Eligible female officers are entitled to twelve weeks maternity leave.  Maternity leave is a pre-approved paid absence from work, to be used by public officers who become pregnant while in the employment of the Public Service. Maternity Leave with pay will not be granted more than once every three years.  According to General Orders 1586, four weeks vacation leave may be added to your maternity leave but cannot exceed sixteen weeks.

Female public officers who have completed one year of service are entitled to twelve weeks maternity leave.  

1. The employee must fill out an application for maternity leave form; this is usually collected from the Human Resource section.
2. The form, along with supporting documents, must be submitted to the immediate supervisor for approval and signature.
3. Once approved by the supervisor, the leave application is then forwarded to the Human Resource section (HR).
4. HR completes the form, indicating the employee’s entitlement and available leave, before submitting the leave application to the Permanent Secretary / Deputy Permanent Secretary / Head of Department / Delegated Officer for final approval.  Note: Leave Application may be rejected at any stage of the process.
5. The application form (approved/rejected) is then returned to HR.  A copy is placed on the officer’s file and another is forwarded to the officer.
6. In the event that the officer is not entitled to paid maternity leave a request may be made for vacation/half pay/unpaid leave to cover the period.

The Department of Public Service is aware that most agencies create forms to support their specific agency’s function.  As such, we advise that your agency’s application for Maternity Leave Form must include all fields included in the Department of Public Service - Application for Vacation/Casual Leave Form.

• Letter of Request
• Letter from doctor, indicating expected date of delivery

Not Applicable

The Department of Public Service
Poinciana Hill Complex
Meeting Street
Nassau, New Providence
The Bahamas
Tel.  (242) 502-7200
Fax. (242) 326-6929
Opening hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays