Short leave in Belgium 2026: days for weddings and deaths
Short leave is a short absence with pay for a family event or a civic duty. Choose the event and you see how many days the law gives you and when you take them, word for word as the FPS Employment lists it.
Look up your short leave
Short leave with pay: 2 days
The rule of the FPS Employment, word for word:
The marriage of the worker: 2 days of the worker's choice, during the week in which the event takes place or during the following week.
Your collective agreement or work rules can give more days than the statutory list.
How we calculate
- The tool calculates and interprets nothing: the number of days and the rule on when you take them come straight from the FPS Employment's list of short leave, which summarises the royal decree of 28 August 1963.
- The decree applies to all workers with an employment contract, in the private and public sectors, except contract staff in the federal administrative public service.
- A legally cohabiting partner is treated as a spouse. For a death the equivalence goes further: a de facto cohabiting partner also counts as a spouse. A foster child in long-term foster care counts as your own child.
More days through your collective agreement, and what if you then fall ill
The list is the statutory minimum. A collective agreement, for instance for your sector, or your work rules can grant extra days, so check your own arrangements too.
If after the death of your partner or child you take extra bereavement leave straight after the first days and fall ill immediately afterwards, the statutory period of guaranteed pay can be shortened by those extra days, up to 7. That does not apply to extra days that come from a collective agreement.
If the death or celebration took place before 25 July 2021, an older list applies. Birth leave is not on this list: it is a separate leave with its own rules at the FPS Employment.
Frequently asked questions
How many days of short leave do I get for my marriage?
Two days, which you choose yourself in the week of your marriage or the week after. If your child, sibling, parent, parent-in-law or grandchild marries, you get the day of the marriage.
How much bereavement leave do I get when my partner or child dies?
Ten days: three you choose between the day of death and the day of the funeral, and seven you choose within the year after the death. At your request and with your employer's agreement you can deviate from those periods.
What if the communion falls on a Sunday?
If the solemn communion or the humanist coming-of-age ceremony falls on a Sunday, a public holiday or a day you normally do not work, you get the regular working day just before or just after.
Does short leave apply if we are not married?
A legally cohabiting partner is treated as a spouse. For leave in case of a death, a de facto cohabiting partner counts too.
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Please note: This is an indication based on the statutory rules and the sources at the bottom of this page, not legal or tax advice. Your collective agreement, your work rules or your payslip may differ; when in doubt, check with your employer, your payroll provider or your union.
Sources
All sources checked on 13 November 2026.
- FOD Werkgelegenheid, lijst klein verlet (Nederlands)
- SPF Emploi, liste des petits chômages (Frans)
- FPS Employment, list of short-term absenteeism (Engels)
- FOD Werkgelegenheid, lijst klein verlet voor gebeurtenissen voor 25 juli 2021
- FOD Werkgelegenheid, geboorteverlof
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