The Consulate of Saudi Arabia informs that it will be closed on 04.06.2019 and 05.06.2019 due to Ramadan - please note that there may be longer processing times due to Ramadan.
The Chinese consulate has announced that the consular section will be closed on 20.05.2019.
A1 CERTIFICATES FOR DELIVERIES AND SERVICE TRIPS:
Since Regulation (EC) 883/2004 came into force, employers and self-employed persons have been legally obliged to report any cross-border activity in an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland to the respective regional health insurance fund. There is no distinction in social security law between a posting and a business trip. This means that an A1 certificate must be carried for every short cross-border activity from the first day onwards. The A1 certificate confirms that you pay social security contributions (including health insurance contributions) in your country of first residence.
A posting does not only exist in cases where the employee is deployed abroad to carry out a project. Participation in conferences or seminars, i.e. any border crossing for professional reasons, also requires an A1 certificate. The prerequisite for this is to apply for the A1 certificate before starting work abroad. In many European countries, the lack of an A1 certificate is punished with sanctions and fines (fines of up to 10,000 euros per case).
In the past, A1 certificates were applied for from the relevant regional health insurance funds in paper form and sent to the applicant by post once completed. The employee is generally obliged to carry the document with them. In the case of business trips/assignments planned at short notice, at least proof of timely notification must be provided. However, fines are not excluded in the event of an inspection.
The EU is now launching a project for the electronic exchange of social data (EESSI) between European insurance companies. The EESSI is intended to simplify and speed up processes. The previous standardized paper forms are now to be reproduced electronically. It can be assumed that this will lead to an increase in inspections in the countries. In addition, it is assumed that the individual authorities will be networked.Since January 1, 2019, the electronic application and certification procedure has also been mandatory in Austria. The automated procedure is integrated into the payroll accounting programs. Data transmission by means of an automatic completion aid also meets the legal requirements.The practical handling poses a considerable challenge for many employers. In most cases, there is no established process for IT-supported business trip recording. In addition, the data required for A1 applications is available via various systems and in some cases only from the employees themselves. This makes it impossible for almost all employers to submit an application quickly and on time, and thus to protect themselves against sensitive fines, problems when entering the company premises in the host country, etc.
Important information can be found at: https://www.sozialversicherung.at/cdscontent/?contentid=10007.683939&viewmode=content
The social security agreement regulates which social security law is to be applied in the event of a posting / business trip. Such agreements are of practical relevance in the event of unforeseeable events such as illness and accident. The agreement regulates in particular the care of the posted worker / business traveler in the event of illness or following an accident at work.
The applicable social security law is verified with the Certificate A 1 .The A1 certificate can be applied for 1 or more countries as well as for a longer period (different for many countries).
The ÖVKG Visa und Konsular Gesellschaft will be happy to assist you with your A1 certificate in the future.
Contact details:
ÖVKG Visa und Konsular Gesellschaft mbH
Contact person:
Christian Pilz Tel: 01/361 55 20
Karin Mogy Tel: 0676/842 301 200
Mail: a1@oevkg.at
The A1 certificate can be booked either online at www.oevkg.at or offline using forms.
Your ÖVKG team
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
The Chinese Consulate informs you about the following changes regarding visa applications for China:
The Chinese visa application must be submitted in Austria online via the portal of the Chinese consular provider at https://bio.visaforchina.org/VIE2_DE/ with the deadline of May 12, 2019. As of May 12, 2019, the traditional visa applications will lose their validity and will no longer be accepted by the consulate. The completed visa application must be signed twice (on page 1 and on the last page) by the traveler him/herself. Unfortunately, a signature by proxy will not be accepted until further notice.
There is a transitional period until May 12, 2019, during which conventional visa applications will be accepted by the China Consular Provider.At present, the visa application can only be completed in English or Chinese.In future, the photo must be uploaded directly to the visa application – see the exact requirements here.
We will be happy to prepare the Chinese visa application for you in the future and send you the completed document for signature. Use the service of our completion assistance for this purpose.
Our system will be adapted in the coming weeks with regard to the new information queries, so that you can continue to complete your visa application in the usual way, coupled with an application help for China - similar to booking a Russian or Indian visa. You benefit from all the advantages of the electronic creation of the visa application, as well as the storage of visa-relevant information in a data protection-safe environment for future and cross-national reuse.If you do not book your visa in the ÖVKG portal, you can use the offline application form instead - here
You can also find here a sample of what the visa application NEW looks like.
All visa and consular advisors are available to answer any questions you may have.
Your ÖVKG Team
Good day,
The EU Commission is currently considering redesigning the A1 certificate process in the interests of companies/employers and possibly abolishing the A1 certificate. There is currently no decision, which means that an A1 certificate must continue to be carried on business trips / postings within the EU/EFTA states.
Your ÖVKG Team
