Special leave under the Dutch Hospitality CLA: what are you entitled to?

Written by:
Jacob de Graaff

A wedding, death or other serious personal event may take place on a day when you are expected to work. Depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to paid leave under the Dutch Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement or to a statutory form of leave.

The Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement 2025-2026 refers to this as special leave on full pay. Dutch law also provides other types of leave, including emergency leave, short-term absence leave, partner leave and care leave. Each type of leave has its own conditions and rules regarding continued payment of wages.

This information is based on the Dutch Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement 2025-2026 and the applicable statutory leave arrangements.

What is special leave in the Netherlands?

Special leave is not one single statutory form of leave with the same rules in every situation. The term is generally used for leave relating to important personal or family events.

The Dutch Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement provides special leave on full pay for a limited number of specified events, including certain marriages, anniversaries and deaths.

Depending on the situation, you may also have a statutory right to:

• emergency leave or short-term absence leave;

• partner leave following the birth of a child;

• short-term or long-term care leave;

• pregnancy and maternity leave;

• parental leave;

• adoption or foster-care leave.

The applicable arrangement depends on the event and on what you need to do during your absence.

When are you entitled to paid special leave under the Hospitality CLA?

Article 3.24 of the Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement 2025-2026 provides special leave on full pay in the following situations:

You take the leave on the day of the event. If you are entitled to several days, the days must be taken consecutively.

What if the event takes place on your usual day off?

You are not automatically entitled to an alternative paid day off. Under the Hospitality CLA, no special-leave entitlement arises if the event takes place on a day on which you do not normally work.

For example, if you never normally work on Mondays and the marriage takes place on a Monday, you do not receive another paid leave day later in the week under this CLA provision.

How much leave do you receive after the death of your partner or child?

If your partner or (step)child dies, the Hospitality CLA provides four days of paid leave. In any event, you are entitled to leave from the day of death up to and including the day of the funeral.

If the period between the death and the funeral is longer, statutory emergency leave or short-term absence leave may also be relevant. The reasonable length of this leave depends on the circumstances and on the arrangements you need to make.

Are you entitled to special leave when your child is born?

The Hospitality CLA does not provide a separate entitlement of two days of leave when a partner gives birth. Employees whose partner gives birth are entitled to statutory partner leave.

Partner leave equals one full working week. This means that you are entitled to the same number of paid leave hours as the number of hours you normally work per week. If you work 32 hours per week, you are entitled to 32 hours of fully paid partner leave.

You must take this leave within four weeks after the birth.

You may subsequently be entitled to up to five weeks of additional partner leave. During this period, the Employee Insurance Agency, or UWV, pays a benefit equal to 70% of your daily wage, subject to the statutory maximum daily wage.

Are you entitled to leave for a doctor or hospital appointment?

There is no general and unlimited right to paid leave for every doctor, dentist or hospital appointment. Where reasonably possible, employees are expected to schedule planned appointments outside their working hours.

If an essential appointment cannot reasonably take place outside working hours, statutory short-term absence leave may apply. Your wages generally continue during this leave.

Your own medical appointment is not automatically considered care leave. Care leave is intended for situations in which you need to provide necessary care to a person who is ill or dependent on your assistance.

Accompanying a child or family member

If you unexpectedly need to accompany your child, partner or another family member to a doctor, emergency leave may apply for the immediate and necessary assistance.

If further necessary care is required afterwards, short-term care leave may be available. During short-term care leave, your employer must continue to pay at least 70% of your wages. You must receive at least the statutory minimum wage.

What is emergency leave?

Emergency leave, also referred to as short-term absence leave, is intended for urgent, unexpected or exceptional personal circumstances.

Examples include:

• your child suddenly becoming ill and you needing to arrange immediate care;

• a burst water pipe, fire or another emergency at home;

• the death of a close family member;

• your partner giving birth and requiring your presence;

• an essential appointment that genuinely cannot take place outside working hours.

The leave lasts for as long as is reasonably necessary to deal with the immediate situation. Depending on the circumstances, this may be a few hours or several days. Your wages continue during emergency leave.

What is the difference between special leave and care leave?

Care leave is intended to enable an employee to provide necessary care to somebody who is ill or otherwise needs assistance. It is different from the paid special leave listed in the Hospitality CLA.

Short-term care leave

During each twelve-month period, you may take up to twice the number of hours you normally work per week.

For example, if you work 24 hours per week, you may be entitled to a maximum of 48 hours of short-term care leave.

Your employer must continue to pay at least 70% of your wages. If this would result in less than the statutory minimum wage, you must receive the statutory minimum wage.

Long-term care leave

For longer-term necessary care, you may take up to six times your normal weekly working hours during each twelve-month period.

Under the statutory standard arrangement, long-term care leave is unpaid. Your employment contract, staff handbook or company policy may contain more favourable terms.

Does special leave reduce your holiday entitlement?

No. Paid special leave under the Hospitality CLA is separate from your holiday entitlement. Statutory emergency leave and short-term absence leave are also not automatically deducted from your holiday balance.

Different rules may apply to other types of leave or to additional, non-statutory holiday hours. Always check which leave arrangement applies to your situation.

If the event is not covered by the CLA or by statutory leave legislation, you can ask your employer whether you may use holiday hours, time off in lieu or unpaid leave.

Are you entitled to paid leave when moving house?

The Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement 2025-2026 does not provide a general right to one paid day of leave for moving house.

