The leave has been introduced by the Belgian government to encourage as many people as possible to be vaccinated and help reach the target vaccination rate of at least 70%. Employees are entitled to be absent from work for the time necessary for the vaccination, also taking travel time to and from the vaccination centre into account, while retaining their normal salary. This does not automatically mean that employees are entitled to half or full days of absence.
Employees can use the vaccination leave twice to receive their vaccinations from 9 April 2021 until 31 December 2021. To be entitled to the vaccination leave, the employee must inform their employer as soon as possible of the time and date of their vaccination. Some employers may ask employees to provide proof of the appointment, however employers are not allowed to make a copy of the proof of appointment. The employee should only note the time of the appointment and register the employee’s absence as leave of absence, without specifically stating that it is a leave of absence for vaccination purposes.
If an employee is absent from work due to possible side effects of the vaccine, they will not be covered by this bill and will instead be covered by ordinary sick leave.
For more information on coronavirus support measures for employers and employees, visit the activpayroll latest news page.
For more information on Belgium’s tax and payroll landscape, browse activpayroll’s Global Insight Guide to Belgium.
