What You Are Owed as a Posted Worker
9 min read · updated August 2026
Why this page exists
We looked at the pages currently ranking for how to get a job in Europe from India — six substantial, well-produced guides between them. Not one mentions the A1 certificate, Regulation 883/2004 or the Posted Workers Directive. Not once.
That matters because posting is not an exotic arrangement. It is one of the main ways non-EU workers legally end up on German, Dutch and Swedish industrial sites, and it comes with a body of rights most posted workers never learn they have. If you do not know what you are owed, you cannot notice when you are not getting it.
What an A1 certificate actually is
The A1 is a portable document issued by the social security institution of the country you remain insured in — in this case the Czech Social Security Administration. It certifies that while you work temporarily in another member state, you stay inside the Czech social security system rather than joining the host country's.
That is its whole legal function: it prevents you from paying into two systems at once, and it prevents the host country from claiming you should be paying into theirs. It is issued to your employer for you, before the posting starts, and you should have a copy.
What the A1 is not: it is not a visa, not a work permit, and not a residence document. Your right to be in the EU comes from your Czech employee card. The A1 governs your social security position, nothing else. Anyone describing an A1 as 'a European work permit' has either misunderstood it or is selling you something.
The rights the host country gives you
Under the Posted Workers Directive, from your first day on site the host country's rules apply to you in a defined list of areas — even though you remain employed in Czechia:
| Area | What applies |
|---|---|
| Pay | The host country's minimum rates for your sector, including the elements that count as pay there — such as premiums for overtime, nights and shift work. |
| Working time | Host country maximum working periods and minimum rest periods. |
| Paid holiday | Host country minimum annual paid leave. |
| Health and safety | Host country rules in full, including protective equipment. |
| Accommodation | Where the employer provides accommodation, host country conditions for posted workers apply. |
| Allowances | Travel, board and lodging allowances for expenses incurred away from home follow host country rules. |
| Equal treatment | Host country rules on non-discrimination and on the conditions for hiring out workers. |
After twelve months on a single posting — extendable to eighteen on notification — the position strengthens further and substantially all of the host country's employment law applies, apart from a narrow set of exclusions.
The pay point, because it is the one that matters
The practical consequence of the pay rule is large. The Czech statutory minimum is €924 a month. The German is €2,343. During a posting to Germany you are entitled to the German sector floor.
Two things follow, and they cut in both directions.
In your favour: if you are posted to Germany and paid at the Czech rate, that is not a grey area. It is a breach, and it is enforceable through the host country's labour inspectorate.
Against the marketing: the host sector minimum is a floor, not a German salary. Someone quoting you €3,500 a month for posted warehouse work is describing a local employment contract you do not have.
One trap worth knowing. Allowances paid to cover expenses actually incurred — travel, board, lodging — do not count toward your minimum pay. Where an employer cannot show which part of an allowance is expenses and which is pay, the whole allowance is treated as expenses, meaning it cannot be used to top your wage up to the minimum. If your payslip shows a low base plus a large 'allowance', that is worth a question.
What stays Czech
- Social security. Pension, sickness and health insurance contributions stay in the Czech system. That is what the A1 certifies.
- Your employment contract. Your employer is Czech, your contract is Czech, and termination, notice and contractual disputes follow Czech law.
- Your residence status. Your employee card is Czech and time abroad on posting does not build residence in the host country.
- Healthcare access. You are covered through the Czech system while abroad — carry your European Health Insurance Card as well as your A1.
Six things to check before you agree to a posting
- Do you have a copy of the A1? It should be issued before you travel, not afterwards. No A1 means the posting has not been properly declared.
- Which country and which sector? Your minimum pay depends on both, because sector collective agreements set different floors.
- What is the base wage, separately from allowances? Ask for the split in writing.
- Who pays travel and accommodation? These are expenses of the posting and should not be quietly deducted from pay to bring you back to the Czech rate.
- How long is the posting? The twelve-month threshold changes your legal position materially.
- Who is the host employer and what is the site address? A real posting has a real client and a real place.
If any of these produces vagueness, that is information. A properly run posting is heavily documented by necessity — the paperwork exists whether or not anyone shows it to you.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Where a fact could not be verified, we left it out rather than estimating.
Frequently asked questions
Is an A1 certificate a work permit?
No. It is a social security document showing you remain insured in Czechia while working temporarily in another member state. Your right to work comes from your Czech employee card. Anyone selling an A1 as a European work permit is misrepresenting it.
Do I get German wages on a posting to Germany?
You get the German minimum for your sector, which is far above the Czech rate but is not the same as a full German employment contract. Treat the sector floor as the honest number.
Who do I complain to if I am underpaid on a posting?
The host country's labour inspectorate has jurisdiction over posted-worker pay and conditions on its territory. You can also raise it with the Czech authorities as your employer is Czech. Both routes are open at the same time.
Does time on posting count toward Czech permanent residence?
You remain in Czech employment and Czech social security throughout, which is the basis on which continuity is assessed. Extended periods abroad can complicate a residence application, so keep your A1 certificates and payslips.
Can I be posted straight after I arrive?
Normally no. Posting presumes an established employment relationship with your Czech employer. An agency promising a German posting from day one is describing something that does not happen.
Do I need to speak the host country's language?
There is no language requirement for a posting. Safety briefings on multinational sites are typically given in whatever language the shift actually works in.
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