If you have been moving residence within the EU/EEA, you might have heard about the social agreements established to allow for the free movement of people between the member states. Thanks to these agreements, you can either easily transfer between the state insurers, or even stay insured in your home country after moving to another member state. These benefits are accessed through certain forms, and the one most used is the S1 form.
So what exactly is the S1 form?
The S1 form is a certificate of entitlement to healthcare if you don't live in the country where you are insured. It is mostly used by:
Cross border workers
A person lives in Poland but works in Germany. They have to be insured in the country of employment, Germany in this case and request the S1 form from their German provider. They then present it to the state insurer in Poland in order to have access to healthcare there, paid for by their German provider. Their dependents can also be insured with them in the same way.
Posted workers
A person lives and works in Italy, and their company sends them to Germany for a temporary business assignment. The company needs to request the A1 and S1 form from their insurer, and provide it to them. This is also applicable for freelancers, they simply need to request the forms themselves from their insurer.
Pensioners
A person is retired and insured in Croatia and moves to Germany permanently. They simply request the S1 from their insurance provider in Croatia and present it to their chosen public insurer in Germany. They can have access to health care in Germany indefinitely that way.