If you are a national of a country outside the European Union and you want to take up a job in an EU country, the permit you receive will very often be a single permit: one document that lets you both live and work in that country. The EU rewrote the rules on this permit in 2024, and the new version had to be incorporated into national law by May 2026. This guide explains what the single permit is, who it covers and who it excludes, how the application works step by step, who files the paperwork, how long a decision may take, what you can expect to pay, and what rights you have once the permit is issued. It is based on Directive (EU) 2024/1233 and the official pages of EU institutions and national immigration authorities. It does not replace the national rules of the country where you want to work, which always decide the details.

What the EU single permit is

The single permit is a residence permit issued by an EU Member State that allows a third-country national (someone who is not an EU citizen) to reside legally in its territory for the purpose of work. The key word is single. Before the EU harmonised this area, many countries required two separate procedures, often with two different authorities: one for permission to stay and one for permission to work. Under the directive, a decision to issue, amend or renew a single permit is one administrative act that combines a residence permit and a work permit.

The legal basis today is Directive (EU) 2024/1233, a recast of the original Directive 2011/98/EU. It entered into force on 20 May 2024. Member States had to transpose it by 21 May 2026, and Directive 2011/98/EU was repealed from that date. In a news item on 15 June 2026, the European Commission said the updated rules were becoming fully operational across the EU.

The directive sets a common procedure (one application, one decision) and a common set of rights for third-country workers living legally in a Member State. The directive does not create an EU-wide permit. Each permit is national, issued by one country, and in principle valid for residence and work in that country only.

What the single permit does not decide

The directive harmonises the procedure and the rights. It does not harmonise who gets in. Member States keep their right under the EU Treaties to decide how many third-country nationals they admit for work, and the directive allows them to treat an application as inadmissible or to reject it on that basis. National law still sets the admission conditions: whether a labour market test applies, salary levels, required qualifications, quotas, lists of shortage occupations and so on. That is why the same type of job can be easy to obtain a permit for in one country and difficult in another.

Where the single permit applies in Europe

Europe, the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Schengen area are not the same thing, so geography matters.

• EU Member States except Denmark and Ireland. The directive binds 25 of the 27 EU countries. Recitals 51 and 52 of the directive state that Denmark and Ireland are not taking part in its adoption and are not bound by it or subject to its application. The Commission's single permit page confirms both countries are outside its scope.
• Denmark. Denmark runs its own national work and residence schemes. For example, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) operates the Pay Limit Scheme, which grants a residence and work permit for jobs paying at least DKK 552,000 a year (2026 level), with a processing fee of DKK 6,810.
• Ireland. Ireland uses its own employment permits system. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment lists nine types of employment permits under the Employment Permits Act 2024, including the Critical Skills Employment Permit and the General Employment Permit.
• Non-EU countries in Europe. The directive is an EU act addressed to EU Member States. Countries such as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (in the EEA but not the EU), Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Western Balkan countries are not EU Member States, so the single permit directive does not govern their work permits. They apply their own immigration law.

Schengen membership is a separate question. The Schengen area concerns border controls and short stays. A single permit is a national long-stay residence permit,t and its work rights are tied to the issuing country, so being in Schengen does not mean that a permit from one Schengen country lets you work in another.

Who the single permit covers

Article 3 of the directive says it applies to third-country nationals who fall into one of three groups:

• people who apply to reside in a Member State for work;
• people admitted for purposes other than work under EU or national law who are allowed to work and hold a residence permit in the uniform EU format (Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002), for example, some family members or students who may work;
• people admitted to a Member State for work under EU or national law.

Most readers of this guide fall into the first group. The second group matters for rights: even if your permit was issued for another reason, the equal treatment rules described later can protect you if you are allowed to work.

Optional exclusions for short stays and students

Member States may decide that the procedural chapter (Chapter II) does not apply to third-country nationals authorised to work for six months or less, or admitted for study. Chapter II also does not apply to people who are allowed to work on the basis of a visa. So in some countries a short work authorisation or a work right attached to a visa will follow a different national procedure.

