Paid leave of absence in Spain

The following is a list of paid leave of absence days that Spain's labour law grants, as a legal minimum.

We are talking about a legal minimum because, like many others rules in labor matters, collective agreements or agreements between the company and the employees can give more days to the employees, but never fewer days. As long as the employee gives prior notice (and documentation if necessary), the employee may be absent from work with full salary in the following cases:

• Marriage: 15 calendar days (that is, including weekends and holidays).

  The 15 days starts on the first working day following the wedding day (e.g. for M-F employees, if you get married on a Saturday, you start counting the 15 days on Monday).

• Serious accident or illness, hospitalization or surgical intervention without hospitalization: 5 working days
• Family death, accident, or serious illness: 2 days.

  This includes hospitalization or surgical intervention without hospitalization requiring home rest. If the employee needs to make a trip to visit the relative, the term will be 4 days instead of 2.

• Maternity or paternity leave: see our article.
• Move from one's main residence: 1 day.
• Serious accident or illness, hospitalisation or surgical intervention without hospitalisation: 5 working days.
• Voting, jury duty, attendance at a trial, renewal of a DNI, etc.: the time needed

  Note that other reasons such as renewal of a driver's license is not included, nor does taking a child to a doctor because this task can be delegated to someone else.

• Prenatal exams, preparation for childbirth: the time needed

  Included in this rule is the so-called breastfeeding permit. This establishes that women workers will be entitled to one hour of absence from work for the care of the infant until they are 9 months old. Likewise, a person who needs to take care of the direct care of an old or ill family member has similar rights.

• Professional training

  The employee has a right to adapt the working day for attendance at professional training courses, exams, or classes to obtain an academic or professional degree.

  In addition, once an employee has been at the company for at least one year, they are entitled after 20 years to professional training linked to the company's activity.

• Temporary relocation: 4 days for every 3 months

  If the employer requires that the employee temporarily relocates to another city, then the employee is entitled to 4 days at home for every 3 months away from home.

• Union functions: the time needed
• After being given notice: 6 hours per week

  After giving an employee notice that they are being laid off, they have a right to 6 hours per week of work as time to find a new job.

This is a simplified version of the Spanish labour law. There are many details and exceptions that we have not included here.

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