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A1 Certificates - Social insurance in Europe
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
An A1 Certificate is a document that confirms the country where a person pays their social insurance.
If you are going to work in Europe for a short period of time for your employer, or as a self-employed worker, you need to apply for an A1 Certificate. The certificate can be valid for up to two years.
People usually pay social insurance in the country where they work. For example, if a person works in Ireland, they pay social insurance (PRSI) in Ireland.
However, sometimes people work for Irish employers for short periods in Europe, or they can work in many countries as part of their duties.
When work requires movement into other European countries, European Union law is used to decide the country where social insurance must be paid.
Employed and self-employed people who are working in Europe may be asked to prove where they pay social insurance.
To avoid confusion, all employees leaving Ireland to work in Europe for Irish employers, should have an A1 Certificate to cover their period of work abroad.
All self-employed people who are leaving Ireland to work in Europe, should also have an A1 Certificate to cover their period of work abroad.
When you get the A1 Certificate it will tell you where you should pay social insurance. That may be in Ireland, even though you are working abroad, or it may be in another country.
If you are an employee, your employer should apply for an A1 Certificate at least four weeks before the start of your employment in Europe. If you are self-employed, you should apply for your A1 Certificate at least four weeks before the start of your work in Europe.
You can apply online for an A1 Certificate on the Welfare Partners platform here.
To get started on Welfare Partners, you must first register with Revenue for online services (ROS) certificate ROS Registration.
After registering on ROS, you must also download a Department of Social Protection (DSP) sub-certificate from the ROS platform to allow you to log in on Welfare Partners. For information, see ROS Sub-Certificate Guide.
After logging in on Welfare Partners, you can apply for an A1 Certificate by selecting the option “A1 Certificate application and company profile”.
If you need any help to access Welfare Partners or wish to discuss an application contact us.