Leave in Greece

An employee absent due to illness receives half the daily wage from the employer for the first three days; no benefit from the Electronic National Social Security Fund (e-EFKA) applies during this period.

From the fourth day, e-EFKA pays a daily sickness benefit, and the employer tops it up to full pay, but only within the short-term illness limits set by the Labour Code, which vary by length of service:

Beyond those limits, the employee continues on the e-EFKA benefit alone. A doctor certifies the sick leave, the employee claims the benefit electronically through e-EFKA, and the employer confirms the absence.

Maternity leave is 17 weeks:

• 8 weeks before the expected date of birth
• 9 weeks after the birth
• If the birth occurs early, unused pre-natal leave is added to the post-natal period

Pay during maternity leave is provided through the social insurance system. Intended mothers through surrogacy, and adoptive or foster mothers of children up to eight years old, are entitled to the nine-week post-natal period and its benefits.

After maternity leave, mothers may take special maternity protection leave of up to nine months, paid by DYPA at the statutory minimum wage plus the corresponding bonuses. Since 2025, this also covers surrogacy and adoption cases.

Dismissal protection applies:

• During pregnancy
• For 18 months after birth for mothers
• For 6 months after birth for fathers
• For 18 months from placement for adoptive and foster mothers of children up to eight
• For 18 months for intended mothers through surrogacy

Dismissal is allowed only for serious grounds for dismissal unrelated to the birth, and reduced performance caused by pregnancy cannot count as such a ground.

• Paternity leave: 14 working days, fully paid, at the birth. It can be taken as two days before the due date and 12 days within 30 days after the birth, or entirely after the birth. There is no seniority or marital-status condition. The same right applies to the adoption or fostering of a child up to eight.
• Parental leave: Four months per parent, per child, until the child turns eight, after one year’s service with the employer. It may be taken in one block or in parts. DYPA pays the first two months at the statutory minimum wage plus a proportion of the holiday bonuses; the remainder is unpaid. Time on parental leave counts as service for pay, leave, seniority, and severance, and the employee returns to the same or an equivalent post. The employer must respond to a request within one month and grant the leave within two.
• Childcare leave (reduced hours): For 30 months after maternity leave ends, or after special maternity protection leave or parental leave where used, one parent may work one hour less per day or take the equivalent as a block. The entitlement may alternate between the parents.
• Carer’s leave: Up to five working days a year, unpaid, after six months’ service, to care for a relative or household member with a serious medical need.
• Force-majeure leave: Up to two occasions a year of one working day, paid, for urgent family reasons.
• Sick child or dependant: Six working days a year, unpaid, increasing with the number of children.
• School-performance leave: Up to four working days a year, paid, to attend a child’s school, for children up to 18 in primary or secondary education.
• Single parents: Parental leave and the DYPA benefit are doubled where the other parent has died, lost parental authority, or has not recognised the child.
• Flexible working: Parents and carers may request flexible arrangements, including reduced hours, a flexible schedule, or telework, for care reasons. The employer must consider and respond to the request.

• Marriage or civil partnership brings six working days of paid leave on a six-day week and five on a five-day week; the days do not count against annual leave.
• Bereavement leave for close relatives is customarily three days.
• Study and exam leave for employees in education, and blood-donation leave, derive from the collective agreements and sector rules.