How are your employees insured abroad?

How are your employees insured abroad?

Employees working abroad temporarily, but who want to remain covered by the Dutch unemployment, sickness benefit and occupational disability schemes have to apply for an A1 certificate. This proves they are insured in the Netherlands.

Applying for an A1 certificate of coverage

Your employee should apply for the A1 certificate of coverage at the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB). This certificate is only given to employees going to work elsewhere in the EU (European Union) or EEA (European Economic Area). The EEA comprises the EU countries, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland.

A certificate also has to be applied for in the case of treaty countries. Because of Brexit, the United Kingdom is no longer a member of the EU and has been a treaty country since 1 January 2021.

It is important to apply for the certificate in good time. Failure to apply, or applying late, may result in your employee being fined by the labour inspection service in the country where they are working. The SVB will issue an A1 certificate once.

Working temporarily in the Netherlands

Employees from abroad who come to work temporarily in the Netherlands also have to have a certificate of coverage. To get this certificate, they have to apply to the organisation dealing with social security in the relevant country.