Maternity leave in the Netherlands: a guide for expats
How long it lasts, what you are paid, the rules for freelancers, and what to arrange around the birth
Short answer: employees in the Netherlands get at least 16 weeks of paid maternity leave (20 weeks for twins). You start 4 to 6 weeks before your due date and take at least 10 weeks after the birth. UWV pays 100% of your daily wage, capped at €309.91 gross a day since 1 July 2026. Self-employed women get up to the minimum wage through the ZEZ benefit.
Dutch maternity leave is officially two things: pregnancy leave (zwangerschapsverlof) before the birth and maternity leave (bevallingsverlof) after it. Together they are often called WAZO leave, after the law that sets them. Your nationality and residence permit make no difference: if you work here as an employee, the same rules apply to you as to a Dutch colleague.
This guide covers the birthing parent. The partner's birth leave and the 26 weeks of parental leave each parent can take are in our parental leave guide. For the cost of daycare once you go back to work, see our childcare costs guide, and for everything else about raising children here, the family guide.
Table of contents
Maternity leave at a glance
| Rule | Employee | Self-employed (ZEZ) |
|---|---|---|
| Total leave | At least 16 weeks | At least 16 weeks |
| Twins or more | At least 20 weeks | At least 20 weeks |
| Before the birth | 4 to 6 weeks before the due date | 4 to 6 weeks before the due date |
| Pay | 100% of daily wage, max €309.91 a day | Up to the statutory minimum wage |
| Who applies | Your employer, 4 to 2 weeks before | You, 2 to 4 weeks before |
| Baby in hospital over 7 days | Up to 9 weeks extra | Extension possible |
Sources: UWV, maternity pay with an employment contract and UWV, the ZEZ benefit.
When does maternity leave start and end?
You pick the start of your pregnancy leave yourself, anywhere from 6 to 4 weeks before the day after your due date. The 4 to 6 weeks before the birth must be taken in one go. With twins or more, the window is 10 to 8 weeks before.
After the birth
- You have at least 10 weeks of leave from the day after the birth.
- The first 6 weeks must be taken straight after the birth.
- With your employer's agreement, you can spread the remaining weeks over a period of up to 30 weeks, for example by working part time.
If your baby is early or late
Born early: the pregnancy leave you did not use is added after the birth, so the total stays 16 weeks. Born late: you still get at least 10 weeks after the birth, so your total leave becomes longer than 16 weeks. If your baby has to stay in hospital for more than 7 days after the birth, you can get up to 9 extra weeks.
Deadlines that matter. Tell your employer about your leave at least 3 weeks before it starts, with a pregnancy statement (zwangerschapsverklaring) from your midwife or doctor showing the due date. Your employer then applies to UWV 4 to 2 weeks before your leave starts.
How much is maternity pay?
Employees receive 100% of their average daily wage for the whole leave, with holiday pay already included. UWV pays the benefit to your employer, who keeps paying your salary as normal, so in practice your payslip barely changes.
The benefit is capped at the maximum daily wage (maximumdagloon), which is €309.91 gross since 1 July 2026 (€304.25 from January to June). That matches a salary of roughly €79,400 a year, the 2026 ceiling for employee insurance. If you earn more, many employers top up the difference, often because the collective agreement (CAO) requires it. Ask HR before your leave so you are not surprised by your first payslip.
| Your situation | What you receive during leave |
|---|---|
| Salary below the cap | 100% of your daily wage from UWV, paid through your employer |
| Salary above the cap | €309.91 a day from UWV; a top-up only if your contract or CAO provides one |
| Temporary contract ends during leave | UWV pays the maternity benefit to you directly for the rest of the leave |
| Receiving WW or sickness benefit | A maternity benefit from UWV instead |
Source: UWV, maternity pay if you are receiving a benefit. Maximum daily wage per 1 July 2026 as published in the UWV calculation rules.
Lost your job before your leave? Our unemployment benefit (WW) guide explains how WW works, and UWV switches you to a maternity benefit when your leave starts.
Self-employed: the ZEZ maternity benefit
Freelancers and other self-employed women can claim the ZEZ benefit (Zelfstandig en Zwanger) from UWV. It covers the same 16 weeks, or 20 for a multiple birth, and you apply yourself 2 to 4 weeks before your chosen start date. Late applications are accepted for up to a year, but you may lose part of the benefit.
How much you get
- 1,225 hours or more in your business in the previous calendar year: the full statutory minimum wage.
- Fewer than 1,225 hours: an amount based on your profit, using the previous year or the average of the last 5 years, whichever is higher.
- The benefit is never more than the minimum wage, so for most freelancers it covers only part of their usual income.
The ZEZ also covers a director-major shareholder (DGA) and a partner who works in the business (meewerkend partner). If you are both employed and self-employed, you can receive both benefits. Continuing some work during the ZEZ period does not reduce it.
Because the ZEZ is modest, plan your buffer early. Our freelancer insurance guide explains what a disability policy (AOV) covers, and our comparison of a broodfonds and an AOV helps you check what each pays out around a pregnancy before you sign up.
Your rights at work during pregnancy
- Dismissal ban. Your employer may not dismiss you during your pregnancy, during your pregnancy and maternity leave, or in the first 6 weeks after you return. Exceptions are rare, such as the business closing down. If you are dismissed anyway, you have 2 months to ask the court to annul it or award compensation.
- Temporary contracts. A fixed-term contract can end on its end date, but your employer may not refuse to renew it because you are pregnant. That is pregnancy discrimination.
- Holiday days. You keep building up holiday days during your leave, and your employer may not make you use holiday days for it.
- Breastfeeding. For the first 9 months after the birth you may breastfeed or express milk during working hours, up to a quarter of your working time per shift. Your employer must provide a suitable private room that locks from the inside.
- Sickness. If you are ill because of the pregnancy, you are entitled to a sickness benefit, and illness caused by the pregnancy is handled separately from ordinary sick leave.
Sources: Rijksoverheid, rights during pregnancy and maternity leave and Rijksoverheid, breastfeeding at work (both Dutch).
Our employee rights guide covers Dutch employment law more broadly, including notice periods and what counts as discrimination.
Affiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.
Partner leave and parental leave
Maternity leave is only the first block. The partner and both parents have their own entitlements, which many expat couples combine to keep a parent at home for most of the first year.
| Leave | Length | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Partner: birth leave | 1 working week, within 4 weeks of the birth | 100% from the employer |
| Partner: additional birth leave | Up to 5 weeks, within 6 months | 70% of daily wage from UWV, max 70% of the cap |
| Partner: day of the birth | 1 day (calamity leave) | 100% |
| Parental leave, each parent | 26 times your weekly hours, until the child turns 8 | 9 weeks at 70% from UWV if taken in the first year; the rest unpaid unless your CAO pays it |
Source: Government.nl, what types of leave are there? 70% of the maximum daily wage is €216.94 a day since 1 July 2026.
The paid parental leave is where planning pays off: it must be used before the child's first birthday, and you apply through your employer. The step-by-step version is in our parental leave guide.
Healthcare costs: midwife, birth and kraamzorg
In the Netherlands a healthy pregnancy is usually guided by a community midwife (verloskundige), not a gynaecologist. You find one yourself, often within the first weeks of pregnancy, and your GP can refer you if needed. Midwife care is covered by the basic insurance.
After the birth, a maternity nurse (kraamverzorgende) comes to your home for several days to look after mother and baby and teach you the basics. This is kraamzorg. You register for it with a kraamzorg agency, usually through your health insurer, early in the pregnancy. Agencies have limited capacity, so do not wait.
| Care | Covered by basic insurance? | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Midwife care | Yes | Deductible does not apply |
| Kraamzorg at home | Yes, 24 to 80 hours | Own contribution: €5.70 an hour in 2026, €6.00 in 2027 |
| Hospital birth with a medical reason | Yes | No own contribution |
| Hospital birth without a medical reason | Partly | A daily own contribution for mother and baby (€23.50 each in 2027), plus anything the hospital charges above the covered rate |
Source: Zorgwijzer, kraamzorg vergoeding (Dutch). Your own insurer's policy conditions are the final word on hours and amounts.
Many supplementary policies (aanvullende verzekering) reimburse the kraamzorg contribution and sometimes extras such as a maternity pack or lactation support. If you expect a baby next year, this is the part of your insurance to check before the switching deadline of 31 December. Our guide to switching health insurance explains the deadlines, and our health insurance guide covers how basic and supplementary cover fit together.
Expecting in 2027? Compare what supplementary policies pay for pregnancy and kraamzorg
An independent comparison site lets you filter Dutch insurers on maternity cover before you switch.
Compare all insurers (Zorgkiezer)Affiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.
