Short conference and business trips
At the end of 2022, the Finnish Centre for Pensions issued instructions on when to apply for the A1 certificate for work abroad. Now we have specified the instructions for short conference and business trips.
Applying for the A1 certificate is regulated by the EU Regulation on social security. The A1 certificate attests that the work done abroad is insured in the Member State that has granted the certificate. The EU Regulation does not stipulate for how long periods of work abroad the certificate is required.
However, there is no need to apply for an A1 certificate for short conference, business or recreational trips abroad unless it is known that the receiving country requires the certificate. It is not very likely that the certificate is required for trips of this nature. However, if it turns out later that the certificate is needed, for example, if a foreign party requires it or if an occupational accident occurs during the trip, the A1 certificate can be applied for in retrospect.
However, if the work abroad is performed at a construction site or a factory, presenting the A1 certificate may be required for the worker to get onto the site, even if the worker is on site for only one day.
If you are unsure about whether you need to apply for the A1 certificate for your worker going abroad, you can always apply for it, regardless of the length of the period of work abroad.
You find examples of how to insure short seminar and business trips abroad at the website Etk.fi.
What is the A1 certificate?
- Your employer applies for the A1 certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions when you go from Finland to work in an EU or a social security agreement country.
- The certificate is the only way to attest that you are covered by Finnish social security laws while you work abroad. The European health insurance card or travel insurance do not work as substitutes for the A1 certificate.
- Your employer applies for the A1 certificate for you. If you have several employers while you work abroad, you can also apply for the A1 certificate yourself. If you are self-employed or a grant recipient, you apply for the certificate yourself.
- The certificate is free of charge.
- You can apply for the A1 certificate via the eServices of the Finnish Centre for Pensions. If your application can be processed automatically at the Finnish Centre for Pensions, you get the certificate in a few hours on weekdays. If your application requires that parties abroad are contacted or if you must supplement your application with additional information, the processing takes more time.
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