Paternity leave in the Netherlands: what a partner gets
A partner employed in the Netherlands gets 1 working week of birth leave (geboorteverlof) at full pay from the employer, taken in the first 4 weeks after the birth. Up to 5 more weeks (aanvullend geboorteverlof) follow in the first 6 months, paid by UWV at 70% of daily wage up to a maximum — tell your employer 4 weeks before you want them. On top of that, each working parent can take 9 working weeks of paid parental leave in the baby's first year, also at 70% through UWV, agreed with the employer 2 months ahead. There is no separate “paternity leave” in Dutch law: these three are what the word means here. Checked 22 September 2026.
Partner's birth leave (geboorteverlof)
A partner in employment gets 1 working week of paid birth leave, taken in the first 4 weeks after the birth, paid in full by the employer. Tell your employer as early as you can so the week is planned rather than improvised. Checked against rijksoverheid.nl on 22 September 2026.
Applies to people who have a partner going through it with them. Paperbump schedules this within 4 weeks of the birth. What this step involves · rijksoverheid.nl
Partner's extra birth leave (aanvullend geboorteverlof)
After that first week, a partner can take up to 5 more weeks in the first 6 months after the birth, in one block or spread out. The first week has to be taken first. Checked against rijksoverheid.nl on 22 September 2026.
Applies to people who have a partner going through it with them. Paperbump schedules this within 6 months of the birth. What this step involves · rijksoverheid.nl
Paid parental leave (betaald ouderschapsverlof)
Each working parent can take up to 9 working weeks of parental leave paid at 70% of their daily wage by UWV, up to a maximum daily wage, as long as the weeks are taken in the baby's first year. Any remaining parental leave can still be taken unpaid later — ask your employer how long you have, because the unpaid part runs on a different clock from the paid weeks. Checked against rijksoverheid.nl on 22 September 2026.
Applies to people who are employed (in loondienst). Paperbump schedules this within 1 year of the birth. What this step involves · rijksoverheid.nl
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