Posting workers to Europe for construction, installation and service companies based outside the EU
You run a construction, installation or technical services company outside the EU and have a contract in Europe. Before your team starts, most countries want a declaration, a named contact person and records on hand, plus the right permit for staff who are not EU nationals.
Companies that send their own staff to a job in Europe
Construction, installation and repair work at the client's site.
Contractors sending their own teams
Construction firms, installers and technical service companies in the US, the UK, the Gulf, Turkey or India, sending their own employees to an EU contract.
EU employers with staff from outside the EU
EU companies whose staff include non-EU nationals, sent to a job in another EU country. They usually need no work permit there, but most countries still want a declaration.
What differs from one country to the next
Rules in force on 6 November 2026, each with its official source.
| Country | What differs there | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Notice in German to customs before each job, naming an agent there (§18 AEntG); employers outside the EU post staff only under quota agreements with Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia (§29 BeschV). | Germany guide |
| France | SIPSI declaration before the posting, a representative in France (art. L1262-2-1 Labour Code) and a BTP card for each worker on a building site (art. R8291-1). | France guide |
| Netherlands | Online notification before work starts and a contact person in the Netherlands (WagwEU); the Dutch client checks it within 5 working days (Posted Workers NL). | On request |
| Spain | Notice before work starts, with a narrow exception for postings of 8 days or less, and a representative in Spain (Ley 45/1999); the authorisation for employers outside the EU is gone (RD 1155/2024). | On request |
| Italy | Notice to the Ministry of Labour by the start (Ministry of Labour), a referent domiciled in Italy, and records in Italian kept until 2 years after the job (art. 10 D.Lgs. 136/2016). | On request |
| United Kingdom (outside the EU) | No posting declaration found on GOV.UK. The visa decides: business visitors may only install, dismantle, repair or service machinery or software their employer sold or leased (Appendix Visitor). | On request |
| Poland | Declaration to the labour inspectorate by the first day, in Polish or English, a contact person present in Poland, and documents kept in Poland (biznes.gov.pl). | On request |
| Ireland | Declaration in English to the Workplace Relations Commission by the start day (WRC), naming a contact person (WRC form). | On request |
| Belgium | LIMOSA declaration before work starts, naming a liaison person; it waives Belgian social documents for 12 months (FPS Employment). | Belgium guide |
| Sweden | Notice and a contact person in Sweden by the start of work, proof handed to the client, and SEK 20,000 per breach, up to three (Arbetsmiljöverket). | On request |
| Austria | Form ZKO3 to the Finance Ministry before work starts (BMF); for staff of an employer outside the EU, the Austrian client applies for the permit (§18 AuslBG). | On request |
| Portugal | EU rules apply and we found no national specific, but the authority guide we read dates from 2017: confirm the filing with the ACT (ACT guide). | On request |
| Latvia | Declaration in Latvian before the posting; the client may not let work start until it is confirmed, and a representative in Latvia keeps the documents (Ministry of Welfare). | On request |
| Lithuania | Official sources could not be read yet: confirm the rules with the labour inspectorate (VDI). | On request |
| Estonia | Notice in the TEIS portal before work starts, naming a contact person; fines go up to EUR 32,000 for a company (Labour Inspectorate). | On request |
We publish a country guide once its rules are checked against the source.
A declaration, a contact person and the records
Similar duties in most countries, with a different form, language and deadline.
In the 12 EU countries where we read the official text, the employer declares by the first day of work at the latest and names a contact person (sources in the country table). Each country runs its own portal: we found no adopted text for the proposed single EU declaration (Council of the EU).
Documents on hand, often translated
Germany wants the work documents in German (§19 AEntG), Austria takes German or English (USP), and Estonia Estonian, English or Russian, for 3 years after the posting (Labour Inspectorate).
Updates have their own deadline
Germany wants changes without delay (§18 AEntG), Latvia within 3 working days (Ministry of Welfare), Poland within 7 working days (biznes.gov.pl), and Estonia before the change takes effect (Labour Inspectorate).
