The number of A1 certificates issued in Finland has more than tripled over the past decade, reflecting rising globalisation in the workplace and growing awareness of cross-border social security rules, according to the Finnish Centre for Pensions (ETK).

In 2025, ETK granted 26,700 A1 certificates confirming Finnish social security coverage for workers abroad.

This represented an increase of around 4,000 certificates compared to the previous year, continuing a long-term upward trend in applications.

An A1 certificate issued by Finland confirms that an individual remains covered by Finnish social security legislation while working in another country.

This means that social security benefits, including earnings-related pensions, continue to be determined under Finnish rules.

Certificates are commonly required when a Finnish employer posts an employee abroad for a fixed period, including for work at a subsidiary in another country.

Sweden remained the most common destination country for A1 certificates issued for work carried out in a single foreign country, followed by Spain and Germany.

ETK senior policy advisor, Hanna Hyttinen, said the growth in certificates linked to Spain reflected changing working patterns.

“The number of A1 certificates granted to Spain has been increasing for a few years, which can be attributed to the growing number of people working remotely in sunny destinations," Hyttinen stated.

The centre also highlighted a sharp rise in the number of certificates issued to individuals working in two or more countries.

An A1 certificate is required when a person regularly works across borders, for example, due to frequent business travel, international projects, or recurring remote work abroad.

In 2025, around half of all A1 certificates issued were for individuals working in two or more countries, underscoring the increasing complexity of cross-border working arrangements.

Alongside this trend, ETK reported a rise in the number of pension applications from abroad.

In 2025, it forwarded 5,500 pension applications to foreign pension authorities, an increase of around 300 year-on-year.

ETK special adviser, Reija Suontakanen, noted that Sweden continued to dominate outbound pension claims.

“Sweden has been the most popular country for Finns to work in for decades. This is why many Finns have earned a pension in Sweden.”

Indeed, in 2025, the centre forwarded 2,889 pension applications to Sweden, accounting for more than half of all applications sent abroad.

Estonia was the second most common destination with 938 applications, followed by Norway (409), Germany (277), the United Kingdom (151) and Switzerland (106).

A further 758 applications were forwarded to other EU, EEA and social security agreement countries.

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