The S1 form is a certificate of entitlement to healthcare for people who do not live in the country where they are insured. It exists under EU/EEA social security coordination agreements, which allow people to keep or transfer health coverage when moving between member states. It is most often used by cross-border workers, posted workers, and pensioners. You request the S1 form from the insurer in your country of insurance and present it to the public health insurance provider in the country where you live.
What is the S1 form?
The S1 form is a certificate of entitlement to healthcare for people who do not live in the country where they are insured. It exists because EU/EEA member states have social security coordination agreements that allow people to move between countries without losing health coverage. With an S1 form, the insurer in your country of insurance pays for the healthcare you receive in the country where you live.
Who needs an S1 form?
The S1 form is most often used by three groups of people:
Cross-border workers, who live in one EU/EEA country and work in another. For example, a person living in Poland who works in Germany must be insured in the country of employment, Germany, and uses an S1 form to access healthcare in Poland.
Posted workers, who are sent by their company to another EU/EEA country for a temporary assignment. For example, a person who lives and works in Italy and is sent to Germany for a business assignment stays insured in Italy and uses an S1 form for healthcare in Germany. Freelancers on temporary assignments use the S1 form in the same way.
Pensioners, who are insured in one EU/EEA country and move permanently to another. For example, a retired person insured in Croatia who moves to Germany presents an S1 form to a public health insurance provider in Germany and has access to healthcare there indefinitely.
How do I request an S1 form?
You request the S1 form from the insurer that covers you in your country of insurance. If you are a posted worker, your company requests the form from your insurer and provides it to you; freelancers request the form themselves. You then present the S1 form to the public health insurance provider in the country where you live, which gives you access to healthcare there.
Do posted workers need any form other than the S1 form?
Posted workers also need the A1 form in addition to the S1 form. The company sending the worker on assignment requests both forms from the worker's insurer and provides them to the worker. Freelancers on a temporary assignment request both forms from their insurer themselves.
Can my family members be covered through my S1 form?
Dependents of a cross-border worker can be insured in the same way as the worker. The dependents are covered through the worker's insurance in the country of employment and have access to healthcare in the country where they live.
Does an S1 form give me access to healthcare in Germany?
An S1 form gives you access to healthcare in Germany when you remain insured in another EU/EEA country. You present the S1 form to a public health insurance provider in Germany, and your insurer in the other country pays for your care. Pensioners who move to Germany permanently can use an S1 form to access healthcare in Germany indefinitely.