Construction adds its own filings
France: a BTP card per worker, ordered after the SIPSI declaration and by the first day (CIBTP). Belgium: attendance registration on sites of EUR 500,000 or more excluding VAT (Checkinatwork). Spain: REA registration to subcontract in construction, except for postings of 8 days or less (REA).
Minimum pay and sector holiday funds
Rates in force on 6 November 2026.
In the Netherlands and Estonia, almost all local labour law applies after 12 months, or 18 on a reasoned notification (WagwEU, Labour Inspectorate). For shorter jobs, compare these rates.
| Country | Minimum pay |
|---|---|
| Germany | EUR 13.90 gross an hour since 1 January 2026, EUR 14.60 from 1 January 2027 (MiLoV5) |
| France | EUR 12.31 gross an hour since 1 June 2026 (Légifrance) |
| Netherlands | EUR 14.99 gross an hour since 1 July 2026, aged 21 and over (Rijksoverheid) |
| Spain | EUR 1,221 a month over 14 payments for 2026 (RD 126/2026) |
| United Kingdom | GBP 12.71 an hour from age 21 since April 2026 (GOV.UK) |
| Poland | PLN 4,806 a month and PLN 31.40 an hour since 1 January 2026 (Dziennik Ustaw) |
| Ireland | EUR 14.15 an hour since 1 January 2026 (Citizens Information); construction EUR 21.37 to EUR 23.74 since 1 August 2026, plus minimum pension contributions (S.I. 620/2024) |
| Belgium | Construction scales (joint committee 124): EUR 18.747 to EUR 27.003 an hour since 1 October 2026 (FPS Employment) |
| Portugal | EUR 920 a month since 1 January 2026 (Decreto-Lei 139/2025) |
| Latvia | EUR 780 a month since 1 January 2026 (Cabinet of Ministers); the construction agreement rate for 2026 is still to be confirmed |
| Lithuania | EUR 1,153 a month in 2026 (Eurostat) |
| Estonia | EUR 946 a month since 1 April 2026 (Tax and Customs Board), with no extended collective agreement for construction (Labour Inspectorate) |
Holiday funds in construction
- Germany: SOKA-BAU is mandatory for foreign construction employers: register in writing before work starts, declare by the 15th of each month, pay by the 28th (SOKA-BAU).
- France: an EU or EEA employer is exempt if it proves equivalent holiday rights at home (art. D3141-26).
- Belgium: an EU employer is exempt from the loyalty and bad-weather stamps under an equivalent home scheme (FPS Employment).
- Austria: foreign construction firms notify the fund BUAK, which decides case by case on a waiver (BUAK).
Still to confirm in an official source: pay under the collective agreements of Italy, Sweden and Austria, the SOKA-BAU rate for 2026 and the Italian Cassa edile. Ask the fund before you price the job.
Staff who are not EU nationals
The route depends first on where their employer is established.
Employed by a company in the EU
- Germany: no Employment Agency approval for staff regularly employed in the EEA and posted temporarily (§21 BeschV).
- France: no work authorisation if the employer is in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland; the UK is also listed, at point 22 (art. R5221-2).
- Italy: no nulla osta, only a notice to the immigration one-stop office (art. 27 D.Lgs. 286/1998).
- Austria: the employment service (AMS) confirms or prohibits the posting after the declaration (migration.gv.at).
- Poland: no work permit for a worker allowed to stay and employed in another EEA country, posted by the same employer (art. 44, 2025 Act).
- Sweden: no work permit, but a residence permit beyond 3 months (Migrationsverket).
- Ireland: a Van der Elst visa for a worker lawfully resident and employed in the employer's EU country, for up to 12 months (Immigration Service).
- Latvia: a statement that the worker lawfully works for the employer in the sending country (Ministry of Welfare).
The Netherlands declares non-EU staff in every case and requires an IND residence permit beyond 90 days in 180 (WagwEU factsheet). For Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania and Estonia, this route is not yet confirmed in an official source.
