A1 certificates are essential for employees who travel or commute across borders for work. They provide proof of which country’s social security system covers the employee during their time abroad.
​
​Difference between Article 12 and Article 13 A1 certificates

The WorkFlex Social Security Statement contains the same information as the A1/CoC, with the added benefit that it is issued immediately, as it bypasses the processing time of the authorities. With the WorkFlex Social Security Statement, the employee is still travelling in compliance with the law, and WorkFlex bears the liability.

Here is how the documents appear on the trip: the Social Security Statement is issued directly, as soon as the request is fully approved. The A1/CoC application is then submitted to the authority in the employee's social security country, within one business day. Once the authority issues the certificate, we remove the application from the trip and upload the certificate in its place. The Social Security Statement remains on the trip - it is not removed or replaced.

A trip that shows a Social Security Statement alongside a pending application is therefore in the expected state: the employee is covered and can travel while the authority processes the application.​

At WorkFlex, we currently support A1 certificates and Certificates of Coverage (CoC) in 37 countries. Our goal is to make this process as seamless as possible. However, social security administrations vary widely between countries, and at times we may need your support to ensure a successful application.

This article gives insights based on our practical experience, it mainly summarizes:

WorkFlex processing time:

When it comes to submitting the A1/CoC application; At WorkFlex, geography does not impact speed. All applications - across all supported countries - are submitted within one (1) business day from the final approval/request completion date.

How to read these tables: the A1 and CoC columns show the processing time of the authority in the employee's social security country (their home or payroll country), not the destination country.

N/A means WorkFlex does not apply for that document type in that country. It does not mean the processing time is unknown, and it must never be taken from the other column: if the CoC column shows N/A, that country has no CoC processing time, even though it has an A1 one.

Some countries are A1 only. Others are CoC only - this applies to the United States, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Canada, which are all supported countries even though their A1 column shows N/A.

Where a cell says Varies, we cannot give a figure in advance and the case has to be checked individually - please contact the WorkFlex team rather than assuming a timeframe.

WorkFlex can explore coverage options upon request. Each case depends on whether a bilateral agreement exists between the home country and the host country.

By sharing these requirements transparently, we aim to manage expectations and ensure smoother cooperation.