Frontier Workers

Who is a frontier worker?

You are a frontier (or cross-border) worker is you live in one EU/EEA country and work (as an employed or self-employed person) in another EU/EEA country, and you commute from the country where you work to the country where you live daily (or at least once a week).

Where am I covered and where can I access healthcare?

As a frontier worker, you pay social security contributions to, and are covered by the social security system of, the country where you work.

However, you can access healthcare in both the country where you work and the country where you live.

Request the S1 form from the competent social security institution of the country where you work and submit it to the competent social security institution of the country where you live – in this way, you will ensure that you have access to healthcare in the country where you live on the same terms as other residents of that country.

Access to healthcare for family members of frontier workers

Family members of frontier workers normally enjoy the same access to healthcare as the frontier workers themselves.

However, if you live in one EU/EEA country and work in either Denmark, Ireland, Croatia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom, then your family members can get access to healthcare in the mentioned countries only in limited situations.

For example, they can get only medically-necessary treatment in those countries during their stay.

If your family members find themselves in the situation described above, they can explore private insurance options available in order to ensure the coverage of their healthcare costs.

Continuing treatment in the country of employment after retirement

If you (or your family member) started receiving treatment for an illness in the country where you worked and then you retired, you (or your family member) are entitled to continue that treatment in the country where you worked even after your retirement.

In order to continue the treatment in the country of your previous employment, you have to request the S3 form from the competent social security institution of the country where you are covered as a pensioner and submit that form to the competent social security institution of the country of your previous employment.

Last updated on 31 January 2025