If you are dreaming of working abroad, you should find out whether you are eligible to take a job-seeking trip abroad while receiving earnings-related allowance.
If you travel to another EU/EEA country or to Switzerland to look for a job, your journey is considered a ‘job-seeking trip.’ It can last a maximum of three months. You may be eligible for earnings-related allowance from an unemployment fund during your job-seeking trip.
To be eligible for earnings-related allowance on your job-seeking trip:
- you may not be in an employment relationship (you cannot go on a job-seeking trip when laid off)
- you must be registered as an unemployed jobseeker with an employment authority for a minimum of four weeks prior to the trip
- you must request a PD U2 form from an unemployment fund
- you must register as a jobseeker in the destination country of your job-seeking trip within seven (7) days of terminating your availability to an employment authority in Finland
If you return from your job-seeking trip to Finland within three months of your departure (and you have registered as a jobseeker with an employment authority), earnings-related allowance payouts can be continued. If you do not return to Finland within three months of your departure and you continue to search for a job or work abroad, you are not eligible to receive earnings-related allowance from Finland until you fulfil an employment condition month in Finland or complete four weeks of training or studies.
If you want to go on a job-seeking trip, please request more information from A-kassa’s customer service and from an employment authority. The unemployment fund gives you advice and pays the benefit to you while you stay abroad, provided that the conditions are met. The employment authority decides whether you are eligible to go on a job-seeking trip and issues any necessary statements.
After working abroad and moving back to Finland, the employment and insurance periods you have accumulated abroad can be attributed to you in Finland with certain conditions. This requires that you accumulate at least one employment condition month working in Finland after your return. Please contact our customer service for more detailed information on what to do. If you are moving from an EU/EEA country or from Switzerland, you can join an unemployment fund within a certain period of time even if you are unemployed.
Remote work abroad and social security
If you intend to work remotely abroad, your social security should in principle be organised in the country where you are physically located. However, if your remote work abroad is temporary, you may be covered by Finnish social security under certain conditions. This requires that your employer requests an A1 certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions. The A1 certificate proves that your social security contributions are paid to Finland and, as a consequence, your remote work abroad can be counted towards the employment condition for earnings-related allowance.
If you are planning to work remotely from abroad, it is important to ask your employer to contact the Finnish Centre for Pensions to determine the country to which your pension insurance contributions should be paid.
Read more:
Studying with earnings-related allowance
Working and job-seeking abroad
