Moving house gives you one paid day off. For your exams there is a right to the leave you need, as long as you are studying regularly. And for going to the doctor there is no general leave in the Workers Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores): it depends on your convenio colectivo (collective agreement), with two specific exceptions. Here is each case with the article behind it.
Moving house gives one paid day, not more
Article 37.3.c of the Statute recognises one day for a change of usual home. It sits among the leaves “with the right to remuneration” (permisos retribuidos): you do not lose pay for that day.
Three points that avoid arguments:
- It is your usual home. A second residence does not fit the text.
- It is one day. The text says nothing about travel or extra days. Your agreement may extend it.
- The Statute does not say which day it must fall on. The sensible reading is the day of the actual move; agree the date with your manager.
As with all the leaves in article 37.3, it requires prior notice and justification. A lease or deed, a registration certificate (volante de empadronamiento) or the removal company’s quote with the date will do.
Your exams: the leave you need if you study regularly
The article here is 23.1.a, not 37. You are entitled to “the leave needed to sit exams” when you study regularly for an academic or professional qualification. The same paragraph also gives you priority in choosing your shift and, if your company has remote working and your job is compatible, in getting access to it.
When checking your rota, review the minimum rest between shifts in Spain as well as the hours worked.
Two limits:
- It talks about necessary leave: the day of the exam and reasonable travel and immediate preparation time, not weeks.
- Article 23.2 says the terms are to be agreed in collective bargaining. If your agreement says how many days and whether they are paid, that is what applies.
The text of article 23.1.a does not say whether the leave is paid. Check your agreement or ask before assuming you will be paid.
Your own doctor visits: the Statute gives no general leave
This is where most people go wrong. Article 37.3 does not include “going to the doctor”. That does not mean you cannot go; it means the law sets no number of paid hours, and what counts is your agreement, your contract or your company’s practice.
Three doors that are in the text:
- Prenatal exams and childbirth preparation classes (art. 37.3.f): for the time strictly necessary, when they must take place within working hours. For adoption or fostering, it covers the information sessions and the reports needed before approval as suitable.
- Organ or tissue donation: the time strictly necessary for the preparatory procedures, also within working hours.
- Family emergency (art. 37.9): absence for force majeure when a relative or someone living with you has an illness or accident and your immediate presence is essential.
For the emergency leave, the text adds that you are entitled to be paid for hours equivalent to four days a year, as set by collective agreement or by agreement with worker representatives, with proof where applicable.
Example with numbers. Your working day is 8 hours and your agreement pays these hours.
| Item | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Annual bank of paid hours | 4 days × 8 hours | 32 hours |
| March emergency (accompanying an admission) | 1 full day | 8 hours |
| June emergency (A&E visit) | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Hours left for the year | 32 − 8 − 3 | 21 hours |
If your working day were 7 hours, four days would be 28 hours. The equivalence is set by the agreement, not by the Statute.
Public duty that only you can perform
Article 37.3.d gives paid leave for the time strictly necessary to fulfil a deber inexcusable de carácter público y personal (an unavoidable public and personal duty), and expressly mentions voting. The text lists no other examples; a court summons may fit, but check it against the summons itself.
Rules in that paragraph:
- If a law or agreement sets a specific period, that rule governs the duration and the compensation.
- If you receive a payment for the duty, the company deducts it from your salary.
- If the duty stops you working for more than 20% of working hours in three months, the company can move you to leave of absence (art. 46.1).
How to ask so nobody argues
- Give notice in writing (an email or message that is saved) with the date and reason.
- Hand over proof when you have it: exam notice, appointment card, summons, lease.
- Ask for confirmation that it counts as paid leave and not as holiday or a personal day.
- If the day is deducted, complain in writing citing the article.
An example of the cost of a wrongly applied deduction: on a salary of €1,800 a month, one day is 1,800 ÷ 30 = €60. It is not worth losing for want of a saved document.
Why your case may be different
- Your collective agreement improves on the Statute. It may regulate hours for doctor visits, extra days for moving or more time for exams. Read it before you ask.
- Your contract is temporary or part-time. The Statute does not distinguish by type of contract for these leaves.
- You have flexible hours or work from home. Still give notice: the leave is justified in the same way.
- Public sector. A different set of rules applies, not this text.
If the company treats as an absence what is leave, it is not just bad manners. The labour infringements law (LISOS) treats breaching the legal or agreed limits on leave and working time as a serious offence (art. 7.5).
If you need more days for family reasons, see marriage leave, leave for a relative’s hospitalisation or serious illness and bereavement leave. To fit it around your calendar, how much holiday you are entitled to.
This page is general information based on the consolidated text of the Workers Statute. If deadlines or money are at stake, talk to an employment lawyer (abogado laboralista) or a union.