processing of your personal data is compulsory, you may, with legitimate reasons, oppose the processing of such data.
If you wish to exercise these rights and/or obtain a record of the information held about you, please contact the administration in question using the contact details provided on the form. You are also entitled to file a claim with the National Commission for Data Protection (Commission nationale pour la protection des données), headquartered at 15, boulevard du Jazz L-4370 Belvaux.
By submitting your application, you agree that your personal data may be processed as part of the application process.
Caisse de maladie- Jours de congés pour raisons familiales
Consultez votre solde de jours de congés pour raisons familiales
Les informations qui vous concernent recueillies sur ce formulaire font l’objet d’un traitement par l’administration concernée afin de mener à bien votre demande.
Ces informations sont conservées pour la durée nécessaire par l’administration à la réalisation de la finalité du traitement
Les destinataires de vos données sont les administrations compétentes dans le cadre du traitement de votre demande. Veuillez-vous adresser à l’administration concernée par votre demande pour connaître les destinataires des données figurant sur ce formulaire. Conformément au règlement (UE) 2016/679 relatif à la protection des personnes physiques à l'égard du traitement des données à caractère personnel et à la libre circulation de ces données, vous bénéficiez d’un droit d’accès, de rectification et le cas échéant d’effacement des informations vous concernant. Vous disposez également du droit de retirer votre consentement à tout moment.
En outre et excepté le cas où le traitement de vos données présente un caractère obligatoire, vous pouvez, pour des motifs légitimes, vous y opposer.
Si vous souhaitez exercer ces droits et/ou obtenir communication de vos informations, veuillez-vous adresser à l’administration concernée suivant les coordonnées indiquées dans le formulaire. Vous avez également la possibilité d’introduire une réclamation auprès de la Commission nationale pour la protection des données ayant son siège à 15, boulevard du Jazz L-4370 Belvaux.
En poursuivant votre démarche, vous acceptez que vos données personnelles soient traitées dans le cadre de votre demande.
Krankenkasse - Urlaubstage aus familiären Gründen
Resttage des Urlaubs aus familiären Gründen
Ihre in diesem Formular erfassten personenbezogenen Informationen werden von der zuständigen Verwaltungsbehörde verarbeitet, um Ihren Antrag erfolgreich abzuschließen.
Diese Informationen werden von der Behörde für den zur Verarbeitung erforderlichen Zeitraum gespeichert.
Die Empfänger Ihrer Daten sind die im Rahmen Ihres Antrags zuständigen Verwaltungsbehörden. Um die Empfänger der in diesem Formular erfassten Daten zu erfahren, wenden Sie sich bitte an die für Ihren Antrag zuständige Behörde.
Gemäß der Verordnung (EU) 2016/679 zum Schutz natürlicher Personen bei der Verarbeitung personenbezogener Daten und zum freien Datenverkehr haben Sie das Recht auf Zugang, Berichtigung und gegebenenfalls Löschung Ihrer personenbezogenen Informationen. Sie haben zudem das Recht, Ihre erteilte Einwilligung jederzeit zu widerrufen.
Weiterhin können Sie, außer in Fällen, in denen die Verarbeitung Ihrer Daten verpflichtend ist, Widerspruch einlegen, wenn dieser rechtmäßig begründet ist.
Wenn Sie diese Rechte ausüben und/oder Einsicht in Ihre Informationen nehmen möchten, können Sie sich unter den im Formular angegebenen Kontaktdaten an die zuständige Verwaltungsbehörde wenden. Sie haben außerdem die Möglichkeit, bei der Nationalen Kommission für den Datenschutz Beschwerde einzulegen (Commission nationale pour la protection des données, 15, boulevard du Jazz L-4370 Belvaux).
Wenn Sie Ihren Vorgang fortsetzen, akzeptieren Sie damit, dass Ihre personenbezogenen Daten im Rahmen Ihres Antrags verarbeitet werden.