Applying for a leave of absence

You are entitled to leave of absence for a period of up to 6 months, if you wish to take care of a close family member or a close relative who is handicapped or seriously ill.

Apply for care benefits below. Please note that the form is in Danish and you will need to print the form.

The form for taking care of a handicapped or seriously ill family member

Send the form to:

Borgercenter Handicap, Borups Allé 43, 2200 Copenhagen N.

You may apply for leave of absence if

• you have a job and are not employed under a collective agreement entitling you to take this type of leave
• the illness or the handicap is chronic or long-term
• the sick or handicapped person lives in his/her own home and not in an institution or nursing home
• the alternative is 24-hour care outside the home or if the need for care corresponds to a full-time job
• you and the sick family member agree on the care
• the City of Copenhagen assesses that you are capable.

The duration of the leave

You may take leave of absence for up to 6 months.

In special cases, the City of Copenhagen can extend your leave by 3 months.

If there is more than one person who wishes to care for the relative, it is possible to share the leave by dividing the period into whole months.

You are entitled to take leave of absence to provide care for a dying family member or a close relative who wishes to die at home.

You may apply for leave of absence if

• the person is dying
• a doctor has assessed that hospital admission is hopeless
• you have a job and are not employed under a collective agreement  entitling you to take this type of leave
• you and the sick person agree on the care
• the City of Copenhagen assesses that you are capable.

You may be granted leave of absence until 2 weeks after the death of the person close to you.

Read more and apply on our Danish website