Romania - Maternity
This chapter gives details of the benefits to which you are entitled in Romania if you become a mother.
The benefits described are:
- maternity leave and allowance (concediu medical şi indemnizaţie pentru maternitate);
- maternal risk leave (concediu medical şi indemnizaţie de risc maternal).
In what situation can I claim?
Maternity leave and allowance (concediu medical şi indemnizaţie pentru maternitate) are granted to pregnant women or women who have given birth during the last 6 to 8 weeks (postpartum women), for a total of 126 calendar days.
Maternal risk leave (concediu medical şi indemnizaţie de risc maternal) may be granted to pregnant or postpartum women who are not on maternity leave and whose employer cannot guarantee working conditions that are free of risks to their health or that of their child. Maternal risk allowance may be granted for up to 120 days before and after maternity leave on the recommendation of a family doctor or obstetrician and gynaecologist.
What conditions do I need to meet?
To receive maternity leave and allowance, you must meet the following conditions:
- you are legally resident in Romania;
- you live together with the child or children for whom you are requesting the allowance;
- you contributed for at least 6 months to the social insurance system during the last 12 months prior to the maternity leave.
To receive maternal risk leave, you must meet the following conditions:
- you are legally resident in Romania;
- you are employed and request this leave before your maternity leave or, if you are postpartum or breastfeeding, you apply for this benefit after your maternity leave ends and only if you do not request child-raising allowance for a child aged up to 2 years.
What am I entitled to and how can I claim?
Maternity allowance
Maternity allowance is paid to the mother for 126 calendar days while she is on leave. This period is made up of 63 days of leave before the birth (antenatal leave) and 63 days after the child is born (postnatal leave). The first 42 days of leave after the child is born are compulsory. The remaining 84 days need not be taken if the mother does not feel that she needs them or can be taken earlier, before the birth or later, after the birth.
Maternity allowance is equal to 85% of the average monthly income earned by the mother during the last 6 months prior to maternity leave. This allowance is paid for the 126 days of maternity leave, even if the child is stillborn.
Maternity allowance is not subject to the income tax system.
Maternal risk allowance
Maternal risk allowance is equal to 75% of the mother's average monthly income over the last 6 months before the benefit was requested. It is paid for a period of up to 120 days.
In the case of employed persons, maternity leave and maternal risk leave are given by the employer on the recommendation of a specialist doctor or family doctor. The pregnant employee must inform her employer in writing and attach the document issued by the doctor. The maternity or maternal risk allowance is paid by the employer.
Persons who are self-employed or authorised individuals must submit their application for maternity leave and allowance to their local Health Insurance Authority. The maternity allowance will be paid by the latter.
Jargon busters
- Maternity leave: medical leave which is granted to a pregnant or postpartum woman on the recommendation of a specialist doctor or family doctor.
- Authorised individual: an individual who is authorised to pursue any form of legal economic activity, mainly using their own labour.
Forms you may need to fill in
Know your rights
The link below gives more information about your rights and obligations. This website does not belong to the European Commission and does not represent the position of the European Commission on the subject concerned:
Publications and websites of the European Commission:
Who do you need to contact?
County authorities for pensions and other social insurance.