Your expert in Social Protection for posted workers within Europe
Are you an international company sending posted workers across Europe to deliver services to your clients?
Social Protection formalities are a key step in the posting of workers process.
This is a sensitive issue, particularly when it comes to the health of your employees (especially in the event of a workplace accident), and local authorities are particularly strict on this matter.
Make your life easier by entrusting all mandatory Social Protection formalities to a European expert in the posting of workers — ensuring 100% compliance.
The Certificate of Coverage (COC or A1): the essential document for posting of workers
- This document must cover the entire duration of the posting. It is the fundamental document for any posting of workers.
- All posted worker who come to work in Europe must be covered by social security for the duration of their assignment.
- This may be either a Form A1 in Europe or a Certificate of Coverage (CoC) outside Europe.
- If there is no bilateral social security agreement, the posted worker must be registered with the host country’s social security system.
A few case studies of
social security for your posted workers
Posted Polish worker in Italy for a 30-day mission to repair a machine at a client site
You must ensure that your posted Polish worker applies for an A1 certificate from the Polish Social Security authorities, covering the entire duration of the posting in Italy. No immigration procedures are required, as the posted worker is an EU national. However, it is essential to comply with other mandatory obligations: for Italy, this includes prior notification of posting, local representation, and compliance with the core labour standards (“noyau dur”).
Posting to Belgium of an Algerian employee residing in France for a 6-month assignment
This is one of the most complex scenarios, as the employee is a non-EU national residing in the EU. Each country maintains its own rules regarding residence and stay. For a posting exceeding 3 months, such as this one, the employee must ensure they hold a valid A1 certificate issued by the French Social Security authorities for the full duration of the mission in Belgium. Additionally, the employee will need to obtain a residence permit, and the employer must submit a prior notification of posting.
Posting to Spain of a Portuguese employee for a 24-month assignment
You must ensure that your posted Portuguese worker applies for an A1 certificate from the Portuguese Social Security authorities, covering the entire duration of the assignment in Spain. As the worker is an EU national, there are no immigration formalities. However, you must still comply with other mandatory obligations such as prior notification of posting, local representation, etc.
Client testimonials
Let’s analyse together your Social Protection files for your posted workers in the EU.
- Book a free consultation to assess your situation
- We’ll propose a tailored procedure
- Receive a personalized quote
- Start the process with full end-to-end support from a dedicated expert
Posting is constantly evolving: stay up to date!
- Mandatory procedures to complete
- The authorities in charge of professional immigration in France
- Mandatory documents
- Immigration statuses
Posted Workers Alliance
- In 2021, we created the first alliance of best posted worker experts in each European country
- This alliance supports you with all mandatory posting formalities across Europe.
Your questions
In Europe, employees may live and work in another country within the European Union (EU). However, each country has its own social protection system (pension, health insurance, unemployment, etc.). The challenge is that these systems differ from one another. To prevent employees from losing their rights or being disadvantaged when moving between countries, the EU has established a coordination system.
This system consists of a set of European rules that enable the various national systems to work together. It does not replace national systems but links them.
- One country at a time
→ The employee is always affiliated to only one social protection system at a time. No double contributions. - Equal treatment
→ The employee has the same rights and obligations as nationals affiliated to that country’s system. - Aggregation of periods
→ If the employee has worked in several countries, periods are added together to qualify for benefits such as pensions or allowances. - Exportability of benefits
→ Some rights, like a pension, can be received even if the employee lives in another EU country.
The A1 form (formerly called E101) is an official document used within the European Union (and certain associated countries) to prove to which social protection scheme a person is affiliated when temporarily working abroad. It prevents a worker from paying social contributions in two countries simultaneously. Thanks to the A1 form, the worker continues to contribute only in their home country, even if temporarily working in another EU country.