Can I transfer A-kasse rights from Iceland to DK?

Hi. I recently moved to Denmark from Iceland, and im looking for a
job right now. And i was wondering, all the years i have been working
in Iceland, i have been paying into „A Kasse“(dont know the
english word for it) there. Is there any possibility to transfer that
between countries so that i could get unemployment benefits while
seeking for a job ? My parents in law told me that they did something
similar when they moved here 8 years ago, and got benefits from the
start. Regards, S.
in Rights within EU by

1 Answer

1

Hi,

Iceland is an EEA country, and therefore it's the same principles and rules regarding Unemployment benefits, that applies like if it was a EU-country.

This means that you (like EU-nationals) can transfer periods of work and insurance from the A-kasse system in Iceland to the A-kasse system in Denmark.

But for being able to do this there are some requirements you must fulfill. We have a special article on our website that explains the requirements - please read the section for "EU nationals".
There are two main requirements:

  1. You must sign up with a Danish a-kasse no later than 8 weeks after you have stopped your work in Iceland.
  2. Within 8 weeks, you must begin work in Denmark of at least 296 hours, and the work must be completed within 3 months.

So, to be able to transfer your earned rights from the Icelandic A-kasse system, you need to find at least a temporary job here in Denmark for 296 hous (=8 weeks).

3 MONTHS JOB SEARCH PERIOD WITH UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS:
Another option for you would be to go to Denmark for up to 3 months to search for job - in this way you can take unemployment benefits FROM Iceland with you.
The benefits will not be paid from the Danish A-kasse, but from your A-kasse on Iceland.

But it may already be to late for you to utilize this option, because you must register at the danish Jobcenter at latest 7 days after arriving in Denmark. And also you must ask your A-kasse in Iceland for the special PD U2 document
BEFORE you leave Iceland.
We also have an article about this 3 months job-search period

Best regards,
Anders Weber, www.a-kasser.dk

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