Is it possible to travel while on sick leave?

Are you on sick leave due to an illness or ailment, but you want to go on a trip? Do you know if you can go on a trip on medical leave? There are many doubts that can assail us if we want to do it right, with the law in hand and not commit Social Security fraud. The question is clear: can I go on holiday? Legally, yes you can, but there are some special conditions that we are going to tell you about in this article. It depends on whether the trips do not affect your recovery and return to work, and as long as this is determined in writing by the doctor. Otherwise, you could lose your incapacity benefit.

Types of sick leave

Sick leave can be due to various types of temporary incapacity: as a result of an accident at work, depression or pregnancy-related sick leave.

• Sick leave due to an accident at work. When the doctor prescribes absolute rest for recovery, it is not possible to travel. 
• Sick leave due to pregnancy. Various circumstances may arise, depending on the woman's condition. It will be the doctor who will assess whether it is compatible to travel with the pregnant woman's sick leave.
• Medical leave due to depression. In this case, a change of scenery is normally advisable and, therefore, travelling makes it possible for the patient to recover well and helps to improve her state of mind.

Each of them has its own peculiarities, and while in some cases travel is recommended by medical prescription, in others it is not recommended. Depending on the illness or ailment and its severity, travel may even be beneficial for the person. This is the case with depression or anxiety.

However, in the case of post-surgery, hand, foot or leg injuries that prevent mobility, travelling away from home can be harmful for the patient. Therefore, the factors that influence whether or not a person is allowed to travel while on sick leave are that the patient's recovery is not put at risk. 

Recommendations if you are going to travel while on sick leave

First of all, what you should do if you are thinking of travelling is to inform your doctor so that he/she can give you authorisation, whenever he/she deems it appropriate. You should never undertake a trip without the authorisation of your family doctor or the mutual insurance company in charge of processing your sick leave.

You must prove that the nature of your trip is compatible with your full recovery. In addition, the worker must undertake not to carry out activities during the trip that could worsen his/her state of health and to attend check-ups, both at the health centre and at the mutual insurance companies on returning from the trip.

To avoid problems when travelling while on sick leave, go to your doctor to have him or her sign the authorisation. This accreditation document is used at medical inspection centres when it is necessary to change your check-up appointments if they coincide with the days you are travelling.

If you are travelling, you must be reachable in case you are required for a surprise check-up. The Social Security is not obliged to give more than 4 working days' notice for these check-ups. In this way, you can make a trip close to home in case you have to go quickly in the event of a notification for an unexpected check-up.

The patient can travel while on sick leave, provided that he/she is responsible for it and that it is not contraindicated by the general practitioner. It is therefore not advisable to take the decision to travel on your own. 

Limits to the possibility to travel

In order to avoid problems with regard to incapacity for work benefits, there are certain limits that must be respected so as not to fall into fraud. These are activities that are incompatible with sick leave. Let us see.

• Fraud. Faking an illness, even if you receive medical authorisation to be able to travel. In these cases, the company can take the measures it deems appropriate, including dismissal of the worker who commits this fraud.
• Skipping the medical prescription. During the time that the sick leave lasts, it is the doctor who determines the check-ups and the treatment to be followed by the patient. Therefore, it is forbidden to abandon or refuse what is written in the medical prescription.
• Work. If the doctor has given you sick leave, it is completely incompatible with any paid work.

According to the General Social Security Act, if a worker who is on sick leave acts fraudulently, temporary incapacity benefit may be lost, suspended or denied. This applies to both employed and self-employed workers.