Who is excluded from the single permit?

Article 3(2) lists people to whom the directive does not apply at all. They are third-country nationals who:

• are family members of EU citizens who have exercised or are exercising free movement rights under Directive 2004/38/EC;
• enjoy free movement rights equivalent to those of EU citizens under agreements between the EU and third countries, together with their family members;
• are posted workers, for as long as they are posted;
• are intra-corporate transferees under Directive 2014/66/EU;
• are seasonal workers under Directive 2014/36/EU, or au pairs;
• are authorised to residebased onf temporary protection under Directive 2001/55/EC;
• are beneficiaries of international protection under Directive 2011/95/EU;
• are beneficiaries of protection under national law, international obligations or national practice;
• are long-term residents under Directive 2003/109/EC;
• are people whose removal has been suspended based on fact or law;
• are self-employed workers;
• are seafarers for employment on board a ship registered in, or sailing under the flag of, a Member State.

These exclusions do not mean such people cannot work. Many have work rights under other EU or national rules, such as long-term resident status or the Seasonal Workers Directive; the single permit is simply not their route. Highly qualified workers may also use the separate EU Blue Card where they meet its conditions.

How the single application procedure works

Article 4 requires that an application to issue, amend or renew a single permit be submitted through a single application procedure. A competent authority designated by the Member State receives the application and issues the permit (Article 5). If the conditions in EU or national law are met, the authority must adopt a decision to issue the permit, and that decision is one act covering both residence and work.

Some countries involve more than one body behind the scenes, for example, a labour authority for the job and an immigration authority for residence, but the applicant should face one application and one decision.

Who submits the application?n

The directive leaves this choice to each Member State. Under Article 4(1), each country decides whether the application is submitted by the third-country national, by the employer, or by either of the two. This is one of the most visible differences between national systems:

• In Belgium, the federal Immigration Office states that the application must be made by an employer based in Belgium, through an online one-stop platform.
• In the Netherlands, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) explains that either the employer or the applicant can apply, depending on the situation and the form used.
• In Poland, the foreign worker files the application online, and the employer completes and signs an appendix to it.

Where the employer submits the application, Article 5(3) requires Member States to ensure the employer tells the worker about the status of the application and its outcome promptly.

Applying from outside or inside the country

Article 4(2) sets out where an application can be considered. It must be examined both when the third-country national lives outside the Member State they want to be admitted to, and when they already live in that Member State as the holder of a valid residence permit. This second option is one of the main changes in the recast. The Commission summarises it as allowing people with a valid residence permit to apply directly from within the EU without going back to their country of origin. A Member State may also, under its national law, accept applications from other third-country nationals who are legally present in its territory, for example someone on a visa, but it is not obliged to.

National practice can be stricter on who may switch inside the country. Poland's Poznań voivodeship office, for instance, states that applications for a temporary residence and work permit are not accepted from people staying on certain visa types, such as tourist visas.

The visa you need to travel

Some Member States issue the single permit only inside their territory. In that case, Article 4(4) says that once the requirements are met, the Member State must issue the visa needed to travel in and obtain the permit. The Netherlands is an example: the IND describes making an appointment for a provisional residence visa sticker (MVV) and then travelling to the Netherlands. In Belgium, after approval, the worker registers with the municipality on arrival and receives a temporary document before the residence card is issued.

Applying for a single permit step by step

The exact sequence depends on the country, but the official national procedures follow a broadly similar pattern. The steps below combine the directive's requirements with what national authorities publish.

