Maternity and paternity leave periods revised under the Turkish Labour Code

The Law No. 7578 Amending the Social Services Law and Certain Other Laws, published in the Official Gazette dated 1 May 2026, has introduced amendments to the Turkish Labour Code No. 4857 concerning periods of (i) maternity leave and (ii) paternity leave, as well as (iii) foster care leave, all of which entered into force on the same date. These amendments introduce significant developments in the leave rights of all employees, including those currently on maternity leave.

The amendments are as follows:

Maternity leave periods extended. The post-birth period of the total 16-week maternity leave, comprising eight weeks prior to and eight weeks following childbirth, has been extended to 16 weeks, raising the total maternity leave entitlement to 24 weeks. In addition, the maximum period during which an employee may continue to work prior to childbirth with a doctor’s approval has been reduced from three weeks to two weeks; the practice of adding any such period to post-birth leave, as well as the entitlement to up to six months of unpaid leave following the completion of maternity leave, continue to apply.

Under this amendment, the extended periods will also apply to female employees who are currently on maternity leave. Female employees who, as of 1 April 2026, had not yet completed 24 weeks from the date of birth (i.e. those who gave birth on or after 15 October) will be entitled to an additional eight weeks of maternity leave, provided that they submit a request to their employers within 10 working days of the amendment’s entry into force (i.e. by 15 May 2026). Since the amendment extends the post-birth leave period, no distinction arises with respect to multiple pregnancies — where an additional two weeks are added to the pre-birth leave period — and the same rule applies to those employees as well.

New leave entitlement introduced for employees acting as foster parents. An employee who becomes a foster parent to one or more children, whether jointly with their spouse or individually, shall be entitled to 10 days of unpaid leave upon request, commencing from the date on which the child is placed in their care.

Paternity leave doubled. The paid leave entitlement of five days granted to employees whose spouse gives birth has been increased to 10 days.

It is important for employers to reflect these changes in their internal regulations and practices.