Procedure for confirming insurance periods

In most Member States, one of the conditions for entitlement to a cash benefit is the fulfilment of the required insurance period (e.g. in the Czech Republic, it is one of the conditions for entitlement to maternity benefit in cash). If a person does not obtain the required period of insurance in one Member State, periods of insurance completed in other Member States shall be added to that period.

Form E 104 or the relevant SED (structured electronic document) are used to confirm insurance periods. On the form, the competent institution shall confirm the period of insurance completed in that Member State. If the person last worked in the Czech Republic, this institution is the relevant DSSA. The form will be requested by the social security institution that decides on the benefit, from the institution with which the person was insured, after the application for the benefit has been submitted. Therefore, if the applicant has previously worked in one of the EU Member States (EEA, Switzerland), it is a good idea to draw attention to this when applying for the benefit.

Example: Mr XY was employed in the Czech Republic for 2 years. He then started working in Spain, where he was insured. He fell ill after three months and applied for a sickness benefit in cash in Spain. The competent institution informed him that he did not meet the required insurance period. Spanish legislation requires 180 days of insurance in the last five years before the illness (this information is only an example; the necessary period of insurance must be obtained directly from the competent Spanish institution). The Spanish institution asked the CSSA (DSSA) to issue a certificate of the period of insurance, which Mr XY obtained in the Czech Republic. The Spanish institution added Czech periods of insurance to periods of insurance completed in Spain. After adding up the Czech and Spanish periods of insurance, the necessary condition for entitlement to the benefit was met.

Example: Ms XY worked and was insured for 26 months in Germany. She then started working in the Czech Republic. After 8 months of employment in the Czech Republic, she applied for maternity benefits in cash due to her pregnancy. One of the conditions for entitlement to maternity benefits in cash under Czech law is obtaining 270 days of participation in sickness insurance in the past two years before taking up the maternity benefits in cash. Taking into account only Czech insurance periods, this condition would not be met. However, Ms XY informed the DSSA that before working in the Czech Republic she worked in Germany and also mentioned the sickness fund with which she was insured. The DSSA then asked the German sickness fund to confirm the insurance periods. After adding up the Czech and German periods of insurance, the condition of 270 days of insurance was met and Ms XY became entitled to maternity benefits in cash.

Note In the Czech Republic, entitlement to sickness insurance benefits may be obtained even if the applicant has not participated in insurance in the Czech Republic (was not employed there). The entitlement then arises only on the basis of a period of insurance acquired in another EU Member State (EEA, Switzerland). However, the applicant must not only meet the conditions set out in Czech legislation for entitlement to sickness insurance benefits (Act No 187/2006, on sickness insurance), but he or she must also register with the Czech Labour Office and obtain entitlement to benefits in unemployment. Insurance obtained by the applicant in another EU Member State (EEA, Switzerland) is then assessed in the same way as if it had been acquired in the Czech Republic. In this way, it is possible to apply only for sickness insurance benefits, which are provided from the protected period (maternity benefits in cash, sickness benefits. If you need more detailed information, ask the CSSA (DSSA).