Civil servant working abroad
A civil servant is covered by the social security of the country to which their employer’s administration belongs. For example, a person considered a civil servant in Finland is covered by Finnish social security.
This applies regardless of where the civil servant works or lives.
A civil servant working in another EU country needs an A1 certificate issued by Finland to show that they are covered by Finnish social security. Civil servants working in certain social security agreement countries also need a certificate to show that they are covered by Finnish social security. In Finland, the Finnish Centre for Pensions issue these certificates.
This section explains how to organise the social security of a civil servant working abroad in one or more EU countries, in a country with a social security agreement with Finland or in a country without a social security agreement (non-agreement country).
EU countries’ refers to these countries:
- EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
- EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
- Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Social security agreement countries:
- Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India, Israel, Japan, Quebec, South Korea, and the United States of America.
Other countries called non-agreement countries:
- Non-agreement countries are countries other than those mentioned above, such as Thailand, Brazil or South Africa.
According to EU social security legislation, the term ‘civil servant’ includes not only civil servants, but also any person treated as such in the EU Member State where their employer’s administration is based. This means that each country applies its own national legislation to define a civil servant.
In Finland, a civil servant is a person who has a service or an employment relationship in the public sector. Only a person in a service relationship with a public sector employer can be defined or treated as a civil servant. In general, public sector employers in Finland include employers defined in the Public Sector Pensions Act, such as the state, state agencies, institutions, state-owned companies, diplomatic and consular representations, and municipalities and local authorities.
Civil servant in an EU country
If a civil servant working in an EU country has only one employer, the civil servant is covered by the social security system of the country to which their employer’s administration belongs.
When a civil servant works in another EU country, they are covered by the social security system of their employer’s country, regardless of
- the country in which they work,
- how long does he work in another country,
- how long they work in the other country,
- their nationality.
The employer must apply for an A1 certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions for civil servants working in another EU country. The A1 certificate shows that the civil servant is covered by Finnish social security. The certificate is applied for the period that the civil servant will work abroad.
The Finnish Centre for Pensions can issue an A1 certificate for a civil servant for a fixed period of no more than three years at a time. If the work abroad continues after that, the civil servant must apply for a new A1 certificate.
Example A: A person works in Belgium for two years for a Finnish municipality. The Finnish employer applies to the Finnish Centre for Pensions for an A1 certificate. The Finnish Centre for Pensions issues the A1 certificate, and the employer pays the statutory social insurance contributions to Finland.
Example B: A person works remotely from Finland for a Norwegian university. The Norwegian university applies for an A1 certificate from Norway for the employee. The employer pays the statutory social insurance contributions to Norway and the employee is covered by Norwegian social security, even though they work from Finland and not from Norway.
Civil servant in two or more EU countries
If a civil servant works in two or more EU countries for a single Finnish public sector employer, they are always covered by Finnish social security.
If a civil servant has more than one job and/or official position in two or more countries, their social security coverage is affected by
- the nationality of their employers,
- the country where they live permanently, and
- which country or countries they work in and how much they work there.
If a civil servant has several employers, it is important to consider the roles in which they work: for example, they may work exclusively in a service relationship, or in a service relationship in one country and as an employee or self-employed person in another. In these situations, it is also important to consider where the civil servant lives, in which countries they work and how much they work there.
Example A: A person works as a civil servant for a Finnish employer both in Finland and in France. The employer applies to the Finnish Centre for Pensions for an A1 certificate. The Finnish Centre for Pensions issues the A1 certificate, and the employer pays the statutory social insurance contributions to Finland.
Example B: A person lives in Finland and works 80% of their time as a physician for a Finnish municipality and about 20% of their time as a researcher at a university in Norway. The work for both employers is carried out in a service relationship with a public sector employer.
The person must apply for an A1 certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions as they have two employers.
In this situation, it is important to consider where the person lives permanently and how much they work in the country where they live. As the person works a significant part of the time in the country where they live, that is, in Finland, all their work must be insured in Finland.
The Finnish Centre for Pensions issues the A1 certificate, which the person gives to both employers. The employers then pay the statutory social insurance contributions to Finland, which means that the Norwegian employer also pays all statutory social insurance contributions for the work done in Norway to Finland.
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When a civil servant works in different roles in two or more countries, for example, in a service relationship in one country and in an employment relationship in another, it is important to consider the specific roles they work in in each country.
Example A: A person lives in Finland and works in an employment relationship with a Finnish university. They start to work in Sweden for a Swedish university in the role of a civil servant. They apply for an A1 certificate from their country of residence, that is, from Finland. Regardless of how much time they spend working in Finland and Sweden, they are covered by Swedish social security for all their work because they work as a civil servant in Sweden.
Sweden issues the A1 certificate, which the person gives to both employers. Both employers pay the statutory social insurance contributions to Sweden. This means that the Finnish employer also pays the statutory social insurance contributions for the work carried out in Finland to Sweden, in accordance with Swedish laws.
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Civil servant in a social security agreement country
If a civil servant works for a Finnish employer in a country that has a social security agreement with Finland, they will generally remain covered by Finnish social security while working abroad. This applies regardless of how long they work abroad.
The rules vary depending on the social security agreement, so the employer should check the details of the agreement before sending a civil servant to work abroad. It is also the employer’s responsibility to check and pay any social insurance contributions required by the country where the work is carried out.
The employer must apply to the Finnish Centre for Pensions for a certificate to confirm that Finnish social security applies when the civil servant works in China, India, Israel, Japan or South Korea.
It is not necessary to apply for this certificate if the civil servant works in Australia, Chile, Canada, Quebec or the United States of America. Kela must be notified about the work abroad.
Civil servant in a non-agreement country
If a civil servant works abroad for a Finnish employer in a country that does not have a social security agreement with Finland, such as Brazil or South Africa, the civil servant is covered by Finnish social security based on Finnish national laws. The civil servant’s earnings-related pension insurance is determined under the Public Sector Pensions Act (JuEL). For more information on how JuEL applies to civil servants working abroad, contact Keva.
The employer is responsible for paying any required social insurance contributions in the country where the work is carried out.
Civil servants working in a country that does not have a social security agreement with Finland do not need to apply for a certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions. Kela must be notified about the work abroad.
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