To get Parental Leave Pay when you’re overseas, you must be travelling for an approved reason and hold one of these visas:
- Partner Provisional visa subclass 309 or visa subclass 820
- Safe Haven Enterprise visa subclass 790
- Temporary Protection visa subclass 785.
If granted an approved reason for travel, you’ll be able to access your Parental Leave Pay days for the time required to deal with the reason. This will generally be 2-3 weeks. The maximum period is 6 weeks.
The approved reasons are:
- to attend an acute family crisis - for example, to visit a family member who’s critically ill
- for specific humanitarian reasons - for example, to adopt a child or attend custody proceedings
- to get eligible medical treatment that isn’t available in Australia.
Evidence we need
You must provide detailed evidence that supports the reason for travel. The evidence you need to provide depends on the circumstances.
Evidence may include any of the following:
- a death certificate for the family member
- a medical certificate from an overseas hospital
- a statement from police
- a court order
- a letter from your treating doctor
- other documents relating to the reason for travel.
If you don’t give us the evidence before you leave Australia, you won’t be able to claim any Parental Leave Pay days when you’re overseas. You may be able to claim for days overseas once we get your evidence.
You can upload your evidence using your Centrelink online account through myGov.
If your Parental Leave Pay stops when you depart, you may still be able to access your remaining Parental Leave Pay days. Both of the following must apply:
- you return to Australia and are eligible at a later time
- you claim within 2 years of your child’s birth or adoption.