Self-Employed and Freelancers

As a general rule, if you are self-employed in some EU/EEA country, you are covered by the social security system of that country, regardless of your nationality. That country therefore will be responsible for your health coverage.

Unlike in the case of an employed person, when you are self-employed you are responsible for taking care of your own social security contributions.

This usually happens by making contributions to a particular insurance scheme that is either public or private.

Note that there are differences between the EU/EEA countries when it comes to the modalities of paying social security contributions as a self-employed person – find out more by consulting the “Healthcare By Country” section on our website.

Each country is free to establish their own rules on entitlement to healthcare benefits.

In order to avoid potential problems and misunderstandings, find out more about the social security system of your host country in the “Healthcare By Country” section on our website or contact the relevant National Contact Point.

What if I Work in More than one Country?

You might find yourself in a situation where you are self-employed in more than one country. The key factor that will determine your health coverage in that case is where you carry out a substantial part of your professional activities.

You pursue a substantial part of your professional activities in a certain country if at least 25% of your working time and/or income is connected to that country.

Below you will find a breakout of different rules as to what country is responsible for your health coverage when you are self-employed in more than one country:

–  If you are self-employed and have no substantial activity in your country of residence → you are covered by the country where the centre of interest of your activities is located (in that case, the centre of interest will be determined by the relevant social security institutions).

–   If you are self-employed in one country and are employed in a different country → you are covered by the country where you are employed.

Other Special Cases

Beware that there are certain special cases that can make some changes as to the country that is responsible for your healthcare and the country where you can get access to healthcare. 

For example, if you are self-employed in one EU/EEA country and live in another EU/EEA country to which you return daily (or at least once a week), you are considered a frontier worker, and a different set of rules applies to you. 

Or if you have posted yourself to another EU/EEA country for up to 24 months, you are considered a posted worker, and a different set of health coverage rules will apply as well. 

Check out our “Special Situations” section to find out more.

Last updated on 31 January 2025