1. Check that the single permit is your route. Confirm you are not in an excluded group, that the country applies the directive (so not Denmark or Ireland), and whether a different permit such as the EU Blue Card, a seasonal work permit or an intra-corporate transfer permit fits better. The EU Immigration Portal lets you look at the categories covered by EU rules country by country.
2. Secure a genuine job offer. The single permit is linked to employment. In most systems, an employer in that country must offer you a contract or a binding job offer that meets national conditions, for example on pay.
3. Find out whether a labour market test applies. Many countries require the employer to show that the vacancy could not be filled locally or from within the EU or EEA. In the Netherlands, the IND says the employer must first have looked for a worker in the Netherlands and the EU or EEA and registered the vacancy with the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV). In Czechia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains that the job must be listed in the central database of vacancies kept by the Labour Office, and the applicant quotes the vacancy number. Shortage occupations may be treated differently; that is covered in a separate article on shortage jobs and permits.
4. Identify who files and where. Check whether the worker, the employer or either can apply, and through which channel: an online portal, a regional office or an embassy or consulate.
5. Gather the documents. Article 9 requires Member States to publish adequate information on all the documentary evidence needed and on any fees. Typical items named by national authorities include a valid passport, photographs, the employment contract or job offer, an employer declaration, and proof of qualifications or of the right to do a regulated job. Some countries add health insurance, accommodation or medical checks.
6. Pay the fee. Check who pays and how. Keep the proof of payment, as national authorities often require it as part of a complete file.
7. Submit the complete application. The decision deadline starts from submission of a complete application, so completeness matters. Respond quickly to any request for missing documents.
8. Give biometrics if required. Many countries take fingerprints and a photograph for the residence card. In Poland, for example, the online application is followed by an in-person appointment to give fingerprints.
9. Receive the decision and the permit. If approved, you may need a visa to travel, then collect the residence card in the country, sometimes after registering with the local municipality.

Documents and the uniform permit card

Under Article 6, Member States issue the single permit using the uniform format set by Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002 and must show the information relating to the permission to work on it. They may also record details of the employment relationship, such as the employer's name and address, place of work, type of work, working hours and pay, either on paper or electronically. You have the right to check the personal information in the permit and, where appropriate, to have it corrected or deleted. Member States must not issue any additional document as proof of authorisation to access the labour market. Article 7 applies a similar rule to residence permits issued for purposes other than work: if the holder is allowed to work, that information must be indicated on the permit.

Decision deadlines

Article 5(2) requires the competent authority to adopt a decision as soon as possible and in any event within 90 days of the date a complete application is submitted. Under the 2011 directive,e the limit was four months, so this is a real shortening. The 90 days also cover any labour market check carried out in connection with your individual application, so a country cannot add the labour market test on top of the deadline.

There are three qualifications to keep in mind.

• Extension for complex cases. Article 8(3) allows the deadline to be extended by an additional 30 days in exceptional and duly justified circumstances linked to the complexity of the application, with the applicant informed.
• Incomplete files stop the clock. Under Article 5(4), if information or documents are incomplete according to national criteria, the authority must tell you in writing what is missing and set a reasonable deadline. The time limit is suspended until the authorities receive what was asked for. If you do not provide it in time, the application may be rejected.
• No automatic approval at EU level. If no decision is taken within the time limit, the directive says the consequences are determined by national law. Some countries treat silence as approval; others do not.

National pages may state shorter or different periods. Czechia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for example, gives a legal processing time of 60 days for its employee card, extendable to 90 days in exceptional cases. Belgium's Immigration Office page, as opened on 6 October 2026, still described four months for the regional and federal decision, with a possible tacit approval if neither authority objects in time. Because transposition of the recast was only due in May 2026, some national guidance may not yet reflect every change, so ask the authority which timeline applies to your file.

Fees and who pays them

The directive does not set a fee amount. Article 10 allows Member States to require applicants to pay fees for handling applications, but the fees must not be disproportionate or excessive. It also adds an important protection: where the employer pays the fees for processing the application, the employer is not entitled to recover them from the third-country national. An employer should not deduct those fees from your wages or ask you to repay them later.

Actual amounts are set nationally and change over time. Check the current fee on the official page of the authority handling your application, because Article 9 requires that information to be easily accessible. Be cautious of anyone asking you to pay large sums to an intermediary for a permit: official fees are paid to a public authority.

