Questions About Leave

1. What Is the Duration of Paid Maternity Leave?
Under Article 104 of the Civil Servants Law (Law No. 657), female civil servants are granted a total of 16 weeks of maternity leave: 8 weeks before birth and 8 weeks after birth.
In the case of multiple pregnancy, 2 weeks are added to the pre-birth period.

If a medical report certifies that the employee’s health allows her to work up to 3 weeks before the expected due date, she may continue working at her request; in that case, the period actually worked before birth is added to the postpartum leave period.

If the birth occurs earlier than expected, any unused pre-birth leave is added to the postpartum leave. If the birth occurs before the date the pre-birth leave should have started, the time between the birth date and the scheduled start of pre-birth leave is also added to postpartum leave.

If the mother dies during childbirth or while on maternity leave, upon request, the civil servant father is granted the remainder of the leave envisaged for the mother. Civil servants who adopt a child under three years of age (together with their spouse or individually), and civil servants whose non-civil-servant spouse adopts individually, are granted 8 weeks of leave from the date the child is placed with them. This also applies where the child is placed prior to the court’s adoption decision.

2. What Is the Duration of Unpaid Leave Due to Birth?
Under Article 108 of Law No. 657, upon request:

A civil servant who has given birth may be granted up to 24 months of unpaid leave starting from the end of the postpartum maternity leave (or the end of the leave under Article 104(F), as applicable).
A civil servant whose spouse has given birth may be granted up to 24 months of unpaid leave starting from the date of birth.

3. Is the Period of Unpaid Leave Due to Birth Counted Toward Service?
Periods spent on unpaid leave due to birth are counted toward the earned salary grade/step service (kazanılmış hak aylığı). However, for these periods to be counted toward retirement, an SGK service-debt (borçlanma) procedure is required.

4. Is Unpaid Leave Due to Birth Counted in the Calculation of Annual Leave Entitlement?
No. Because unpaid leave due to birth is not considered active (fiilî) service, it is not included in the service period used to calculate annual leave.
Also, the unpaid leave due to birth is not counted in the five-year period referred to in Article 108/E of Law No. 657.

5. How May I Use Nursing (Breastfeeding) Leave?
Under Article 104(D) of Law No. 657, for the purpose of breastfeeding after the end of postpartum maternity leave:

First 6 months: 3 hours per day,
Second 6 months: 1.5 hours per day.
The employee’s preference determines which hours and how many intervals per day this leave is used.

Because nursing leave is a daily entitlement specifically for breastfeeding, it cannot be combined and used on subsequent days. The breastfeeding employee should notify her unit (e.g., with a brief letter indicating preferred hours); the unit’s suitability letter is then sent to the Personnel Department.

6. How Can I Use the Unpaid Leave Regulated in Article 108/E of Law No. 657?
Per Article 108/E: A civil servant who has completed 5 years of service (as calculated for annual leave) may, upon request, be granted up to 1 year of unpaid leave, to be used at most twice over the course of their civil service.
This provision does not apply during service in regions declared under martial law, state of emergency, or disaster affecting public life for those compulsorily assigned there under Article 72.
To request this leave, submit a petition to your unit; cases deemed suitable by the unit are forwarded to the Personnel Department.

7. What Are the Limits for Sick Leave Reports?
Under the Regulation on Medical Reports and Sick/Companion Leave for Civil Servants:

A single physician may grant up to 10 days at one time. If a follow-up exam is prescribed, the single physician may grant up to 10 additional days after the follow-up.
If, after the follow-up, the report must exceed 10 days, it must be issued by a medical board.
In a calendar year, the total issued by single physicians may not exceed 40 days (board reports are not included in this 40-day total). Reports exceeding 40 days in a year must be issued by a medical board. For additional single-physician reports that would exceed 40 days, board approval is required for validity.

Sick leave is approved by authorized unit supervisors of the institution/organization where the civil servant works. Therefore, medical reports should be submitted in EBYS with a sick-leave request for approval by the supervisor and notified to the Personnel Department.

8. How Is It Determined Whether an Illness Requires Long-Term Treatment?
Under Article 105 of Law No. 657, a civil servant may be granted—with pay and with personal rights preserved, based on the necessity indicated in the medical report—up to 18 months of leave for illnesses requiring long-term treatment (e.g., cancer, tuberculosis, mental illness), and up to 12 months for other illnesses.
Hospitalization periods are counted toward the sick-leave duration. To return to work after the maximum period, the civil servant must submit a report certifying recovery (for those abroad, a report issued in accordance with local procedures). If the illness continues, the leave may be extended by the same maximum period; if recovery still does not occur, retirement provisions apply.

9. If I Take Unpaid Leave, Can I and My Family Use Health Insurance?
This depends on the applicable social security law. For those under Law No. 5510, health coverage may continue once for up to 1 year; for those under Law No. 5534, it may continue indefinitely.

10. If I Work as Contracted Personnel, Do I Have Annual Leave?
Under Article 9 of the Principles on the Employment of Contracted Personnel:

With 1–10 years of service in institutions: 20 days paid annual leave,
With more than 10 years: 30 days.
Unused leave may be used in the following contract period if the contract continues. Except for the current and immediately preceding contract periods, unused leave expires.

Additionally, per General Communiqué No. 154 on the Civil Servants Law, when calculating annual leave, service periods spent in any status in public institutions, and periods recognized in the earned salary grade/step even if not spent in public institutions, must be considered. Accordingly, if a person has one year of prior public service before the contract period, they are treated like a civil servant who has completed one year, and thus have 20 days of annual leave.
If a contracted employee has no annual leave entitlement, they may be granted paid excused leave up to a total of 10 days in a contract period by the competent authority, for reasons other than those specified in that article.

11. I Work as a Permanent Worker (Sürekli İşçi) at Your University. What Are My Annual Paid Leave Rights?
Under Article 53 of the Labor Law (Law No. 4857), workers who have worked at least 1 year (including probation) are entitled to annual paid leave. The duration is:
a) 16 days for 1 to 5 years of service (inclusive),
b) 23 days for more than 5 and less than 15 years,
c) 28 days for 15 years or more (inclusive).

Public holidays, weekly rest days, and general holidays are not counted in the annual leave period. Saturdays are considered working days for the purpose of calculating the leave period. By agreement, leave may be used in parts, provided one part is at least 10 days.

12. How Many Days Are Granted for Paternity, Marriage, and Bereavement Leave?
Under Article 104 of Law No. 657:

Paternity leave: 10 days upon request when the spouse gives birth;
Marriage or bereavement: 7 days upon request in cases of the employee’s or child’s marriage, or the death of the spouse, child, the employee’s or the spouse’s mother, father, or sibling.