Parental Presence Leave in the Public Service

Verified 06 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Are you a public official and have a disabled, injured or sick child? Parental leave allows you to stop or reduce your professional activity to provide care. We present you all the information about this leave. They vary according to your public service (state - FPE, territorial - FPT, hospital - FPH).

EPF

What is Parental Attendance Leave?

Parental attendance leave is leave during which you can reduce or discontinue your professional activity to take care of a dependent child, ill, injured or disabled, who needs your sustained presence and constraining care.

Who can benefit from parental leave?

Parental leave may be granted to the employee parent. If both parents are public officials, leave may be granted to either of the two parents.

How do I request parental leave?

You must send an written request to your employer administration, at least 15 days before the start of the leave (or before the end of your current leave in case of renewal request).

Please note

In the event of a sudden deterioration in your child's health or in the event of a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence, this 15-day period does not apply.

Your leave request must be accompanied by a medical certificate which attests to the severity of your child's illness, accident or disability, compelling care and your necessary sustained presence.

This certificate is issued by the doctor who follows your child and specifies the expected duration of treatment.

How long is parental leave?

Initial Leave

The maximum duration parental leave shall be fixed at 310 working days within a period of 36 months (3 years) for one same child and the same pathology.

Parental leave is granted for the duration of the treatment defined in the medical certificate, established by the doctor who follows your child, and attached to your leave request.

At the end of this period fixed by the medical certificate, or in case of relapse or recurrence of the same pathology, the leave may be extended or reopened for a new period, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, within the limit of 310 working days and 36 months.

The 36-month period shall be counted from the date on which the entitlement to leave begins.

In case of new pathology, one new leave 310 days may be granted for this new pathology without waiting for the end of the 36 months.

Renewal of leave

If you have exhausted the 310 working days of leave before the end of the 3-year period, your leave can also be renewed 1 time for the same illness, disability or accident for a maximum of 310 days in a new period of 3 years.

New leave

At the end of a 36-month period, you may also be granted further leave, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, in the following situations:

  • New pathology affecting your child
  • Relapse or recurrence of the pathology initially treated
  • When the severity of your child's pathology initially treated still requires your sustained presence and compelling care.

How can parental attendance leave be used?

You can stop working or work part-time while on parental leave.

If you stop working, you can take your leave by a single continuous period or in one or more periods of at least half a day.

You must indicate how you wish to use your leave in your written leave request.

You must also indicate your projected leave dates.

You can change your projected dates and terms of use of your leave. In this case, you must inform your employer administration by mail at least 48 hours in advance.

That 48-hour period does not apply if the change in the terms of use and the expected dates of your leave is due to the sudden deterioration of your child's health or a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence.

Your employer administration may conduct an investigation to ensure that you are actually spending your leave providing care to your child.

If that is not the case, you are invited to make your comments. Your leave may be terminated.

Your leave takes automatically terminates in the event of death of your child.

How is parental leave paid?

Parental attendance leave is not paid.

But you benefit from the daily parental attendance allowance (AJPP).

What are the effects of parental leave on your career and retirement?

Periods of parental leave do not affect your entitlement to the following leave:

The days of parental leave are treated as days of full-time activity for the calculation of your entitlement to advancement, à internal promotion and to training.

You retain your acquired rights before the start of your leave, which you were unable to exercise because of your leave.

Time spent on parental leave is taken into account when calculating your retirement insurance period up to 6 trimesters per child, if your child was born or adopted from 2004.

How are you reinstated at the end of your leave?

During your parental leave, you remain assigned to your job.

If your job is terminated or converted, you are assigned to a job that matches your rank closest to your former workplace.

Is it possible to be reinstated in another job close to home?

You can apply for an assignment in a job closer to home.

Is it possible to end parental leave before the scheduled date?

You can ask to end your leave before the scheduled date in case of a decrease in your household resources. You must inform your administration at least 15 days in advance.

What is Parental Attendance Leave?

Parental attendance leave is leave during which you can reduce or discontinue your professional activity to take care of a dependent child, ill, injured or disabled, who needs your sustained presence and constraining care.

Who can benefit from parental leave?

Parental leave may be granted to the contractual parent. If both parents are public officials, leave may be granted to either of the two parents.

How do I request parental leave?