Procedural guarantees if you are refused

Article 8 gives every applicant minimum safeguards:

• A decision rejecting an application to issue, amend or renew a single permit, or withdrawing a permit, must be notified in writing and state the reasons, based on criteria in EU or national law.
• The decision must take into account the specific circumstances of the case and respect the principle of proportionality.
• The decision must be open to legal challenge in the Member State concerned, in line with national law.

Appeal routes and time limits are national and can be short, so act quickly once you receive a refusal.

Information you are entitled to

Article 9 requires Member States to make easily accessible, and to provide on request to the worker and the future employer, information on all documentary evidence needed and on fees, on entry and residence conditions including rights, obligations and procedural safeguards for the worker and their family members, and on workers' organisations. Article 11(1)(d) separately gives the permit holder the right to be informed about their own rights linked to the permit. If an authority's website is unclear, ask it directly rather than relying on intermediaries.

Your rights as a single permit holder

Under Article 11(1), during its validity, a single permit allows the holder to:

• enter and reside in the territory of the Member State that issued it, provided the conditions for admission continue to be met;
• have free access to the entire territory of that Member State, within the limits of national law;
• carry out the specific employment activity authorised under the permit, in line with national law;
• be informed about their own rights linked to the permit.

Note the limit in the third point: the permit covers the employment activity it authorises, which national law may define by employer, occupation or sector.

Changing employer

The recast directive requires Member States to allow single permit holders to change employer. Countries may ask for notification, carry out a labour market check, and require a minimum period with the first employer of up to six months, with earlier changes allowed in duly justified cases such as serious breaches by the employer. A separate article on this site covers changing employer with a single permit in detail.

Losing your job

Unemployment in itself is not a reason to withdraw a single permit if the total period of unemployment does not exceed three months during the permit's validity, or six months if you have held a single permit for more than two years, and if the start and, where applicable, the end of the unemployment are notified to the authorities. The Netherlands IND, for instance, states that workers who lose their job after 22 May 2026 and have held the permit for more than two years can have up to six months to find new work. A separate article covers keeping your permit after job loss.

Equal treatment rights

Article 12 is the core of the worker protection side of the directive. Third-country workers covered by the directive must receive equal treatment with nationals of the Member State where they reside, including:

• terms of employment and working conditions, including pay, dismissal, working hours, leave and holidays, equal treatment of men and women, and health and safety at the workplace;
• the right to strike and take industrial action, and freedom of association, affiliation and membership of a workers' or employers' organisation, in line with national law and practice;
• education and vocational training;
• recognition of diplomas, certificates and other professional qualifications under the relevant national procedures;
• the branches of social security defined in Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, such as sickness, unemployment, family and old-age benefits;
• tax benefits, where the worker is deemed resident for tax purposes in that country;
• access to goods and services made available to the public, including procedures for obtaining access to public and private housing;
• advice services and information provided by employment offices.

Permitted restrictions

Member States may limit some of these rights within strict bounds set in Article 12(2). They may:

• limit access to education and vocational training to workers who are in employment or registered as unemployed after working, exclude students admitted under Directive (EU) 2016/801, exclude study grants and loans, and set prerequisites such as language proficiency and payment of tuition fees;
• limit social security rights, but not for workers who are in employment or who have been employed for at least six months and are registered as unemployed;
• limit tax benefits to cases where the family members for whom benefits are claimed live in that Member State;
• limit access to goods and services to workers in employment, and restrict access to housing other than private rental.

Article 12(4) adds that workers who move to a third country, or their survivors living there, must receive statutory pensions for old age, invalidity and death based on their previous employment under the same conditions and rates as nationals of the Member State concerned when they move to a third country. Equal treatment does not stop a Member State from withdrawing or refusing to renew a permit on lawful grounds.

Protection against exploitation

The recast strengthened enforcement. Under Article 13, Member States must have measures to prevent abuse and sanction employers who breach the equal treatment rules, including monitoring, assessment and, where appropriate, inspections, especially in sectors identified as high risk for labour rights violations. Penalties for employers who do not meet their obligations must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. Labour inspectorates, and where national law provides it, workers' organisations, must have access to the workplace. Where the employer provides accommodation, that access can extend to the accommodation if the worker agrees.

