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Maternity Leave

According to the Protection of Maternity Law, a pregnant worker is entitled to maternity leave for 18 consecutive weeks starting 2 weeks before the week of the expected birth. Of this, 11 weeks is considered compulsory leave (two weeks before the week of the expected delivery date, the week of delivery and eight weeks after the week of delivery).

Important Note: In case of multiple babies, maternity leave is extended by 4 weeks for each additional baby up to 26 weeks. (ex. 2nd baby 22 weeks, 3rd baby 26 weeks)

Applying for the Maternity Allowance in Cyprus:

  • The benefit is paid for a period of 18 weeks starting 2 weeks before the week of the expected birth. The benefit starts at 72% of the mother’s salary with the first child and increases to 80%, 90% or 100% with second, third and fourth child respectively. 
  • The company is also paying to cover your salary up to 100%. This means that if your salary is 1000 Euros and you receive 720 Euros from the government, the company will pay you 280 Euros to cover the difference (monthly payment) .This is not mandatory in Cyprus but it's up to each employer. 
  • To apply for the Maternity Allowance you have to be employed by a CY company and to pay SI contributions in Cyprus for a minimum of 26 weeks. Any woman with any citizenship who complies with this requirement can apply for the Maternity Allowance. 
  • You can submit the application form for maternity leave immediately after completing the 25th week of pregnancy.

The application form is submitted online through the website Gov.Cy:

  • Create your CY Login account (if you do not have it)
  • Authenticate your account through your online banking or by going to a Citizen Service Centre
  • Follow the instructions of the website to apply for your Maternity Allowance
  • You will need to upload the doctor’s certificate with the expected date of delivery. You can receive this certificate from your doctor after completing 25 weeks of pregnancy.

Once you completed the application form on the website Gov.Cy:

  • You will receive a letter at home and also an approval email notifying you how much you will receive and when. 
  • The first payment will be made closely to your due date and the second payment will be made approximately 3 weeks before returning to work. 
  • Please note that in order to receive the second payment you will need to declare the birth of your baby on the link found on the approval email you will receive.

Attention! If you are paid from your employer during the maternity leave, then you are NOT ALLOWED to receive the allowance from the government.

Receiving the birth certificate of your child:

After the birth of the baby, the hospital or private clinic issues a form (Baby’s Birth Form) which documents the basic details of the infant such as birth date, baby's name and parents' names. To receive the birth certificate for your child:

  • Book an appointment in the local Citizen Service Centre
  • Bring the Baby’s Birth Form, parents passports or IDs, visas for both parents and marriage certificate (unmarried parents are required to sign a declaration of parentage at the local court to state that their child is theirs). 
  • The birth certificate will be issued the same day. It is issued in Greek and English. The cost of the certificate is 5 EUR per copy. 

Returning to work

  • For a period of 9 months from birth, the working mother has the right to either interrupt her employment for 1 hour or go to work 1 hour later, or leave work 1 hour earlier every day. This hour is considered and paid as working time.

Childbirth Grant

  • You are allowed to receive a lump sum € 580.92 for the birth of a live child (for the year 2022). The amount may change, so check the official information.
  • To apply for the Childbirth Grant the mother or the father of the child has to be employed by a CY company and to pay SI contributions in Cyprus for a minimum of 26 weeks. 
  • To be awarded the childbirth grant an application form has to be submitted on Gov.Cy accompanied by the Birth Certificate of the child within one (1) year of the birth.