Amendment of the Maternity Protection Act of 1997 (Law 100 (I) 1997) to extend the maternity leave benefits

On 20th May 2025, the Maternity Protection Act (Law (I) 1997) has been amended by Law 62 (I) 2025 with the increase of the period for breastfeeding protection and childcare facilities. Through this amending Law, a woman is now entitled for a period of twelve months (instead of nine months which was before), from childbirth or from the day on which maternity leave begins in the case of adoption, to either stop working for one hour or to arrive later or leave earlier by one hour each day.

The time of one hour of daily break or of late arrival or early departure is considered and remunerated as working time of the entitled woman.

The amendment regarding the extension of maternity leave benefits from nine months to twelve months applies exclusively in cases where, as of the effective date of the amendment (i.e. 20/05/2025), the stipulated period of nine months from the date of childbirth has not been completed. In cases where the nine-month period from childbirth has been completed by 19/05/2025, the provision of the previous legislation continues to apply, and consequently, the working mother does not have the right to extend the period to twelve months.