Article 14 requires Member States to make sure workers can lodge complaints against employers directly, through third parties with a legitimate interest such as trade unions or other associations, or through a competent authority. Workers must have the same access as nationals to legal proceedings and to protection against dismissal or other adverse treatment as a reaction to a complaint. If you face unpaid wages or unsafe conditions, you can contact the national labour inspectorate.

How Member States implement the single permit

The directive sets a framework. Each country gives the permit its own name, its own forms and its own channel. A few verified examples from official national sources show the range.

The GVVA in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the single permit is called the GVVA (gecombineerde vergunning voor verblijf en arbeid), a combined residence and work permit. According to the Single Permit GVVA page, the employer or the applicant can submit the application depending on the situation. The employer must first have searched for staff in the Netherlands and the EU or EEA and registered the vacancy with UWV. Conditions include a salary at the normal level for the sector or collective agreement, and some applicants must take a tuberculosis test. The GVVA is valid for up to three years in most cases, and up to five years after five years of continuous employment. When the worker changes employer, the old employer notifies the IND and the new employer applies for a new permit.

The single permit in Belgium

In Belgium, the permit is simply called the single permit. The Single Permit page explains that an employer based in Belgium submits the application through an online one-stop platform. The competent region examines the work side,e and the federal Immigration Office the residence side. After approval, the worker registers with the municipality within eight working days of arrival and receives a temporary document before the final residence card.

The temporary residence and work permit in Poland

Poland's national name is the temporary residence and work permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę). According to the Temporary residence and work permit, applications are filed electronically through the MOS system, logged in through the national login service, no later than the last day of the applicant's legal stay. The employer completes and signs Appendix No.No 1. The applicant attaches a biometric photo, scans of the travel document and proof of stamp duty, and then attends an in-person appointment to give fingerprints. The permit is granted for up to three years, depending on the length of employment. Poland's official Green Line service lists conditions including health insurance and pay not lower than that of comparable workers and not below the minimum wage.

The employee card in Czechia

In Czechia,hia the single permit is the employee card (zaměstnanecká karta). The Employee Card page describes it as a long-term residence permit for third-country nationals working in Czechia for more than three months. Applications are lodged at the competent Czech embassy or consulate and decided by the Ministry of the Interior. The job must be listed in the Labour Office's central database of vacancies. After approval, the applicant receives a visa to travel and collect the card.

Employment residence permits in Germany

Germany issues residence permits for employment, with different sections of law for different groups. The federal government's Make it in Germany portal explains that for qualified professionals, the Federal Employment Agency must first approve the employment, checking that working conditions match those of comparable domestic workers. Applicants apply for the visa online through the Federal Foreign Office's Consular Services Portal. For first-time applicants aged over 45, the portal states a minimum salary of EUR 55,770 a year for 2026 or proof of adequate pension provision.

Sources and References

• Directive (EU) 2024/1233, Single Permit Directive (recast), EUR-Lex
• Directive (EU) 2024/1233 full text in HTML, EUR-Lex
• Single Permit Directive recast summary, European Parliament Legislative Observatory
• Single permit for residence and work, European Commission Migration and Home Affairs
• Single permit definition, EMN Asylum and Migration Glossary, European Commission
• Addressing worker shortages and attracting global talent, European Commission
• EU Immigration Portal, European Commission
• Work permits, Your Europe
• Single Permit GVVA, Immigration and Naturalisation Service Netherlands
• Single Permit, Immigration Office Belgium
• Temporary residence and work permit, Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office
• Temporary residence and work permit, Zielona Linia Polish public employment services
• Employee Card, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
• Work visa for qualified professionals, Make it in Germany, Federal Government
• Employment permit types, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Ireland
• Pay Limit Scheme, Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration

Information verified on 6 October 2026.