International Assignment – URA
If your employment at KTH involves working internationally, you and any accompanying family members may be covered by a service abroad contract (URA – Agreement on International Contracts and Guidelines for Employment Terms During Overseas Service).
International Assignments within the Public Sector
An international assignment within the public sector can either be considered as a foreign business trip or as an overseas posting with a specific international contract (URA).
Before entering into a URA contract, the option of a foreign business trip should also be considered. Your employer will determine, in consultation with you, whether your international assignment should be classified as a URA posting or a foreign business trip. The assessment is made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the specific circumstances of the assignment, the operational requirements, and the individual situation of the employee.
For guidance, you should first contact the HR Generalist at your department, but you may also reach out to HR centrally regarding URA matters: ura-admin@kth.se
URA Contract
If an overseas posting with a URA contract is deemed the best option in your case, a URA contract must be drawn up for you and any accompanying family members. This must be completed before departure and cannot be signed retroactively.
Before the URA contract is signed, you must be registered in Sweden and provide an A1 certificate (or equivalent) from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), confirming that you are covered by the Swedish social security system.
The URA contract specifies the terms and conditions that will apply for the duration of the international assignment. In addition to the standard employment terms that must be included in the URA contract, there are also special employment conditions. These special conditions include tax-free allowances to cover additional costs and increased living expenses due to the overseas posting and specific circumstances in the host country.
Allowances are not an automatic entitlement and are determined by the employer in dialogue with the employee, based on the specific situation and financial circumstances of both parties.
Prior to drafting the URA contract, the HR Generalist provides consultation, relevant information materials, a contract template, and mandatory URA insurance. It may also be relevant to consult the finance department in case project funds will be used to cover salary and/or allowances in the URA contract.
The URA agreement contains more information about general and special employment conditions:
URA Agreement on Overseas Contracts and Guidelines on Employment Conditions in Service Abroad
Insurance
When the contract is signed, URA insurance will be arranged for you and any accompanying family members. The URA insurance is paid by KTH. Terms and conditions for URA insurance can be found at the National Legal Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet).
You may also arrange supplementary property insurance for your time abroad by notifying the HR Generalist, who will order the insurance through Kammarkollegiet (contact below). Note that supplementary property insurance is a private expense and is therefore a taxable benefit. Terms and conditions for supplementary property insurance URA are available from Kammarkollegiet. Terms and Conditions personnel stationed abroad (URA)
Contact
For questions and the preparation of URA contracts, please contact the HR Generalist at your department.
For general or overarching queries, please contact ura-admin@kth.se