The A1 form is the only proof of compliance with the EU business trip legislation requirements. It acts as proof of social security coverage in another EU country, or when working across several EU countries at once.
The moment you exit the country where you are insured without a valid A1 certificate, you become subject to foreign social security.
Loss of social support such as maternity leave or unemployment benefits.
Loss of entitlement to sick leave in the event of a work-related accident, which is not covered by regular Czech health insurance.
Your employer may become subject to high fines.
Potential lawsuits about the company’s liability for damages in case of an unexpected event.
Potential problems with eligibility for pension if long-term work abroad is proven.
Problems at increasingly common checks at airports, conventions, conferences and in hotels.
Our specialist Lucie Šimonová will prepare you for your next business trip abroad, so you can travel without problems. Get in touch today and we’ll arrange your A1 form quickly and effectively.
You’re at a business conference in Poland. You fall down the stairs and break your arm. It’s clear that it happened on a business trip in the space of a business conference (the same goes for factories, offices, etc.) Without an A1 form you may not be eligible for sick leave during recovery, because Czech social insurance does not cover accidents outside the Czech Republic. Poland will not cover the accident either, as you did not have a valid A1 certificate. This can happen even during an hour-long trip, even in the first few minutes of your stay.
During a hotel registration and invoice check, the Austrian authorities find that you’ve been on a business trip for 10 days. They request your A1 certificate, which you don’t have. Your employer will be fined up to €5 000 and you may have to spend time at the police station.
You are a manager at the new company branch in Germany. The German authorities find out your A1 certificate isn’t valid and that you are not properly insured. Your employer receives a fine of €6 000 and you must return to the Czech Republic, where you wish to start maternity leave after three months. The social department finds out that, in the past 12 months, you have not been properly insured as an employee in the Czech Republic, and you may face issues receiving your maternity leave benefits.
The A1 form (formerly known as E101 or E103) was created in 2010 based on European Union Regulation No. 883/2004. It is an internationally recognised certificate that allows EU employees (regardless of their nationality) to work in other EU/EEA countries without having to pay additional social and health insurance.
All employees sent on a business trip across the European Union, Great Britain, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are required to have an A1 form. Employees without an A1 form pose a potential risk of heavy fines for employers.
EU member state governments have now strengthened A1 form checks and can obtain data from social security authorities across the EU. The EESSI system, introduced in 2019, allows authorities in individual countries to enforce regulations and check whether employees have an A1 certificate. In July 2020, for example, the fine total was increased to €4 000 + €200 per employee per day. Checks can take place in hotels, conference rooms and other places.
A1 certificates were enacted in 2010, but only now are they starting to be checked more often. Our e-systems are ahead of the curve and are able to ensure that you meet the requirements before the consequences of non-compliance with legal obligations fall on your company.
No. You can complete the form up to 12 months in advance, with all estimated business travel days. If you add more days or destinations later on, you will need to submit a new request. It is therefore important to correctly estimate the number of days. Please note that it may take up to 30 days for the form to be processed.
It is the employer’s responsibility to provide the A1 form. Any fines are therefore for your employer. However, not having an A1 form may rob you of your social security and sick leave pay, and cause problems with authorities abroad.
Contact your employer, ideally the HR department, and ask about the A1 form. It should be in the interest of every company not to expose themselves to the risk of significant penalties.
It takes 30 days to process a single form request. You can apply to travel to multiple countries with one A1 form and you can use the same form for up to 2 years. The best solution is a business travel tracking system. With this tool, you won’t exceed the specified number of days in any given country. If you exceed the predetermined days, you will no longer comply with EU regulations. If the business trip changes and more days need to be spent in a certain country, a new A1 form will need to be filled out. This will only supplement your previous estimates of the number of days to the current state. Please note that it may take up to 30 days for the form to be processed.
