International secondment with an overseas contract (URA)
Employees who will be working abroad for a long period of time are officially deemed to be on international secondment and given an overseas contract (URA). This page contains information for managers.
Contents on this page:
- URA or business travel?
- Family members
- URA insurance
- Registering internationally seconded employees
- Before drawing up a URA contract
URA or business travel?
Whether the assignment qualifies as an international secondment according to URA or as a business trip abroad depends on the nature of the assignment, conditions at the place of assignment and the employee’s situation.
If the employee is to stay in a hotel and eat meals in restaurants, this is normally considered a business trip. If, on the other hand, the employee will live “as they would at home”, i.e. will live in an apartment or house, do their own shopping and food preparation, it is considered an international secondment.
It is the employer (head of department or equivalent in consultation with the HR coordinator) who makes the assessment and decides which form is appropriate in each individual case.
As the manager, you will agree with the employee what the contract should cover, such as accompanying family, or any additional costs.
Once you agree, contact the HR Division, which will draw up an overseas contract and arrange URA insurance.
Download the form on the HR forms and templates page
Read more about drawing up the contract further down on this page.
Employees must be officially registered in Sweden and covered by the Swedish social insurance system
A person working for a Swedish public authority on international secondment is considered to be resident in Sweden and is covered by the Swedish social insurance system, which means that they retain sickness, parental and child benefits. Employees on international secondment must therefore be officially registered in Sweden and covered by the Swedish social insurance system.
Salaries and any other types of remuneration are paid from Sweden and are taxed according to Swedish law.
Start the process early, at least one month before departure. In order for the employee and any accompanying persons to be insured, the overseas contract must be completed and the URA insurance taken out before departure. A URA contract cannot be entered into retroactively.
Family members
An employee on international secondment may bring their family with them. In this case, the family is also part of the international secondment and retains all benefits in Sweden, which means, for example, that the family remains covered by the Swedish social insurance system.
URA-insurance
When the contract is signed, URA insurance is taken out for the entire stay abroad to cover the employee and any accompanying persons. The insurance is compulsory and is signed by the HR Division. It is also possible to take out supplementary property insurance.
Start the process early, at least one month before departure. In order for the employee and any accompanying persons to be insured, the overseas contract must be completed and the URA insurance taken out before departure. URA insurance cannot be taken out retroactively.
Registering internationally seconded employees
When Lund University sends staff (on a URA contract) to other EU countries, the department/faculty must register the employee with the designated authority in the country in question. If the employee is not registered, Lund University can be fined.
Before drawing up a URA contract
Before departure, a URA contract must be drawn up between Lund University and the employee, setting out the conditions that apply throughout the period of secondment abroad. This could include reimbursement of additional expenses, housing costs, moving and travel expenses, etc.
You will find information on the rules that apply and the preparations that need to be made before a contract is signed in the relevant form and its appendix. Once filled in, the form should be sent to the HR Division.
Download the form on the HR forms and templates page
You will also find other forms relevant to URA contracts on this page.