EU Social Welfare Rules
EU Regulation 883/2004 provides rules for coordination of national social security systems and also encompasses unemployment insurance. The rules are also applied by Switzerland and the non-EU European Economic Area countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway. For those who are not a citizen of an EU country or Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway or Switzerland, there may be limitations.
The EU Regulation provides you with protection not only in the situation where you live and where you work are different Member State, but also if you move between them or become unemployed. There are provisions on i.a.:
- looking for work in one country, with unemployment benefits coming from another country.
- adding up qualifying periods from multiple countries so as have an entitlement to unemployment benefits.
- which country’s law is applicable if you work in one EU Member State but live in another.
- your right to unemployment benefits as a frontier worker
On the other hand, the EU Regulation does not provide you with a right to particular unemployment benefits. In order to be entitled to Swedish unemployment benefits, you must still fulfil the preconditions as set out in Swedish legislation.
The IAF deals with applications and issues the certificate needed to seek work in another EU/EEA country, Switzerland, United Kingdom or Northern Ireland for a limited period, while still receiving unemployment benefits from Sweden.
Once you have such a certificate, you can take your Swedish unemployment benefits with you for three months while looking for employment in another country within the EU/EEA, Switzerland , United Kingdom or Northern Ireland.
The unemployment funds also processes the applications for those who want to add up qualifying periods from other Member States so as to obtain the entitlement to receive Swedish unemployment benefits.
They also issue U1 Certificates (a certificate for aggregating qualifying periods in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland) to those who have worked in Sweden and now want to add up their qualifying periods so as to be able to apply for unemployment benefits in the country they moved to. If you need a U1 Certificate or have questions about the certificate, you should contact the unemployment fund you were a member of when you worked in Sweden. If you were not a member of an unemployment fund, you should contact Alfa-kassan for assistance with a U1 Certificate.
The European Commission’s website provides additional detailed information about the coordination of the rules in the field of social welfare and social security systems.