# S1 form is dead and gone !



## In 2 bikes (Apr 18, 2013)

I have to apologise up front but this a rant on my part..

For early retirees..........

I emigrate in 4 weeks.

Today I phoned the Dept of Work and Pensions and after 15 minutes of keyboard tapping the staff member had ascertained I had paid 33 years worth of National Insurance and was in fact entitled to an S1......... She gave me a six month long S1. I questioned the very short term and she lied to me. She stated that some papers to show my contributions hadn't come from HMRC and as such 6 months was all I was going to get.

I phoned Customs and asked what the problem was. They informed me that they and the DWP share the exact same database and can see 'real time' a contribution status. They could see I had paid, every month, a substantial amount of money and was entitled. Customs advised I recall DWP and speak to a senior staff member.

I recalled DWP and plainly put it to them that they were deliberately issuing short S1's as they will not be issued AT ALL as of 01 July 2014.

The DWP manager confirmed I was correct on both counts. The first being that the S1 will not be issued after June this year and that as a result, and in an attempt to stop the Government having to pay up for health care abroad, the last S1 requests, such as mine, will be given a paltry six month cover. Thanks for nothing U.K.. I'm so glad I'm leaving.

Watch this space..........State pensions will be next. All Brit expats will be denied their £420 a month, whilst immigrants in to the U.K. will be given the earth.........Contentious I know, and I don't care to hear anyone suggest I'm an immigrant in the making too. I've paid in to the system and my system is not supporting me.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

The S1 is not to cover Health Care abroad.

The S1 is used to register yourself with Social Security in Portugal which gives you a NI/SS number, you then use this to register with the Health Service which entitles you to exactly the same treatment and costs as a National, if you don't* earn* money in Portugal you don't pay NI/Social Security payments and any entitlement to a UK State Pension is met and paid by UK Government as are some other benefits you may be entitled to.

When you receive form complete and correctly register with Social Services here at your Regional *not* local office then if one or the other are of UK State Pension age then UK must also supply your EHIC for use in UK & EU but not for use in Portugal, until you are of State Pension age when registered with S/S & NHS you need a EHIC issued by Portugal for use in UK & EU

Portugal & UK have a health care agreement so UK pays a set amount per year per correctly registered "retiree" and visa versa


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

canoeman said:


> The S1 is not to cover Health Care abroad.
> 
> The S1 is used to register yourself with Social Security in Portugal which gives you a NI/SS number, you then use this to register with the Health Service which entitles you to exactly the same treatment and costs as a National, if you don't* earn* money in Portugal you don't pay NI/Social Security payments and any entitlement to a UK State Pension is met and paid by UK Government as are some other benefits you may be entitled to.
> 
> ...


the point the OP is making though, is that the UK will stop issuing S1s to non-pensioners at the end of June - & that he was expecting more than the 6 months cover he has been given - with S1 cover, the UK picks up the healthcare bill


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Beg to disagree, yes S1 will not continue but UK will have to replace it with something as it's a EU format form.
But as a early retiree and not earning a wage in Portugal he would not pay Social Security.

Healthcare in Portugal is based on Residence so a EU Citizen correctly registered is entitled to exactly same service and cost as a Portuguese National, the S1 smooths the whole process of 1st registering with Social Services and then with the NHS, as S/S number is reguired to get the discounted treatment.

To the best of my knowledge the UK does not pick up an individual health care bill it is a pro rata agreement UK Citizens in Portugal, Portuguese Citizen in UK, if either work and earn incomes then they pay NI or S/S which covers health care and contributes to pensions in the country their Resident in.

The only health care bill that UK pays as far as I know would be a UK Resident using a EHIC for treatment which gets billed to UK ultimately.

The current forms make the point that a UK Resident moving to Portugal and becoming a Resident and registering with S/S & NHS must not continue to use a UK issued EHIC


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

canoeman said:


> Beg to disagree, yes S1 will not continue but UK will have to replace it with something as it's a EU format form.
> But as a early retiree and not earning a wage in Portugal he would not pay Social Security.
> 
> Healthcare in Portugal is based on Residence so a EU Citizen correctly registered is entitled to exactly same service and cost as a Portuguese National, the S1 smooths the whole process of 1st registering with Social Services and then with the NHS, as S/S number is reguired to get the discounted treatment.
> ...


they will continue to issue it to state pensioners - not to anyone else (except perhaps UK workers supporting families in other EU countries - that isn't yet clear) 

no other EU country issues S1s to non-pensioners - there is no need to replace it with anything else

a pensioner (or anyone else atm) registering with an S1 triggers the payment of healthcare to that country by the issuing country - a fixed amount per annum per registered person

if, as you say, healthcare is residence based in Portugal, then I would imagine that the UK will do as they do for those long term residents of Spain who are entitled to state healthcare by right of residence - issue a 'legislation letter', which states that the holder is no longer entitled to healthcare in the UK


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## In 2 bikes (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks guys. Apologies for layering in a spot of emotion in to this.

CM I hadn't realised the S1 is actually a key to obtaining a social security number from the Seguranca Social and once obtained it is that newly acquired S.S. number that is then presented to the Centre de saude with a residencia certificate to obtain access to health care, (as an unemployed, early retiree). I just thought I needed a passport and the residencia cert.



Thanks very much once again..


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

xabiachica thanks I take your point about S1. EU definition of S1
"Certificate of entitlement to healthcare if you don't live in the country where you are insured. Useful for cross-border workers, pensioners and civil servants and their dependants." Don't quite see why UK should refuse, fine knock on the head the current possible 2.5 years but a pensioner doesn't necessarily have to a State pensioner, many reasons why a person might retire or be forced to retire early.
Interesting the way you framed payment triggered by S1 as it's very different to reply I received from a NHS department manager this year

A UK Resident who registers for Residence in another country is no longer entitled to free UK NHS, unless of course they work and pay NI in UK, which is why it's important prior to official UK State Retirement age to get a EHIC from your new country of Residence so should you reguire medical treatment whilst visiting UK you won't be charged

In 2 bikes, yes at some Centro de Saude that might be all you need, in others certainly not, the S/S number is certainly becoming more important, I have spoken directly with expats who lost their discounted prices until they supplied one, although we had ours nobody had bothered entering them in NHS register and a new system flagged us up as not entitled to discounted prices, prescriptions etc until corrected.

Registering for Residence, Social Services and NHS you generally also reguire a Astestado supplied by your local Junta de Fregursia (parish Council) which confirms your ID and the address you live at, no your Escritura or utility bills don't qualify


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