Feature photo by wtlphotos Photo above by Panoramas
Acquiring a work permit in Europe comes down to doing your homework and plenty of paperwork. Don’t sweat it; just get it done.
I hightailed it to Europe and found a job that was willing to sponsor my work permit. The first few months however, I was working “black,” which meant that I could not get paid because my work and residency in the country had not yet been approved.
I was approaching the end of my legal stay in Europe (wherein citizens of the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK are allowed to travel for six-months within the continent and three-months in one of the Schengen states. It was unnerving.
Getting a work permit was the constant topic of conversion amongst the expatriate crowd in Berlin. From exchanging visa horror stories to grand schemes of getting away with overstaying, we all shared the nightmare of being escorted to the Polish border by the immigration authorities.
Some contemplated proposing marriage to random Europeans, others gave up and returned to their home country, and then there were those who simply buckled down and dealt with the paperwork.
Acquiring a work permit in Europe is a challenge. It will make you feel like you’re perpetually banging your head against a wall, as you’ll often find that you can’t be granted a work permit without a job, but at the same time, most companies won’t hire you without this document.
Therefore, it’s important that you do your research and find the best kind of job for you. Check the companion piece to this article, last week’s How To Find Paying Work While Traveling in Europe.
You can also find out about the specific work and visa options and requirements by checking out the website Anywork, Anywhere and the Do it Yourself Expat site.
Photo by papalars
Key Aspects of a Work Permit
1) A work permit is a non-transferable legal document that allows a non-citizen to work in the country for a specific company.
2) Technically, it is illegal to enter the country to look for work without a permit. To get a permit, you must have a valid job offer.
3) The company that hires you must be able to prove that it has made an earnest effort to fill the position with an EU citizen. This is often the reason why foreigners have many opportunities in the TEFL field, but very few legal options within the service industry.
Applying from Home
You can save yourself a lot of stress and anxiety by applying for a permit before you leave for Europe. This document is country specific and not applicable for the entire continent. The first step is to find a job that is willing to sponsor your application for a work permit.
Photo by gaspa
Ideally, it will be the company that will be applying on your behalf. However, if they are unable (or unwilling) to deal with all the paperwork, you can also go through an immigration agency, such as www.workpermit.com.
Remember to obtain the necessary documents from your home consulate, as well as check the employment regulations of the country in which you intend to work. A good resource is Yahoo’s directory of embassies and consulates all over the world.
Working Holiday
If you’re a commonwealth citizen between the ages of 17 to 30, and planning on working in the UK, you can apply for the Working Holidaymakers Scheme, which is valid for up to two years. This visa is issued under the presupposition that your main purpose for being in UK is for a holiday and work is an incidental aspect of your stay.
If you will be traveling as a student, you can ask your host institution if they can arrange for temporary work permits for specific countries. An excellent service is the British Universities North America Club or BUNAC which offers assistance regarding work and study programs in Ireland and the UK.
Residence/Work Permit
One of the most important steps is to register with the local district police within the first seven days of your arrival in the country.
Getting a work permit if you are already in Europe is a difficult yet not impossible feat. If you plan on living and working in a specific city for the long-haul, bear in mind that the work and residence permit are tied together.
One of the most important steps is to register with the local district police within the first seven days of your arrival in the country. If you’ve already found a flat, have your flatmate or landlord write a letter to the authorities stating your rental agreement and the duration of your residence.
The next step is to open a bank account in the country and bring along the accompanying bank statement showing that you would have enough funds to support yourself (amount varies depending on the country). If most of your funds have gone towards beer or train tickets, you can also ask your parents to write you a letter of support which states that they would be willing to support you financially.
Most European countries also require that you have health insurance. It is important to make sure that the country where you’ll be living accepts coverage from your specific insurance provider. Another option is to get a student, travel or public insurance plan from companies like International Student Insurance or Swiss Care.
Photo by angstdei
It is also important to note that most companies in Europe are required to provide public health insurance for their employees.
Once you’ve accomplished all these necessary steps, you can then head over to the city labor office (along with your passport, legal documents, diploma, work contract) where they will review your case which can be approved immediately or take up to three months.
If you can’t speak the language, bring a friend who can serve as a translator, as people in the labor office either don’t speak any English or will refuse to do so. Once it goes through, you’ll be charged a small fee and can live and work in the country for up to a year. Please note however, that the permit is bound to the company that hires you and cannot be used for a job elsewhere.
Though its tempting to skip the mountain of paperwork that comes with getting an EU work permit, it is lot less difficult than being deported (you pay for the flight back), being banned from the country and paying the hefty fine.
Of course there are other options to getting this sought-after document, such as putting up your own business, applying for a freelance work permit, getting a dual citizenship if your parent or grandparents were born in the EU, or putting ads out for marriage (its been known to happen), but these options entail their own issues and mountains of red-tape.
I’ve met many people in my travels through Europe who were intent on avoiding the legalities of acquiring a permit, but unfortunately, many of them either ran out of money or had gotten in trouble with the immigration authorities. If long-term work in Europe is your goal, there really isn’t any getting around a work permit.
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30 Comments... join the discussion!
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Excellent post, very well written and straight-forward. I recommend http://www.transitionsabroad.com for practical advice on finding work overseas.
-Tm
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You’ve made a typo — the UK is in the EU, and UK citizens have the normal rights of any EU citizens, e.g. can live & work in other EU countries indefinitely without having to get a work permit. Like Ireland and some other EU countries, it is not in Schengen, which means you have to pass through customs when travelling to and from Schengen countries.
