On 27 October 2026, the European Union published new rules on social security for people who work and/or live in another EU country. These are set out in Amending Regulation (EU) 2026/2359. This amends two existing European regulations: Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 and the associated Implementing Regulation (EC) No 987/2009. Together, they determine which country is responsible for your social security, so that you only pay contributions in one country and do not lose any entitlements when you cross the border.

 

The changes relate, amongst other things, to:  

• temporary work in another country (posting),  

• the A1 certificate,  

• unemployment benefits,  

• long-term care,  

• family benefits and  

• the exchange of data between countries. 

• We outline each change briefly below, based on the information currently available regarding the future implementation of the new rules. 

A1 certificates and posting 

 

Anyone working temporarily in another EU country often remains insured in their home country. You can prove this with an A1 certificate: a document issued by the social security authority in your home country. We refer to ‘posting’ when an employer temporarily sends an employee to another EU country. The EU aims to reduce administrative red tape, whilst also combating the misuse of posting arrangements. 

 

What is changing? 

• Business travel: an A1 certificate is no longer required for temporary work such as meetings, conferences, seminars and training courses. This applies to travel undertaken in the employer’s interests where no services or goods are supplied. You will, however, remain insured in the country where you were previously insured.
• Short-term assignments: an A1 certificate is also not required for work lasting up to three consecutive days within a thirty-day period. This exception does not apply to the construction sector, where an A1 certificate remains mandatory at all times. The rules regarding which country is responsible for your social security remain the same here too.
• Insured for three months beforehand: anyone who is posted must have been insured continuously for at least three months immediately prior to the posting in the country of the sending employer. Self-employed persons must have been active in their own country for three months during that period.
• Break between postings:a posting may last for a maximum of 24 months. Anyone wishing to return to the same country after that must first wait at least two months. Exceptions may be made in special cases.
• Apply in advance:from now on, the A1 certificate must be applied for before work begins in the other country. The current rules still state that this should be done in advance ‘where possible’.
• Better monitoring:the authority issuing an A1 certificate must first carefully verify the facts. Countries must respond to one another within set timeframes; for example, within 35 working days to questions about which legislation applies. If a country has doubts about an A1 certificate that has been issued, the issuing country must respond within 30 working days (or within 10 in urgent cases).

Unemployment benefits 

 

The rules on unemployment benefits for those working and living in different countries are also changing. The EU aims to clarify which country is responsible for paying the benefit. 

 

What is changing? 

• Cross-border workers: anyone who lives in one country and works in another and becomes fully unemployed will, from now on, receive benefits from the country of employment, provided they have worked or been insured there continuously for at least 22 weeks beforehand and meet the national conditions. Currently, in such situations, the country of residence still pays the benefits. There will also be changes regarding the qualifying period and the applicable legislation when working whilst retaining benefits. 
• Looking for work in another country: anyone who is unemployed and looking for work in another EU country can, as a standard, take their benefits with them there for six months. At present, this is usually three months, with the possibility of extending it to six. The country paying the benefits may extend this period until the end of the entitlement to benefits.

Long-term care and family benefits 

 

Clearer rules are also being introduced for long-term care and family benefits for people who live or work in an EU country other than the one in which they are insured. 

 

What is changing? 

• Long-term care – which refers to care and support with daily activities for people who are unable to manage these on their own for an extended period – will have its own definition and specific provisions within the European coordination rules. As a general rule, these benefits will be coordinated in the same way as sickness benefits. 
• The regulation clarifies which country is responsible for these care benefits and how countries arrange this amongst themselves. 
• In addition, the rules for family benefits, such as child benefit, are being amended. 

Data exchange and combating fraud 

 

The EU aims to digitise the implementation process and improve cooperation between social security institutions. This should help to identify errors and fraud more quickly. 

 

What is changing? 

• Authorities will have more options for exchanging data electronically. 
• There will be a clearer legal basis for processing and verifying personal data across borders, in line with European data protection legislation (GDPR). 
• New procedures and fixed deadlines are intended to make fraud, errors and abuse more readily apparent. 

What do the new rules mean for cross-border workers? 

 

For cross-border workers – people who live in one country and work in another – the new rule on unemployment is particularly important: after at least 22 weeks’ work, the country of employment will, as a rule, pay the benefit. Greater clarity regarding long-term care and family benefits may also affect them. 

 

The rules on A1 certificates and posting of workers mainly apply to employees who are working temporarily in another country, and to their employers. They will face less paperwork for business trips and very short-term assignments, but will be subject to stricter conditions for posting. 

 

Timetable 

Date	Event
27 October 2026	Publication of Regulation (EU) 2026/2359 in the Official Journal of the European Union.
1 November 2026	Entry into force: the first day of the month following publication. Only a limited number of provisions will apply from this date, including Annex XI. See: https://grenzinfo.eu/nl/belangrijke-wijziging-recht-op-ziektekostenverzekering-via-cak/.
1 November 2028	Twenty-four months after entry into force, most of the substantive amendments will start to apply, including the new rules on A1 certificates, posting of workers, unemployment benefits, long-term care benefits, and family benefits.

 

Most of the changes will therefore only come into force two years after the Act comes into force. This will give public authorities, implementing bodies and employers time to adapt their procedures and systems. Until then, the current rules will continue to apply. A1 certificates that have already been issued and ongoing postings will remain subject to the old rules until that date. The changes do not automatically apply to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland: these countries must first adopt the new rules themselves. It is not yet clear in all respects how the changes will work in practice. We will provide updates as soon as further information becomes available. 

 

The full text of Regulation (EU) 2026/2359, the amending regulation by which the EU is updating the social security coordination rules, can be found on the Eur-Lex website.