Hiring a cross-border employee: what procedures should you follow with the mutual insurance company?

Why do cross-border workers have to register with a mutual insurance company?

The cross-border worker must register with a mutual insurance company in order to be entitled to social security. In Belgium, in the event of incapacity for work (illness, maternity leave, invalidity, etc.), it is the mutual insurance company that pays the employee's replacement income. This enrollment also enables your employee to be covered by the social security system of his or her country of residence and to be reimbursed for healthcare costs.

What procedures does a worker living abroad need to follow with regard to the mutual insurance company?

• Cross-border workers working in Belgium must register with a Belgian mutual insurance company.
• Once he or she is registered, the mutual insurance company provides him or her with a European convention document S1 (BL1 for Luxembourg).
• The employee must submit this document S1 to the social security organisation of his or her country of residence.
• The mutual insurance company will cover him or her in Belgium and in their country of residence.

Entrust the management of your cross-border staff to our team of experts!

The Business & Expats Health insurance team helps you to manage the healthcare system for your cross-border employees on a daily basis. Our international conventions experts provide you with tailored responses for each employee. No more time wasted for your HR team - everything is centralised in a single point of contact.

Complete the form to find out more about social security for cross-border workers and our experts will come back to you to introduce our services to you. There's no commitment.