You must send an written request to your employer administration, at least 15 days before the start of the leave (or before the end of your current leave in case of renewal request).

Please note

In the event of a sudden deterioration in your child's health or in the event of a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence, this 15-day period does not apply.

Your leave request must be accompanied by a medical certificate which attests to the severity of your child's illness, accident or disability, compelling care and your necessary sustained presence.

This certificate is issued by the doctor who follows your child and specifies the expected duration of treatment.

How long is parental leave?

Initial Leave

The maximum duration parental leave shall be fixed at 310 working days within a period of 36 months (3 years) for one same child and the same pathology.

Parental leave is granted for the duration of the treatment defined in the medical certificate, drawn up by the doctor who follows your child, and attached to your leave request.

At the end of this period fixed by the medical certificate, or in case of relapse or recurrence of the same pathology, the leave may be extended or reopened for a new period, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, within the limit of 310 working days and 36 months.

The 36-month period shall be counted from the date on which the entitlement to leave begins.

In case of new pathology, one new leave 310 days may be granted for this new pathology without waiting for the end of the 36 months.

Renewal of leave

If you have exhausted the 310 working days of leave before the end of the 3-year period, your leave can also be renewed 1 time for the same illness, disability or accident for a maximum of 310 days in a new period of 3 years.

New leave

At the end of a 36-month period, you may also be granted further leave, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, in the following situations:

  • New pathology affecting your child
  • Relapse or recurrence of the pathology initially treated
  • When the severity of your child's pathology initially treated still requires your sustained presence and compelling care.

How can parental attendance leave be used?

You can stop working or work part-time while on parental leave.

If you stop working, you can take your leave by a single continuous period or in one or more periods of at least half a day.

You must indicate how you wish to use your leave in your written leave request.

You must also indicate your projected leave dates.

You can change your projected dates and terms of use of your leave. In this case, you must inform your employer administration by mail at least 48 hours in advance.

That 48-hour period does not apply if the change in the terms of use and the expected dates of your leave is due to the sudden deterioration of your child's health or a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence.

Your employer administration may conduct an investigation to ensure that you are actually spending your leave providing care to your child.

If that is not the case, you are invited to make your comments. Your leave may be terminated.

Your leave takes automatically terminates in the event of death of your child.

How is parental leave paid?

Parental attendance leave is not paid.

But you benefit from the daily parental attendance allowance (AJPP).

What are the effects of parental leave on your administrative situation?

Periods of parental leave do not affect your entitlement to the following leave:

Periods of parental leave are also taken into account in determining seniority or the length of service required in the following cases:

  • Part-time request
  • Review or change of your remuneration conditions
  • Request for training
  • Submission to internal competitions for access to the public service
  • Determining your rank after a competition.

Periods of parental leave are not taken into account for retirement.

How are you reinstated at the end of your leave?

During your parental leave, you remain assigned to your job.

If your job is terminated or transformed, you have a priority to be re-employed on a similar job with equivalent pay.

Is it possible to end parental leave before the scheduled date?

You can ask to end your leave before the scheduled date in case of a decrease in your household resources. You must inform your administration at least 15 days in advance.

FPT

What is Parental Attendance Leave?

Parental attendance leave is leave during which you can reduce or discontinue your professional activity to take care of a dependent child, ill, injured or disabled, who needs your sustained presence and constraining care.

Who can benefit from parental leave?

Parental leave may be granted to the employee parent. If both parents are public officials, leave may be granted to either of the two parents.

How do I request parental leave?

You must send an written request to your employer administration, at least 15 days before the start of the leave (or before the end of your current leave in case of renewal request).

Please note

In the event of a sudden deterioration in your child's health or in the event of a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence, this 15-day period does not apply.

Your leave request must be accompanied by a medical certificate which attests to the severity of your child's illness, accident or disability, compelling care and your necessary sustained presence.

This certificate is issued by the doctor who follows your child and specifies the expected duration of treatment.

How long is parental leave?

Initial Leave

The maximum duration parental leave shall be fixed at 310 working days within a period of 36 months (3 years) for one same child and the same pathology.

Parental leave is granted for the duration of the treatment defined in the medical certificate, established by the doctor who follows your child, and attached to your leave request.

At the end of this period fixed by the medical certificate, or in case of relapse or recurrence of the same pathology, the leave may be extended or reopened for a new period, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, within the limit of 310 working days and 36 months.

