Unpaid Leave (DOCT)

DOCT may be entitled to authorised absences / Unpaid Leave during their contract to pursue research at their university or for personal reasons. Further details are available in the leave procedure.

• Unpaid Leave for professional or personal reasons must be discussed and agreed upon with the supervisor.
  • Leave duration: minimum 1 month, maximum of 12 months (not counted as part of the maximum three-year contract period).
  • Start date: Leave might only start on the 1st or 16th of the month.
• Once agreed with SV, BE Central Secretariat draws up a Personnel Action Form (PAF), indicating the leave reason, effective dates of the leave, contract extension resulting from the unpaid leave, and whether or not the student will continue to be a member of the CHIS.
  • The signed PAF is then sent to the student’s HR contact, the Salary Office and Cards Service (only for absence longer than 2 months).
  • Records Office will then register the information in the system and send the amendment.
  • BE Central Secretariat registers the Unpaid Special Leave in EDH.
    • If Unpaid Special Leave exceeds 2 months, the DOCT must complete the Departure Formalities Form (MPA) and submit it to Be Central.
• As part of the follow-up, at least one month before the end of the unpaid leave, BE Central Secretariat contacts the student to confirm their return date.
  • If the DOCT returns on the agreed date, BE Central Secretariat will contact the relevant services by email to reactivate the contract as of the return date, enable the Salary Office to resume monthly remuneration, and allow the Cards Office to return or extend the necessary cards, if required.
  • If the DOCT extends the unpaid leave, BE Central Secretariat will launch a new PAF and contact the services involved.

Additional Information

More detailed information can be found on the Admin eGuide (Article 3.1).