After the birth: registration and benefits
Several deadlines start running on the day your baby is born. Most of them are short, so it helps to have the list ready before your leave starts.
| Task | Deadline | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Register the birth | Within 3 days (the day of birth does not count; extra time over weekends and holidays) | Municipality where the baby was born |
| Add the baby to your health insurance | Within 4 months, then cover starts from the birth; free for children | Your health insurer |
| Partner's birth leave | 1 week within 4 weeks of the birth | Partner's employer |
| Child benefit (kinderbijslag) | SVB writes to you within about 4 weeks of registration; apply via My SVB | SVB |
| Residence permit for the baby (non-EU parents) | As soon as possible after registration | IND, €85 |
Sources: Rijksoverheid, checklist for having a child (Dutch), SVB, new baby and IND, residence permit for a child born in the Netherlands.
Registering the birth also gives your baby a BSN, which you need for the insurance, child benefit and later the childcare allowance. Our guide to Dutch allowances explains the child budget (kindgebonden budget) that may come on top of child benefit.
Expat situations
Your residence permit
Taking maternity leave does not affect a work-based residence permit: you are still employed, and the benefit is paid through your employer. The IND also states that applying for the childcare allowance, healthcare allowance, rent allowance or child budget does not end your residence. The baby is a separate matter: a child born here to non-Dutch parents is not Dutch by birth, so if you are from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland your child needs its own residence permit. Our family reunification guide covers family permits in general.
Your baby's nationality
Your child usually gets your nationality through you, which means registering the birth with your own embassy or consulate as well and applying for a passport. If one parent is Dutch, the child is Dutch from birth. See our dual citizenship guide for how the Dutch rules interact with your home country's.
New in the country
If you arrived recently, you are entitled to maternity pay as soon as you are an employee here; there is no minimum period of employment. What new arrivals often lack is the network: register with a midwife and a kraamzorg agency early, and look at our guides to English-speaking GPs and support for expat partners.
Frequently asked questions
How long is maternity leave in the Netherlands?
At least 16 weeks in total: pregnancy leave of 4 to 6 weeks before the due date, plus at least 10 weeks of maternity leave after the birth. With twins or more it is at least 20 weeks. If your baby stays in hospital for more than 7 days after the birth, the leave can be extended by up to 9 weeks.
Is maternity leave paid in full in the Netherlands?
Employees receive 100% of their average daily wage from UWV for the whole leave, with holiday pay included. The benefit is capped at the maximum daily wage, which is €309.91 gross since 1 July 2026. UWV pays your employer, who keeps paying your salary as usual.
When does maternity leave start in the Netherlands?
You choose a start date between 6 and 4 weeks before the day after your due date. Pregnancy leave must start no later than 4 weeks before. Tell your employer at least 3 weeks before your leave starts, and your employer applies to UWV 4 to 2 weeks before it starts.
What happens to my maternity leave if my baby is late or early?
If your baby arrives early, the pregnancy leave you did not use is added to the leave after the birth, so you still get 16 weeks. If your baby is late, you still get at least 10 weeks after the birth, so the total becomes longer than 16 weeks.
Do self-employed people get maternity pay in the Netherlands?
Yes, through the ZEZ benefit from UWV. It lasts at least 16 weeks (20 for multiple births) and is at most the statutory minimum wage. If you worked at least 1,225 hours in your business the year before, you get the full minimum wage; otherwise it is based on your profit. Apply 2 to 4 weeks before your chosen start date.
Can I be fired while pregnant in the Netherlands?
Your employer may not dismiss you because you are pregnant, and may not dismiss you during your pregnancy and maternity leave or the first 6 weeks after you return. Exceptions are rare, such as the whole business closing. A temporary contract may still end on its date, but not renewing it because of your pregnancy is discrimination.
How much leave does the partner get after a birth?
The partner gets 1 week of birth leave at full pay within 4 weeks of the birth, then up to 5 weeks of additional birth leave within 6 months, paid by UWV at 70% of the daily wage up to 70% of the maximum. Both parents can also take 26 weeks of parental leave per child, of which 9 weeks are paid at 70% if taken in the first year.
What does kraamzorg cost in the Netherlands?
Kraamzorg is covered by the basic health insurance and your deductible does not apply, but there is a statutory own contribution per hour of care: €5.70 in 2026 and €6.00 in 2027. Many supplementary policies reimburse this contribution, so check your policy before the switching deadline at the end of the year.
Does my baby need a residence permit if we are not Dutch?
A child born in the Netherlands to non-Dutch parents does not become Dutch by being born here. If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, your child needs a residence permit from the IND. The application costs €85 and you can submit it online.