Employed by a company outside the EU
- Germany: only under the four quota agreements in the table (§29 BeschV).
- France: a work authorisation for each posted foreign worker (art. R5221-2).
- Italy: entry outside the quotas with a nulla osta (art. 27 D.Lgs. 286/1998).
- Austria: the client applies to the AMS. A posting permit covers up to 6 months of work; beyond that, and always in construction, an employment permit is needed (§18 AuslBG).
- Spain: the transnational services authorisation no longer exists (RD 1155/2024).
- United Kingdom: the Service Supplier visa, for a trade agreement contract with a UK client licensed as a sponsor, after 12 months with the employer (GOV.UK), or the Senior or Specialist Worker visa for a move to your group's UK branch on at least GBP 52,500 (GOV.UK).
Ireland, Poland and Sweden: still to be confirmed in an official source.
Social security, and the EU texts still to confirm
France asks an employer outside the EU for proof of social security cover (art. R1263-1). A worker of an EU employer sent to the UK for up to 2 years stays insured under the EU certificate, with no UK National Insurance (GOV.UK). Still to read in the official text: the posting directive (Directive 2018/957), the enforcement directive (Directive 2014/67), the A1 rules (Regulation 883/2004) and the Vander Elst case law (Migrationsverket). Confirm them with the authority of the country concerned.
Do you need an EU company?
Not always. It depends on who employs your staff and where the job is.
When your own company is enough
France, Italy and Austria keep a permit route for staff of an employer based outside the EU, and the UK has its own visas. Your company files each declaration itself.
When an EU company helps
Germany allows employers outside the EU only four quota agreements and Spain has removed its authorisation. Staff lawfully employed by an EU company in its own country have a lighter route in most countries above, though the company still files its own declarations.
If an EU employer fits your plans, see our pages on EU company formation for non-residents and on a Latvian subsidiary for a foreign company. Latvian rules for hiring non-EU staff are not covered here; a licensed adviser confirms them before any hire.
What Balt Partners coordinates
One contact in Riga, with a licensed local adviser for each filing.
Obligation map per contract
Declaration, contact person, records, pay, holiday funds and permits per country, with the deadlines in one calendar.
Declarations and the local contact
In each country we bring in a licensed adviser who handles the declaration and sets out who can be your contact person there.
Permits for non-EU staff
The permit route for each worker, with the file handled by a licensed adviser in that country.
A Latvian company when it fits
A Latvian SIA with its bank account and accounting set-up, if you need an EU employer of your own.
Step-by-step country guides: posting staff to Germany, the SIPSI and BTP card steps in France and LIMOSA and construction pay in Belgium.
Questions about posting workers to Europe
Yes, in the 12 EU countries of this guide where we read the official rule: the employer declares by the first day of work and names a contact person. Portugal and Lithuania are still to be confirmed. The form, language and deadline differ by country.
Only under the quota agreements for contract workers with Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia. Staff regularly employed by a company in the European Economic Area and posted temporarily need no Federal Employment Agency approval.
Usually not, if that company employs them lawfully. Germany, France and Poland exempt them, and Sweden too, with a residence permit beyond 3 months. Italy wants a notice, Austria's employment service confirms or prohibits the posting, and Ireland issues a Van der Elst visa for up to 12 months.
For construction work in Germany, yes: register in writing before work starts, declare by the 15th of each month and pay by the 28th. The 2026 rate is not yet confirmed in an official source, so ask SOKA-BAU.
We found no posting declaration on GOV.UK, so the visa decides. Business visitors may install, dismantle, repair or service machinery or software their employer sold or leased. Other work points to the Service Supplier or the Senior or Specialist Worker visa.
Not always. France, Italy and Austria have permit routes for staff of an employer outside the EU, while Germany allows only four quota agreements and Spain has removed its authorisation. An EU company helps for staff it lawfully employs in its own country, and still files declarations in each country of the job.