The 36-month period shall be counted from the date on which the entitlement to leave begins.

In case of new pathology, one new leave 310 days may be granted for this new pathology without waiting for the end of the 36 months.

Renewal of leave

If you have exhausted the 310 working days of leave before the end of the 3-year period, your leave can also be renewed 1 time for the same illness, disability or accident for a maximum of 310 days in a new period of 3 years.

New leave

At the end of a 36-month period, you may also be granted further leave, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, in the following situations:

  • New pathology affecting your child
  • Relapse or recurrence of the pathology initially treated
  • When the severity of your child's pathology initially treated still requires your sustained presence and compelling care.

How can parental attendance leave be used?

You can stop working or work part-time while on parental leave.

If you stop working, you can take your leave by a single continuous period or in one or more periods of at least half a day.

You must indicate how you wish to use your leave in your written leave request.

You must also indicate your projected leave dates.

You can change your projected dates and terms of use of your leave. In this case, you must inform your employer administration by mail at least 48 hours in advance.

That 48-hour period does not apply if the change in the terms of use and the expected dates of your leave is due to the sudden deterioration of your child's health or a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence.

Your employer administration may conduct an investigation to ensure that you are actually spending your leave providing care to your child.

If that is not the case, you are invited to make your comments. Your leave may be terminated.

Your leave takes automatically terminates in the event of death of your child.

How is parental leave paid?

Parental attendance leave is not paid.

But you benefit from the daily parental attendance allowance (AJPP).

What are the effects of parental leave on your career and retirement?

Periods of parental leave do not affect your entitlement to the following leave:

The days of parental leave are treated as days of full-time activity for the calculation of your entitlement to advancement, à internal promotion and to training.

You retain your acquired rights before the start of your leave, which you were unable to exercise because of your leave.

Time spent on parental leave is taken into account when calculating your retirement insurance period up to 6 trimesters per child, if your child was born or adopted from 2004.

How are you reinstated at the end of your leave?

During your parental leave, you remain assigned to your job.

If your job is terminated or converted, you are assigned to a job that matches your rank closest to your former workplace.

Is it possible to be reinstated in another job close to home?

You can apply for an assignment in a job closer to home.

Is it possible to end parental leave before the scheduled date?

You can ask to end your leave before the scheduled date in case of a decrease in your household resources. You must inform your administration at least 15 days in advance.

What is Parental Attendance Leave?

Parental attendance leave is leave during which you can reduce or discontinue your professional activity to take care of a dependent child, ill, injured or disabled, who needs your sustained presence and constraining care.

Who can benefit from parental leave?

Parental leave may be granted to the contractual parent. If both parents are public officials, leave may be granted to either of the two parents.

How do I request parental leave?

You must send an written request to your employer administration, at least 15 days before the start of the leave (or before the end of your current leave in case of renewal request).

Please note

In the event of a sudden deterioration in your child's health or in the event of a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence, this 15-day period does not apply.

Your leave request must be accompanied by a medical certificate which attests to the severity of your child's illness, accident or disability, compelling care and your necessary sustained presence.

This certificate is issued by the doctor who follows your child and specifies the expected duration of treatment.

How long is parental leave?

Initial Leave

The maximum duration parental leave shall be fixed at 310 working days within a period of 36 months (3 years) for one same child and the same pathology.

Parental leave is granted for the duration of the treatment defined in the medical certificate, established by the doctor who follows your child, and attached to your leave request.

At the end of this period fixed by the medical certificate, or in case of relapse or recurrence of the same pathology, the leave may be extended or reopened for a new period, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, within the limit of 310 working days and 36 months.

The 36-month period shall be counted from the date on which the entitlement to leave begins.

In case of new pathology, one new leave 310 days may be granted for this new pathology without waiting for the end of the 36 months.

Renewal of leave

If you have exhausted the 310 working days of leave before the end of the 3-year period, your leave can also be renewed 1 time for the same illness, disability or accident for a maximum of 310 days in a new period of 3 years.

New leave

At the end of a 36-month period, you may also be granted further leave, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, in the following situations:

  • New pathology affecting your child
  • Relapse or recurrence of the pathology initially treated
  • When the severity of your child's pathology initially treated still requires your sustained presence and compelling care.

How can parental attendance leave be used?

