On 29 July 2025, Spain’s government signed off on an extension of parental leave for birth, adoption and early childcare. Each parent will gain an additional three weeks of paid leave, bringing the total to 19 weeks. One of those weeks must be taken during the child’s first year, while the remaining two can be used any time before the child turns eight.
Spain has finally transposed EU Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers. The measure came into force on 31 July 2025, after the prescribed EU deadline, in the form of Decree-Law 9/2025, granting each parent an additional paid week to be taken in the year of a child’s birth or adoption, and then two weeks, also paid, to be taken at their convenience up to the child’s eighth birthday. These new provisions apply to births from 31 August 2025. The week of birth or...
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Article authors
Cécile Thibaud
Freelance