The implementation phase of the historical regulation, which has been awaited for a long time by mothers working in the public and private sectors, increasing the total maternity leave period to 24 weeks, has begun. Applications for additional permits, which started as of today, will continue until the end of working hours on Friday, May 15. Mothers who do not apply to the institution they work for during this period, which takes 10 working days in total, may lose their rights.
In order to benefit from this new right, which is expected to benefit approximately 20 thousand mothers in the first stage, the birth must have occurred after October 16, 2025.
At the center of the new regulation is the 168-day period counted retroactively from April 1, 2026. With this calculation, while women who give birth on or before October 15, 2025 will be excluded from the scope, those who become mothers on or after October 16, 2025 will be able to use their right to an additional eight weeks of leave.
Even though the maternity leave period has expired, those who have not yet completed the 24-week period as of April 1, 2026 will also be able to benefit from this right by applying to their institutions. The leave, which was planned to be 8 weeks before birth and 16 weeks after birth, was increased to a total of 26 weeks in multiple pregnancies expecting twins or more babies.