Your employer may nevertheless offer moving leave under an employment contract, staff handbook or company policy. If no separate arrangement applies, you can ask to use holiday hours, time off in lieu or unpaid leave.

How do you request special leave?

Inform your employer as soon as possible. For a planned event, such as a marriage, submit your request as soon as the date is known. In an emergency, notify your employer as soon as it is reasonably possible to do so.

Include:

• the event or circumstances;

• the type of leave you believe applies;

• the date on which the leave starts;

• the expected duration of your absence;

• how and when you can be contacted, where relevant.

Your employer may subsequently ask you to demonstrate that you were entitled to the leave. Examples of reasonable supporting documents include a wedding invitation, funeral notice or appointment confirmation.

Your employer must respect your privacy and should not ask for more personal or medical information than is necessary to assess your entitlement.

Do you need your employer’s approval?

If you meet the conditions for paid special leave under the CLA or for statutory leave, your employer cannot simply refuse the leave because the timing is inconvenient.

For emergency leave, you inform your employer that you need to take the leave. Your employer cannot prevent you from dealing with an immediate emergency merely because it creates a scheduling problem.

Your employer may ask for evidence afterwards and may assess whether the situation qualified for the leave taken.

For care leave, an employer may in some circumstances object on the basis of a serious operational or business interest. Once short-term care leave has started, the employer cannot stop it.

What if the event is not listed in the Hospitality CLA?

The list of paid special-leave events in the CLA is limited. Article 3.24 does not provide a separate paid leave entitlement for:

• the marriage of a grandchild or grandparent;

• the death or funeral of a grandchild;

• moving house;

• a job interview;

• an examination or graduation ceremony;

• a routine doctor or dentist appointment that can reasonably be scheduled outside working hours.

This does not always mean that you have no right to leave. A statutory leave arrangement, company policy or more favourable individual agreement may still apply.

Otherwise, you can ask your employer whether you may use holiday hours, time off in lieu or unpaid leave.

What can you do if you disagree with your employer?

First determine which CLA or statutory leave provision applies. Then explain your position to your employer in writing.

Include:

• what happened;

• when you needed the leave;

• which CLA article or statutory arrangement you rely on;

• whether any wages or holiday hours were deducted;

• which supporting documents you can provide.

If the issue cannot be resolved, you can seek advice from De Horecabond, CNV, the Dutch Legal Aid and Advice Centre or an employment-law specialist.

Frequently asked questions about special leave in the hospitality industry

1. Is special leave always paid?

No. Special leave for the events listed in Article 3.24 of the Hospitality CLA is fully paid. Statutory emergency leave and short-term absence leave are also generally fully paid.

During short-term care leave, you receive at least 70% of your wages. Long-term care leave is unpaid under the statutory standard arrangement. Other types of leave may also be partly paid or unpaid.

2. How much paid leave do you receive for your own marriage?

The Hospitality CLA provides one day of paid leave for your own marriage or registered partnership. The event must take place on a day on which you normally work.

3. How much leave do you receive following the death of a parent?

You receive two days of paid special leave following the death of one of your parents or parents-in-law.

4. How much leave do you receive following the death of your partner or child?

You receive four days of paid leave. In any event, you are entitled to leave from the day of death up to and including the day of the funeral. Depending on the circumstances, statutory emergency leave may also be relevant.

5. Are you entitled to leave following the death of a grandparent?

You receive one paid day for the funeral or cremation of your own grandparent. The CLA does not provide a separate paid day for the date of death itself.

6. Are you entitled to special leave when your child is born?

If your partner gives birth, you are entitled to statutory partner leave equal to one full working week. The leave is fully paid and must be taken within four weeks after the birth.

7. Is a doctor’s appointment considered special leave?

Not automatically. Planned appointments should be scheduled outside working hours where reasonably possible. If an essential appointment cannot reasonably take place outside working hours, short-term absence leave may apply.

8. Is accompanying a family member to a doctor considered care leave?

Only if your assistance or care is necessary and the statutory conditions for care leave are met. Accompanying someone merely as a matter of convenience does not automatically create an entitlement to care leave.

9. Must you provide evidence?

Your employer may ask you afterwards for reasonable evidence that the leave was necessary. You do not need to provide more personal or medical information than is required to establish your entitlement.

10. Do you receive another leave day if the event falls on your normal day off?

No. The Hospitality CLA does not provide paid special leave when the event takes place on a day on which you do not normally work.

11. Are you entitled to paid leave when moving house?

Not under the standard provisions of the Hospitality CLA 2025-2026. A separate right may exist under your employment contract, staff handbook or company policy.

What does ‘cao’ mean?

Cao is the Dutch abbreviation for collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst, meaning collective labour agreement. In English, the abbreviation CLA is generally clearer.

A collective labour agreement contains employment conditions agreed between one or more employers or employers’ organisations and one or more employee organisations.

Summary

The Dutch Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement provides fully paid special leave for a limited number of marriages, anniversaries and deaths. The event must take place on a day on which you normally work.

Other situations, including the birth of a child, an urgent personal emergency, a medical appointment or the care of an ill family member, may fall under a statutory form of leave. It is therefore important to distinguish between paid special leave, emergency leave, partner leave and care leave.

Sources

• Dutch Hospitality Industry Collective Labour Agreement 2025-2026 – English version

• Government of the Netherlands: emergency leave and short-term absence leave

• Government of the Netherlands: partner leave following childbirth

• Government of the Netherlands: care leave