Parental leave
Who can take it, for how long, and how to ask?
What the law says
- Each parent is entitled while the child is under six (twelve for an adopted child) (Art. L. 234-43).
- You must work at least ten hours a week under contract and have been insured with Luxembourg social security for at least twelve continuous months before the leave starts, and stay under contract during the leave (Art. L. 234-43).
- Full-time: four or six months per child. With the employer’s agreement: part-time for eight or twelve months, or split (20% less per week for twenty months, or four one-month periods within twenty months) (Art. L. 234-44).
- One of the parents must take their leave straight after maternity or adoption leave (Art. L. 234-45).
Watch out for
- First leave: request by registered letter two months before maternity leave starts; second leave: at least four months before it starts. Otherwise the employer can refuse (Art. L. 234-45 and L. 234-46).
- Leave one parent does not take cannot pass to the other (Art. L. 234-47), and it can only start after any trial period (Art. L. 234-48).
Who can help
Official source : Code du travail (version du 26.7.2026) · Checked on 21.10.2026