A1 Certificate for Posted Workers: Who Applies, How Long

Yes, from the first day of work abroad. The basic EU rule is that you are insured in the country where you work (Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004). A posting is the exception: under Article 12 you stay in the Slovenian system for up to 24 months. The A1 is the proof of that exception.

The exception has conditions. Your employer must normally carry out its business in Slovenia. You must not be sent to replace another posted worker. You must also have been insured in Slovenia just before the posting; the EU guidance treats at least one month as enough (Decision No A2).

Without an A1, the host country can treat you as insured there and ask for contributions. The A1 covers every branch of social security: pension, health, accident at work and unemployment insurance.

The employer applies. A self-employed person applies for themselves. If Evroproces leases you to a client, you stay employed by Evroproces d.o.o., so the application is our job as your employer.

If your employer is in another EU country, that country's social security institution issues the A1 through its own portal. The Your Europe page in the sources lists the rules for every country.

In Slovenia, ZZZS issues the A1 within five working days of a complete application (Article 10 of ZČmIS-1). A missing contract or wrong data restarts the wait, so the application has to be complete the first time.

An A1 for a single posting (Article 12) can cover up to 24 months. An A1 for work in two or more countries (Article 13) is issued for the next 12 months. Because the employer can apply no earlier than 30 days before the start, plan the posting so the application goes in during that window.

The employer also registers the posting before work starts. For Germany, the posting company files the customs registration itself: Evroproces d.o.o. for labour leasing, EP Montaža d.o.o. for project work. All construction work in Germany is EP Montaža project work. That registration is separate from the A1 and does not replace it.

The Council of the EU adopted the revised social security coordination rules on 28 September 2026. The regulation enters into force on the first day of the month after it is published in the Official Journal. The posting changes apply 24 months after that date.

If you work in construction, nothing becomes simpler. Even a one-day job that is not a business trip will need the notice and the A1 or its receipt.

Yes, if you live and work in Slovenia legally with a valid residence-and-work permit and meet the posting conditions above. Slovenia announced a stricter check: ZZZS will issue an A1 only if your permit covers the whole posting period. The check was due on 24 September 2026. It is temporarily postponed, and the new planned date is 1 January 2027.

If your permit ends before the posting does, renew it before the A1 application goes in. Our guide on A1 certificates for Slovenian permit holders covers the permit side step by step.

Ask your employer for a copy of the A1, or the SPOT receipt if the A1 is still pending, before your first working day. Check that your name, the country, the dates and the client are correct. Carry the copy together with your passport or ID card.

The A1 is one of seven things to have in writing before you leave. The others, from who pays the accommodation to what the contract must say, are in our guide to working in Germany through a Slovenian agency. If you want work in Austria or Germany with the paperwork handled by your employer, start with our job search.