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Hi Dylan,
You’re right! I should have been more clear…
Thanks!
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Good Article!
More Power!
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I kind of hoped to learn how to travel and work in the UK (I’m Bulgarian), howver this is a fine article. I enjoyed reading it.
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hi,
i am an Indian and looking to get EU work permit. Can someone
guide me from where should i start.↵ -
Hi hi,
thanks for the great article. My boyfriend is an EU citizen, (I’m not) and so he
has no problem getting a work permit allowing him to work in switzerland. I understand that one solution for us is that we get married and then i’ll get a permit through him…. but i was wondering if having us announced as “known in public” will do the job. anyone know?↵ -
not too sure if getting married works anymore you will be able to stay in the country but dont think you will get a work premit,if you have a grand parent or parent who was born in a eu country you should hace a better chance good luck
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Is it really as simple as having a parent or grandparent born there? I am going to Italy in a month and am entertaining thoughts of staying there.
Background info:
My mother was born in Italy while my grandfather was attending medical school in said country. However, she declined becoming a dual-citizen a long time ago because apparently there was some sort of financial/tax obligation that came with being a dual-citizen. Also, her understanding of it was that once dual-citizenship was declined, you could never reapply.
So, in short, my mother is a US citizen who was born in Italy. She does not have dual-citizenship. Do I have a chance applying for dual-citizenship?
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well i got little idea but not that much applicable for my situation , so if anyone can help me out to get EU work permit then that will be more help for me .well i am in qatar working as engineer so i want to get work permit to EU.
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im an indian
i want work permit for europe
wht should i do?↵ -
hello kishor you should get the student visa ,for doing work in europe , specially in Spain,
Adii
from pakistan.
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Hi I am from Pakistan i want to get the Euorpian work permit and right now i am working in KSA as a Safety Officer but i am not happy here thats y i want to go Europ and i want to spent a unforgetable life in Europ
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I am from Pakistan i want to get the Euorpian work permit and right now i am working in shoe industry Large export of footwear) as a accounts Officer but i also have the experience tax department payroll department & production department & admin department i am not happy here thats in pakistan i not get reward of my hardworking.i have total ten years experence of whole factory.but i and my family not satisfy in pakistan.this is my dream to working in EUROPE with Honest peoples.
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well i got little idea but not that much applicable for my situation , so if anyone can help me out to get EU work permit then that will be more help for me .well i am in qatar working as tv producer so i want to get work permit to EU.
thanks ….
tanvin_ja@yahoo.com.sg↵ -
i want work permit 4 europe i will want anytype of work doing there anywhere in europe plz someone help me 4 get work permit of europe plz mail me and call me 009213907075 harry / harry_9132@yahoo.co.in
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I wanted to know how to get EU work pemit. Will the employer not issue WP? Give me details of where and how to apply for EU work permit
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Hello, I am married to a Latvian National and currently live in Latvia (EU zone/schengen zone) and we want to go live in Spain. I am here on a 3 month short stay (don’t need a entry visa for Europe)and it is up in a month. I know how to get a residency/work permit but my wife has to be in Spain with me in order to do so but she cannot travel right now because we just had a baby!!!! Can I still go to Spain on my own and be granted residency/work permit while I wait for my wife to join me in 3-4 months????
Greatly appreciate all of your help!!!!!
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I am looking for a work permit in EU – However I am not a graduate but having 7 years of job experience – is it possible for me??
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i am looking for work in abroad in any good country could anyone guide me with whole process
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Isit posible for me to get a work permit from the EU as a foreigner from uganda.Thanks.
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I made the mistake of trying to get a work permit while already in the UK. I was eventually successful, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It is beyond frustrating. You can’t afford a place to live until you work, and you can’t work until you get a visa, and you can’t get a visa until the paper pushers sympathize a little with you, which they never do. It all comes down to luck – mine was in the form of an immigration officer who didn’t quite know what she was doing, and I got 14 months of adventure for it. Play your cards right and have patience and sometimes things do work out – as long as you’re ready to sacrifice for it.
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Thanks for the article! I was one of those people who skipped the mountain of paperwork when I lived in the Netherlands. Thankfully, I never ran into any issues when I worked over there since I was paid under the table and I made sure to leave the country at least every three months. (I did try to get a legal permit, but was thwarted.) Anyways, good advice and I agree that in the long run having the patience to apply for a permit is worth it!
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I can probably get sponsored for a work permit but does anyone know if this will allow my wife and child to stay with me？
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Applying for a freelance work permit…? Hmm. How does that work? I haven’t run across any info on that yet, and I’d like to live and work in France (but I’m not looking for a full-time regular job, I’m an actress….)
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The article addresses EU work permits quite well, but fails to mention anything about the UK, which runs a very different work permit system to the rest of Europe!
Many feel that getting a work permit for the UK is in many ways easier than for the majority of European countries, although the process is probably no less bureaucratic or confusing.
Some good information about getting a UK work permit: http://www.ukvisahelp.co.uk
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Hi everyone, I am working here in Yemen for Oil and Gas as HSE Officer, and I am very much interested to try my luck working in Europe. I encountered a lot of opportunity in my field of work as HSE Officer, but unfortunately for me, they require applicants to be a member of the European Union and must be authorized to work within it’s member countries and with valid work permits. If it’s not too much for you, can you please give me the right steps and procedure on how to acquire membership or work permit. Your assistance is highly appreciated on this matter. Thank you very much and God bless.
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hi iam hard warking man pls saponsar me
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This is good, interesting article. Good for EU citizens, they need no work permit.
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