What's the maximum number of days you can take sick leave without a break?

Under the law, a doctor can issue a sick leave certificate for up to 30 days without a break, and if you need to stay sick longer, the case goes to a medical board that decides whether to extend it and for how long. Over the course of a year, a doctor can issue sick leave certificates for roughly a few months total, but it all depends on the diagnosis and the actual situation. I don't trust news blindly - better check with your own clinic, because the rules might have changed, and I don't want to give you the wrong number.

The main thing is don't go by the calendar - talk to your doctor about your specific situation. Yeah, the first 30 days are issued by your GP, then it goes to a medical commission. But that doesn't mean they're guaranteed to extend it for the same amount again - the commission looks at your diagnosis, prognosis, and how quickly you're recovering.

Here's the catch: if you just don't show up for appointments and sit at home, they can close your sick leave or not issue an extension at all. Doctors need to see how your condition is progressing. Plus there's a yearly limit on total sick days - it's not one continuous stretch, it's the sum of all your illnesses combined. So if you're taking sick leave often, they might start making a fuss about it over time.

If your illness is serious and drags on, it's better to talk straight with your doctor right away about what your prospects are. Sometimes if you get the paperwork done correctly from the start, the commission makes a decision faster.

That's all correct, but there's one thing to keep in mind - those 30 days only count for a single diagnosis and a single doctor visit. If you get sick, recover, and then get sick again a week later - the count starts from zero, that's a new sick leave. And yeah, after 30 days you really do need a medical commission that can extend it, but that's a whole different story with additional tests and exams.