FAQs on working abroad
In this section you will find answers to frequently asked questions about working abroad. Klick on the title bars for more information on the topics.
The A1 certificate shows which country’s social security a person who works abroad is covered by, and in which country employers must pay the statutory social insurance contributions for that work. An A1 certificate issued from Finland shows that a person is covered by Finnish social security while working in another country.
Without an A1 certificate, a person working abroad cannot be covered by Finnish social security. This means that the necessary social insurance contributions must be paid in the country where the person works.
Show the A1 certificate whenever necessary, for example, if an authority or employer in Finland or abroad asks for it. The person working abroad may not be allowed on the work site without the certificate.
If the person working abroad gets sick or has an accident, benefits and compensation are paid out faster if they have an A1 certificate.
The A1 certificate must always be applied for. In Finland, the Finnish Centre for Pensions issues these certificates. The certificate is free of charge and can be issued in Finnish or Swedish.
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If you are an employee and work in another EU country, you can continue to be covered by Finnish social security if you
- work abroad for a Finnish employer,
- were covered by Finnish social security immediately before going abroad, and
- work abroad temporarily.
If you work regularly in two or more EU countries, it is important which country you live in and how much work you do in that country. If you are self-employed or a civil servant, the rules for being covered by Finnish social security while you work abroad are different.
To be covered by Finnish social security while working abroad, apply for an A1 certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
Read more about the insurance rules for different groups of people on the role-specific pages.
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If your employee works regularly in two or more EU countries, their social security is limited to one country at a time. This means that you only need to pay the statutory insurance contributions to one country.
Your employee working in two or more countries may be someone who, for example,
- goes regularly on business trips abroad,
- works in projects in different countries, or
- sometimes works remotely from abroad but is still based in Finland.
Your employee needs an A1 certificate to show that they are covered by Finnish social security. As the employer, you apply for the A1 certificate from the country where your employee lives. If your employee lives in Finland, you apply for the A1 certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions. If your employee has several employers, your employee applies for the A1 certificate themselves.
The Finnish Centre for Pensions grants the A1 certificate, and you pay all statutory social insurance contributions to Finland.
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The rules about the A1 certificate do not set a minimum period for which an A1 certificate is needed. Some jobs, such as construction, might require the A1 certificate from the very first day. You may not be allowed on the work site without one.
Unless the country where you work requires it, you don’t need an A1 certificate for single, short trips abroad (lasting for a few days) when your employer is Finnish. If you are unsure whether the country you work in requires an A1 certificate, you can always get one, regardless of how long your business trip is.
If you frequently go on business trips to two or more EU countries, you can get an A1 certificate covering all the countries in which you work. In this case, you don’t need a separate certificate for each short business trip.
You can also get the A1 certificate afterwards, even if you have already started or completed the work abroad.
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If your employee working abroad is covered by Finnish social security, you must pay the statutory social insurance contributions for their work in Finland. You can find the contact details of the organisations that manage contributions and social insurance on the webpage ‘Social insurance contributions and insurance wages during work abroad’.
Look at the service ‘Social insurance contributions in international work situations’ to find out which social insurance contributions you must pay in Finland for your employee going abroad to work.
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The Finnish Centre for Pensions gives advice on matters that relate to statutory social insurance contributions and Finnish social security. The A1 certificate issued by the Finnish Centre for Pensions defines whether an employee is covered by Finnish social security. If you want to know about taxes when working abroad, contact the Tax Authorities.
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