The request for the first parental leave must be sent to the employer at the latest 2 months before the start of the maternity leave, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.
In the case of adoption, the application must be submitted to the employer at the latest before the start of the adoption leave.
The employer may refuse the leave if the request has not been made in the legal form and timeframe.
The employer can neither refuse nor postpone the first full-time parental leave that has been duly requested. However, he can refuse half-time or split parental leave and oblige the applicant to take a full-time leave of 6 or 4 months.
Please note: If you have an open-ended employment contract with a probationary period, the right to parental leave cannot take effect and you can only exercise it after the probationary period.