Right to work
Also called: work authorization, right to work check
How to handle right-to-work in EU hiring
The clean pattern:
- Ask on the application form as a binary question: “Do you have authorization to work in [country]?” Yes/no. This is one of the few legitimate knockout questions.
- Verify before the offer, not before the interview. Most EU jurisdictions allow asking about right-to-work but prohibit demanding documentation until late in the process.
- Document the check at the time of hire, not on retrospective audit. The standard EU pattern is a copy of the passport or ID card plus, where applicable, a residency or visa document.
EU-specific complexities
A few patterns to know:
- EU citizenship automatically confers the right to work across EU member states (with limited exceptions during accession periods for new members).
- Non-EU candidates need either a visa already in place or sponsorship from the employer. Sponsorship is country-specific, has lead time, and has minimum salary thresholds.
- UK candidates post-Brexit need a visa to work in the EU; EU candidates need a visa to work in the UK.
What it does not cover
Right to work is the legal floor. It doesn’t say anything about tax residency, social security registration, or where the work physically happens — those are separate questions when employing remote workers across borders.
Where Join fits
The right-to-work question is a standard knockout on the Join application form, with the verification check tracked on the candidate record before offer release. See the features page.
