When can I request medical certificates from pregnant employees?

Pregnant employees may be required to produce a medical certificate to their employer at different junctures during their pregnancy, depending on the circumstances. These may include:

• Where an employer has requested evidence of the pregnancy to support a request for unpaid parental leave (this does not have to be a medical certificate, but is commonly used as evidence);
• Where an employer requests a medical certificate as evidence that a pregnant employee is required to be transferred to a safe job;
• Where an employee on paid no safe job leave enters the six week period before the birth of her child, and employer requests a medical certificate setting out whether the employee is fit for work or not;
• Where an employee continues to work during the six weeks before the expected date of the birth of the child; and
• Where an employee takes unpaid special maternity leave.