A person who is normally self-employed in one member state and carries out a (similar) activity in another member state remains subject to the legislation of the posting state for the maximum permitted posting period. As such, in the case of self-employment, you can work for a limited period in another member state while your social security remains in place in your country of origin. Prerequisites include:

  • Maximum posting period of 24 months;
  • Exercising a similar activity that you already exercised before your posting. It does not matter whether the activity is considered to be "employed" or "self-employed" in the other country. The important thing is that the work is similar in content (e.g. you are being posted to carry out an assignment that is typical of your professional activity);
  • The operational infrastructure is maintained in the sending country;
  • After returning home, it is possible for you to resume work immediately.

Example: You are a freelance artist in Austria and have been commissioned to carry out an artistic project in Spain. For this purpose, you post yourself to Madrid for one and a half years. During this time, you remain covered by social security in Austria.