A1 Certificate (Posted Worker Social Security) - Application Pack & Guidance

A1 CERTIFICATE (POSTED WORKER SOCIAL SECURITY) — APPLICATION PACK & GUIDANCE

This pack is a fill-in-the-blanks template to help an employee, self-employed person, or their employer prepare an application for a Portable Document A1 (PD A1) — the certificate of applicable social security legislation issued under Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 and its implementing Regulation (EC) No 987/2009. The A1 is issued by the competent social-security institution of the home country (the state whose legislation applies). This pack supports and helps organise that application; it does not replace the official application to, or the certificate issued by, the competent institution.

PART A — OVERVIEW & GUIDANCE

What the A1 proves. The A1 certifies which single country's social security legislation applies to a worker who is posted to, or works in, another EU / EEA / Swiss member state. In practice it proves that the worker remains covered by the home state's social security system (and continues paying contributions there) while working abroad, so that the host state cannot require contributions for the same period.

The two main legal bases. An A1 is normally issued on one of two grounds:

• Posting — Article 12 of Regulation 883/2004. An employer temporarily sends (posts) a worker to another member state to work on its behalf, or a self-employed person temporarily carries out a similar activity in another member state. The posting must be time-limited (as a rule, an anticipated duration not exceeding 24 months) and must not be to replace another posted worker.
• Multi-state activity — Article 13 of Regulation 883/2004. A worker normally pursues an activity as an employed and/or self-employed person in two or more member states. Article 13 contains rules (based on residence, the share of activity, and the location of the employer) to determine the single applicable legislation.

Why it matters.

• It avoids double social-security contributions in both the home and host states for the same work.
• It confirms the worker's continued coverage (pensions, healthcare entitlement, benefits) under the home state's system.
• It is frequently required to be carried during the posting and produced on request to host-state authorities, labour inspectorates, or clients; some host states will not permit work to begin without it.

Before you start. Identify the competent institution in the home country, gather the worker and employer details in Part B, and apply before the posting or activity begins wherever possible. Many institutions accept applications online.

PART B — DETAILS WORKSHEET

Complete every applicable field. Use the same details on the cover letter in Part C.

1. Worker details

Full legal name	________
Date of birth	________
Nationality	________
Social security / national insurance number (home state)	________
Home country of residence	________
Home address	________
Status (employed / self-employed)	________

2. Employer details (leave blank if the applicant is self-employed)

Employer legal name	________
Company / employer registration number	________
Employer home country	________
Employer registered address	________
Contact person / phone / email	________

3. Posting / activity details

Basis of application (posting under Art. 12 / multi-state activity under Art. 13)	________
Host member state(s)	________
Posting / activity start date	________
Posting / activity end date	________
Nature of the work / activity	________
Place(s) of work in host state (site / client / address)	________
Host-state client / host entity (if any)	________
Estimated share of activity per state (multi-state cases)	________

PART C — STEP-BY-STEP & COVER LETTER

Step-by-step.

• Step 1 — Identify the competent institution in the home country (the social-security / national insurance body responsible for issuing A1 certificates). Record its name and address below.
• Step 2 — Determine the correct basis — posting (Art. 12) or multi-state activity (Art. 13) — and confirm the eligibility conditions are met (temporary duration, not replacing another posted worker, etc.).
• Step 3 — Complete and submit the application to the competent institution, using this worksheet's details, before the posting or activity starts. Many institutions offer an online portal; otherwise submit the institution's form with the cover letter below.
• Step 4 — Receive the A1 from the competent institution once approved.
• Step 5 — Carry the A1 during the posting and produce it on request to host-state authorities, inspectorates, or clients.
• Step 6 — Renew or extend if needed — apply for a further/extended A1 before the current one expires if the work continues or is prolonged (extensions may require agreement between institutions under Art. 16).

Competent institution name	________
Competent institution address	________
Reference / case number (if any)	________

Cover letter to the competent institution

________, ________

To: ________

Dear Sir or Madam,

Re: Application for a Portable Document A1 — certificate of applicable social security legislation (Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, Art. ________)

I am writing to apply for an A1 certificate confirming that the applicable social security legislation is that of ________ in respect of the worker named below, who will be ________ in ________.

Worker: ________; social security / national insurance number: ________; date of birth: ________.

Employer (if applicable): ________, registration number ________.

Period: from ________ to ________. Nature of work: ________.

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Yours faithfully,

Signature: ________

Name: ________

Capacity (worker / employer representative): ________

Date: ________