You can stop working or work part-time while on parental leave.

If you stop working, you can take your leave by a single continuous period or in one or more periods of at least half a day.

You must indicate how you wish to use your leave in your written leave request.

You must also indicate your projected leave dates.

You can change your projected dates and terms of use of your leave. In this case, you must inform your employer administration by mail at least 48 hours in advance.

That 48-hour period does not apply if the change in the terms of use and the expected dates of your leave is due to the sudden deterioration of your child's health or a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence.

Your employer administration may conduct an investigation to ensure that you are actually spending your leave providing care to your child.

If that is not the case, you are invited to make your comments. Your leave may be terminated.

Your leave takes automatically terminates in the event of death of your child.

How is parental leave paid?

Parental attendance leave is not paid.

But you benefit from the daily parental attendance allowance (AJPP).

What are the effects of parental leave on your administrative situation?

Periods of parental leave do not affect your entitlement to the following leave:

Periods of parental leave shall also be taken into account in determining the length of service or length of service required in the following cases:

  • Review or change of your remuneration conditions
  • Request for training
  • Apply to internal competitions for access to the public service
  • Determining your rank after a competition.

Periods of parental leave are not taken into account for retirement.

How are you reinstated at the end of your leave?

During your parental leave, you remain assigned to your job.

If your job is terminated or transformed, you have a priority to be re-employed on a similar job with equivalent pay.

Is it possible to end parental leave before the scheduled date?

You can ask to end your leave before the scheduled date in case of a decrease in your household resources. You must inform your administration at least 15 days in advance.

FPH

What is Parental Attendance Leave?

Parental attendance leave is leave during which you can reduce or discontinue your professional activity to take care of a dependent child, ill, injured or disabled, who needs your sustained presence and constraining care.

Who can benefit from parental leave?

Parental leave may be granted to the employee parent. If both parents are public officials, leave may be granted to either of the two parents.

How do I request parental leave?

You must send an written request to your employer administration, at least 15 days before the start of the leave (or before the end of your current leave in case of renewal request).

Please note

In the event of a sudden deterioration in your child's health or in the event of a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence, this 15-day period does not apply.

Your leave request must be accompanied by a medical certificate which attests to the severity of your child's illness, accident or disability, compelling care and your necessary sustained presence.

This certificate is issued by the doctor who follows your child and specifies the expected duration of treatment.

How long is parental leave?

Initial Leave

The maximum duration parental leave shall be fixed at 310 working days within a period of 36 months (3 years) for one same child and the same pathology.

Parental leave is granted for the duration of the treatment defined in the medical certificate, established by the doctor who follows your child, and attached to your leave request.

At the end of this period fixed by the medical certificate, or in case of relapse or recurrence of the same pathology, the leave may be extended or reopened for a new period, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, within the limit of 310 working days and 36 months.

The 36-month period shall be counted from the date on which the entitlement to leave begins.

In case of new pathology, one new leave 310 days may be granted for this new pathology without waiting for the end of the 36 months.

Renewal of leave

If you have exhausted the 310 working days of leave before the end of the 3-year period, your leave can also be renewed 1 time for the same illness, disability or accident for a maximum of 310 days in a new period of 3 years.

New leave

At the end of a 36-month period, you may also be granted further leave, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, in the following situations:

  • New pathology affecting your child
  • Relapse or recurrence of the pathology initially treated
  • When the severity of your child's pathology initially treated still requires your sustained presence and compelling care.

How can parental attendance leave be used?

You can stop working or work part-time while on parental leave.

If you stop working, you can take your leave by a single continuous period or in one or more periods of at least half a day.

You must indicate how you wish to use your leave in your written leave request.

You must also indicate your projected leave dates.

You can change your projected dates and terms of use of your leave. In this case, you must inform your employer administration by mail at least 48 hours in advance.

That 48-hour period does not apply if the change in the terms of use and the expected dates of your leave is due to the sudden deterioration of your child's health or a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence.

Your employer administration may conduct an investigation to ensure that you are actually spending your leave providing care to your child.

If that is not the case, you are invited to make your comments. Your leave may be terminated.

Your leave takes automatically terminates in the event of death of your child.

How is parental leave paid?

Parental attendance leave is not paid.

But you benefit from the daily parental attendance allowance (AJPP).

What are the effects of parental leave on your career and retirement?

