SAÜ’s Personnel Department explains three ways eligible civil servants can share childcare. Following birth, a father may request ten days of paternity leave with evidence of the birth, and may request up to 24 months of unpaid childcare leave calculated from the date of birth. Under the regulation published on 18 July 2025, eligible staff under Article 4(A) may also request half-time work after paternity leave by petitioning their employing unit. These options give fathers time to care for a child while the other parent participates in work. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Article 104(B) of Civil Servants Law No. 657 entitles a civil servant whose spouse gives birth to ten days of paternity leave on request. The Personnel Department requires documentation of the birth. Article 104(G) preserves financial rights and social benefits during leave, except payments conditional on actual work. [1, question 10] [2, Article 104(B) and (G)]
Figure 1. Personnel Department guidance on paternity leave for civil servants. Extract from the published web text (print layout). Source [1]
A civil servant whose spouse gives birth may request up to 24 months of unpaid leave under Article 108(B). For the father, the relevant 24-month period runs from the date of birth. The entitlement is available regardless of whether the spouse is a civil servant; where both parents are civil servants, they may use the leave concurrently or consecutively within the applicable periods. This is separate from paid paternity leave. [3, section I/Ç]
Figure 2. Public Personnel Communiqué on unpaid leave after birth. Extract from the published web text (print layout). Source [3]
Figure 3. Commencement and duration rules for leave of the parent whose spouse has given birth. Extract from the published web text (print layout). Source [3]
The regulation of 18 July 2025 applies to eligible civil servants under Article 4(A). For a father, the half-time working period starts after paternity leave and ends at the start of the month following the beginning of the child’s compulsory primary-school age. The regulation sets out excluded posts and the effects on remuneration. [4, Articles 2, 5–7, 10 and 12]
Figure 4. Regulation on half-time work, Article 5(2) and Articles 6–7. The extract sets out when a father may begin half-time work and how to apply. Source [4]
Figure 5. 2025 Official Gazette decision bringing the half-time work regulation into force. PDF p. 1. Source [4]
Figure 6. Scope and core provisions of the regulation issued in July 2025. PDF p. 2. Source [4]
Both parents may request half-time work if both are eligible civil servants. The University’s Personnel Department directs applicants to submit a petition to their own unit. [1, question 16] [4, Article 9(6)]
Figure 7. Administration of half-time work under the July 2025 regulation. PDF p. 4. Source [4]
The Personnel Department’s Permanent Workers Branch administers paternity leave for workers under the applicable collective agreement. [1, 5]
Figure 8. Personnel Department guidance on paternity leave for workers under the collective agreement. Extract from the published web text (print layout). Source [1]
For workers covered by Labour Law No. 4857, the statutory paid entitlement on the birth of a child to the worker’s spouse was five days in 2025. Additional Article 2 was introduced by Article 35 of Law No. 6645. Article 16 of the law published on 1 May 2026 subsequently increased the statutory period to ten days. SAÜ refers its workers to the applicable collective agreement, which may provide more favourable terms. The five-day figure describes the 2025 statutory provision. [6] [7]
