International secondment - You are going to start working outside the Netherlands as a self-employed person

If you take up self-employment outside the Netherlands, you will no longer be covered by the Dutch social insurance schemes, such as AOW old age pension, child benefit and Anw survivor benefit. Instead, you will be insured in the country where you work.

If you start working outside the Netherlands temporarily, you can remain insured in the Netherlands. We refer to this as 'secondment'. 

You will remain insured in the Netherlands if you:

• have been self-employed for more than 1 year
• pay social insurance contributions to the Tax Administration (Belastingdienst)
• are a national of a country of the EU (European Union) or EEA (European Economic Area), or you have a residence permit which allows you to work in the Netherlands
• start working in another EU or EEA country. Whether you can remain insured in the Netherlands depends on the country where you are going to work. For personal advice, call us on (020) 656 5277
  

Proof of secondment: the E101 certificate

In many countries, a labour inspectorate will check whether employees are covered under social insurance legislation. You can prove that you are covered by showing an E101 certificate. Some countries will not allow employees to work without this certificate.

You are going to start working in Belgium

If you work in Belgium temporarily, in addition to an E101 form, you will need to report your work in Belgium in advance with a "Limosa declaration". You can do so via the Limosa website.

Maximum term of secondment: 5 years

You can be seconded for up to 5 years.