Periods of parental leave do not affect your entitlement to the following leave:

The days of parental leave are treated as days of full-time activity for the calculation of your entitlement to advancement, à internal promotion and to training.

You retain your acquired rights before the start of your leave, which you were unable to exercise because of your leave.

Time spent on parental leave is taken into account when calculating your retirement insurance period up to 6 trimesters per child, if your child was born or adopted from 2004.

How are you reinstated at the end of your leave?

During your parental leave, you remain assigned to your job.

If your job is removed or transformed, you are reassigned, if necessary in excess, to your home institution.

Is it possible to end parental leave before the scheduled date?

You can ask to end your leave before the scheduled date in case of a decrease in your household resources.

What is Parental Attendance Leave?

Parental attendance leave is leave during which you can reduce or discontinue your professional activity to take care of a dependent child, ill, injured or disabled, who needs your sustained presence and constraining care.

Who can benefit from parental leave?

Parental leave may be granted to the contractual parent. If both parents are public officials, leave may be granted to either of the two parents.

How do I request parental leave?

You must send an written request to your employer administration, at least 15 days before the start of the leave (or before the end of your current leave in case of renewal request).

Please note

In the event of a sudden deterioration in your child's health or in the event of a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence, this 15-day period does not apply.

Your leave request must be accompanied by a medical certificate which attests to the severity of your child's illness, accident or disability, compelling care and your necessary sustained presence.

This certificate is issued by the doctor who follows your child and specifies the expected duration of treatment.

How long is parental leave?

Initial Leave

The maximum duration parental leave shall be fixed at 310 working days within a period of 36 months (3 years) for one same child and the same pathology.

Parental leave is granted for the duration of the treatment defined in the medical certificate, established by the doctor who follows your child, and attached to your leave request.

At the end of this period fixed by the medical certificate, or in case of relapse or recurrence of the same pathology, the leave may be extended or reopened for a new period, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, within the limit of 310 working days and 36 months.

The 36-month period shall be counted from the date on which the entitlement to leave begins.

In case of new pathology, one new leave 310 days may be granted for this new pathology without waiting for the end of the 36 months.

Renewal of leave

If you have exhausted the 310 working days of leave before the end of the 3-year period, your leave can also be renewed 1 time for the same illness, disability or accident for a maximum of 310 days in a new period of 3 years.

New leave

At the end of a 36-month period, you may also be granted further leave, upon presentation of a new medical certificate, in the following situations:

  • New pathology affecting your child
  • Relapse or recurrence of the pathology initially treated
  • When the severity of your child's pathology initially treated still requires your sustained presence and compelling care.

How can parental attendance leave be used?

You can stop working or work part-time while on parental leave.

If you stop working, you can take your leave by a single continuous period or in one or more periods of at least half a day.

You must indicate how you wish to use your leave in your written leave request.

You must also indicate your projected leave dates.

You can change your projected dates and terms of use of your leave. In this case, you must inform your employer administration by mail at least 48 hours in advance.

That 48-hour period does not apply if the change in the terms of use and the expected dates of your leave is due to the sudden deterioration of your child's health or a crisis situation requiring your immediate presence.

Your employer administration may conduct an investigation to ensure that you are actually spending your leave providing care to your child.

If that is not the case, you are invited to make your comments. Your leave may be terminated.

Your leave takes automatically terminates in the event of death of your child.

How is parental leave paid?

Parental attendance leave is not paid.

But you benefit from the daily parental attendance allowance (AJPP).

What are the effects of parental leave on your administrative situation?

Periods of parental leave do not affect your entitlement to the following leave:

Periods of parental leave are also taken into account in determining theseniority or the length of service required in the following cases:

  • Part-time request
  • Review or change of your remuneration conditions
  • Request for training
  • Apply to internal competitions for access to the public service
  • Determining your rank after a competition.

Periods of parental leave are not taken into account for retirement.

How are you reinstated at the end of your leave?

During your parental leave, you remain assigned to your job.

If your job is terminated or transformed, you will be dismissed and will have priority for re-employment at your institution to perform similar functions with equivalent remuneration.

You can ask to end your leave before the scheduled date in case of a decrease in household resources.

Is it possible to end parental leave before the scheduled date?

You can ask to end your leave before the scheduled date in case of a decrease in your household resources.